Pride: An Enemy to Obedience

The Psalmist write, “” (Ps 119:21).

The Psalmist requests for God to “” like He had with other prideful men – Cain (Gen 4:5, 13-16), Pharaoh (Exod 14:15-31), Haman (Esth 7:7-10), Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 4:29-33) or Herod (Acts 12:21-23).

There are few sins more hated by God and the psalmist knew this. Some have suggested this psalm was written by Daniel, and if so, he would have most certainly understand the danger of pride in a ruler as he saw it firsthand in King Nebuchadnezzar.

Why is pride not only an enemy to the psalmist but also an enemy to Scripture? If Scripture is to be supreme in our life, it takes a humble man to have it that way. Prideful, insolent men do not have Scripture as supreme in their life. Conceited individuals see the Bible more as a menu where they pick and choose what they want or don’t want; they don’t see it as a guidebook to the sanctification necessary to see God. Pride is an enemy of God and it is an enemy of His Word.

C.S. Lewis wisely writes in his book ,

“It is pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began. … Pride always means enmity – it is enmity. And not only enmity between man and man, but enmity to God. … As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”

Pride keeps you from looking up to the one you serve. The psalmist wants to stay away from people who are like that. He wants his contemplations to be on the Word and not on himself and he learned that from his enemies’ sinful example.

Will pride keep you from reading your Bible today? Will your own schedule or busyness or agenda or favorite TV show keep you from meditating on His Word today? If so, may God rebuke you as well! It takes a humble man to seek out the Word.

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