I'm now using Tim Keller's 365-day devotional book on Proverbs. I love Proverbs! It's straight-shooting, in-your-face, no-nonsense wisdom about how to live a godly life (and how to avoid destruction).
Yesterday's entry Is on Proverbs 16:5; 18.
The LORD detests all the proud of heart.
Be sure of this:
They will not go unpunished. . . .
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
Keller writes:
"The Bible does not say that pride might lead to destruction—it says it will. Why? The practical reason is that pride makes it difficult to receive advice or criticism. You can’t learn from your mistakes or admit your own weaknesses. Everything has to be blamed on other people. You have to maintain the image of yourself as a competent person, as someone who is better than other people. Pride distorts your view of reality, and therefore you’re going to make terrible decisions." (Keller, God's Wisdom for Navigating Life: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Book of Proverbs, p. 134).
Keller asks us this. "What negative practical results of pride have you seen recently worked out in your own life or the lives of others you know?"
Pride is the root of so many things that are wrong with us. This is why C. S. Lewis called pride "the great sin."
