When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.
Proverbs 11:2 KJV
According to the dictionary, “lowly” means humble in feeling, behavior, and status.
Proverbs 16:19 says, “Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.”
God blesses those that humble themselves before Him.
He blesses them with wisdom. Proverbs 15:33 says, “The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.”
He blesses them with knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:6 says, “For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.”
He blesses them with riches, honor, and life. Proverbs 22:4 says, “By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.”
People don’t like to humble themselves before others, especially the Lord, because they consider humility a weakness. If humility is a weakness, then is pride a strength? Not according to God. Mankind may consider pride a strength, but God calls it an abomination (Proverbs 6:16-17).
Why does God hate pride?
- It’s sin. (Proverbs 21:4)
- It brings shame. (Proverbs 11:2)
- It brings a person down. (Proverbs 29:23)
- It causes contention. (Proverbs 13:10)
- It brings persecution (Psalm 10:2)
- It stirs up strife. (Proverbs 28:25)
- It brings destruction. (Proverbs 16:18)
Pride is an egotistical view of oneself, one’s position, or status. Pride causes a person to rely totally on himself – his strength, his power, his ability, his intelligence, his knowledge, and his wisdom. But those things are all a gift from God, which means that in and of ourselves we have nothing to boast of.
Galatians 6:3 says, “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.”
When we humble ourselves before God, we recognize that our strength, power, ability, intelligence, knowledge, and wisdom all come from Him, and we acknowledge that without Christ we could do nothing (John 15:5). So our power is actually in Christ through a humble spirit.
James 4:6 says, “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”