Posts Tagged ‘pride’

Scripture reading for August 25th: Ezekiel 24-28

Ezekiel was also a prophet to the nations of his day.  God gave him a message for Tyre, in the form of a lament or funeral song.   Tyre was a city/nation on the Mediterranean Sea that was located partially on an island.  Tyre was populated by a proud group of sea people who controlled much of the commerce on the sea and surrounding areas.  These people were very rich from their trading. They boasted that they were invincible and were celebrating the fall of Jerusalem.  (Ezekiel 26:1-6)  God had Ezekiel read a prophetic warning and pronouncement over Tyre.  God’s goal was to help them know that “I am the Lord“.  (Ezekiel 26:6) The end decreed by God for Tyre: “I will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread fishnets.  You will never be rebuilt, for I the Lord have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.” (Ezekiel 26:14) Ezekiel wrote a lament at God’s direction for Tyre.(Ezekiel 27)  By the way, Tyre does not exist today, except in ruins!

Following that lament, God gave Ezekiel another lament for the ruler of Tyre.  The King of Tyre felt that he was “god” and possessed great power, wisdom and wealth.  (Ezekiel 28:2)  This “king” was proud and felt invincible, but God decreed his removal by death. Pride goes before destruction!

Ezekiel’s strange lament spoke of this “king” being in the Garden of Eden and a model of perfection.  (Ezekiel 28:11)  He told of  being anointed by God to be a guardian cherub on the holy mount of God.  It spoke of iniquity being found in this perfect being and God’s removal of  him in disgrace.  The reason for removal was pride in his beauty and splendor. (Ezekiel 28:17-18) Many commentators feel that this lament speaks of the fall of Satan from heaven as well as the earthly King of Tyre.

We do know that pride causes destruction.  As citizens of one of the most powerful nations on earth, we must guard against the sins spoken of concerning this “king” of Tyre.  Many have become proud of our wealth and our power, and feel invincible.  Many have forgotten that God is sovereign, and act in brazen sin and dishonesty.  Satan has been cast down to earth and is at work.  A day of reckoning is coming!  These laments remind us that God weeps over sin and it’s destruction of people He loves!

Scripture reading for April 20: 1st Chronicles 17-21

We have an enemy who is known to be crafty and who uses schemes and strategy to gain access to God’s people.  His motive is to steal from them, kill them, and ultimately destroy their souls in Hell.  (John 10:10)   Satan is said to be like a roaring lion prowling around looking for someone to devour. (1st Peter 5:8-9)  Several passages of scripture admonish God’s people to flee temptation and resist the devil.  (Matthew 6:13)  We are in a cosmic battle with evil forces of darkness and are in need of God’s help.

David was a man after God’s heart but he was also prone to temptation and did not always resist.  We all remember the time he stayed back in Jerusalem when his army went to war.  (1st Chronicles 20:1)  It is interesting to note that the incident with Bathsheba is not mentioned in this account.  But another incident is mentioned that I had not noticed before.  David came and took the crown off the head of the king of the Ammonites who Joab and the army had defeated.  This crown weighed around 75 pounds and was full of precious stones.  David placed that crown on his own head.  (1st Chronicles 20:2)

Right after this, David returned again to Jerusalem and Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census!  (1st Chronicles 21:1)  This was evil in God’s sight because it was motivated by pride and not by God’s direction.  (1st Chronicles 21:7)  It appears that  Satan gained an inroad in David’s life.  We know David was not fighting the Lord’s enemies but stayed home to engage in sexual sin.  He had Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, killed. He took this massive crown belonging to a pagan king and placed it on his own head.  After this Satan was able to incite him to sin that cost the lives of 70,000 Israelites!  Sin always leads to death and Satan’s desire is fulfilled!

However, out of this sin, David did repent.  He ended up buying the threshing floor of Arunah as a place of sacrifice to the Lord to stop the plague.  This site became the site of the temple!  Pride brings destruction, but humility brings repentance and forgiveness.  The temple is where God’s presence dwelled and where anyone who had sinned could bring a sacrifice with humility and find forgiveness and restoration!  David’s latter Son, Jesus Christ, would offer Himself in this temple to be the final sacrifice for the sins of the world!  What grace from a loving God!  What a victory over our enemy, Satan, and his schemes of death!  Praise the Lord!

Scripture reading for March 31st: 2nd Samuel 15-18

“Honor your father and your mother,  as the Lord your god has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Deuteronomy 5:16

“This is what the Lord says; ‘out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you.  Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight.  You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel’”.( 2nd Samuel 12:11-12)

God’s Word never returns void!  It is always true and the one who chooses to go against it does so to their peril.  King David disobeyed God’s command against adultery and although he was forgiven, he reaped what he had sown in his own household.  Absalom, a son of King David, chose to rebel against his own father and try to take the throne of Israel.  His story is recorded in today’s reading.  It has a boastful beginning and a sad ending.

Absalom was a master politician.  He made all kinds of promises to win the hearts of the people.  His heart was plotting a take-over of his own father’s throne and he did it by flattery and empty promises.  (2nd Samuel 15:4-6) He secretly set himself up as king and secretly won over David’s trusted counselor, Ahithophel, who joined in the conspiracy.  He was a man full of pride and self-promotion who would do anything to gain power.

Ahithophel advised Absalom to take his father’s concubines and sleep with them in front of all Israel.  This appealed to this rebel son and he willingly broke God’s commands and dishonored himself and his father, not to mention God!  In doing so, he fulfilled Nathan’s word to King David as his own father was confronted with his own sin of adultery!  God’s Word is always true and comes to pass!  (2nd Samuel 16:20-22)

Absalom’s brief rebellion ends in a tragic way.  He was always proud of his long, thick hair.  As he was riding his mule  through the forest of Ephraim in battle with his father’s men, he caught his hair on a branch and was left hanging in mid-air by his beautiful hair.  He was struck down by Joab, David’s army commander, and Joab’s armor-bearers.  His life cut short by dishonoring his own father!

When told of his son’s death, King David laments his death and wishes it had been him!  What anguish is caused by sin!  These sexual sins seem to offer such pleasure, but in reality cause death and agony!  We reap what we sow! David’s lament is very touching!  In it we hear the heart of God for all his lost children!  He wants none to perish, but all to come to repentance.  He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but wishes for their salvation and restoration!  In fact, He sent His own Son to die in our place!  Wow!  What amazing love!  Our Father identified with our sins and weaknesses and and offers pardon and restoration!