Pride goes before a fall

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.


King Uzziah was a king that did right in God's eyes, and thus became powerful, until the power he was enjoying got to his head, He became proud and this led to his fall from glory to grass.


2 Chronicles 26:16-21 But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the LORD followed him in. They confronted King Uzziah and said, ‘It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honoured by the LORD God.’


Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the LORD’s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead. When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the LORD had afflicted him.


King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house – leprous, and excluded from the temple of the LORD. Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.


Herod was another proud person that was humbled by God. His pride led to his destruction - Acts 12:21-23 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, ‘This is the voice of a god, not of a man.’ Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.


Pride manifests itself in many forms, and can make us disregard all forms of authority. Pride causes us to feel we are above every other person, and stupidly sometimes even elevate ourselves above that which God has ordained. Uzziah had no business burning incense. This was a role for the priests- the Levites. However, out of pride, Uzziah felt he could do anything. He was behaving like Lucifer , who stupidly thought he was so powerful he could set his throne above God's. Pride does not like to be corrected - Proverbs 9:8 Never correct conceited people; they will hate you for it. But if you correct the wise, they will respect you.


Pride sadly destroys. It bloats the ego of whoever it resides in, until it bursts like an over bloated balloon, deflating the ego, and destroying the person in the process. Pride must be avoided by all costs, and this is possible if we revere God , and love and respect our fellow men.


Luke 14:11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’



















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