Key Verse:
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
箴言16: 18 骄傲在败坏以先，内心高傲在跌倒之前。
1. Introduction
Recently, I have been reading various stories from the Aesop’s Fable to Elli as her bedtime story. Allow me to share one of them. I am sure you will recognize it easily.
The story is about a fox who saw a bunch of juicy ripe grapes hanging from a vine trained along the branches of a tree. The grapes were hung high and the Fox had to jump for it. But after several attempts of jumping, he was still unable to reach the grapes. Soon, he gave up and walked away scornfully. He concluded that the grapes were sour and not worth his time to get them.
So, what is the title of this story? Can someone shout it out?
Yes, it’s “The Fox and the Grapes” also known as “Sour grapes” (in Chinese: 吃不到葡萄说葡萄酸). These stories often end with a moral lesson. So, at the end of each story, we would ask, what is the moral of this story? And in this case, the Fox was too proud to acknowledge his own shortcomings, he gave up on his endeavour and failed to enjoy the juicy grapes as his reward. If only he had been more humble, he could have trained harder and maybe one day, get the fruit of his labour.
Pride was the issue at stake. Pride prevented the Fox from reaching his full potential.
In psychology, we can identify pride in its various forms: Pride as Arrogance, Self-Centeredness, Jealousy.
Let’s take a quick look at these character traits.
a) Pride as Arrogance
The Fox suffered from pride as arrogance. He thinks too highly of his own capability. And when he couldn’t get his reward, he calls it sour grapes. Not worth his effort in the first place. Someone who is arrogant would say: I’m the best, no one comes close. I’m always right. Who are you to challenge me? It’s my way or the highway. Only I can do this job well. This company…this ministry will fail without me. When they make a mistake, they would never apologise. They often find excuses to cover up their own shortfalls. Sometimes they would even put the blame on others. They would often despise and look down on those whom they think are weaker than them. Total snobs!
b) Pride as Self-Centeredness
The second common character trait of pride is self-centredness. They are always looking at things from their own perspective. A very narrow mind-set. What do I gain from doing this? Why should I do this work if it doesn’t benefit me directly. Is there a promotion for me when I complete this? They like to take the limelight. They will jump queue when no one is looking. Always fighting to be the first in line. They would say: You snooze; you lose! Each man for himself. This is a dog-eat-dog world! No place here for losers! Self-justification is common. Ethics and moral concerns are secondary to what they can gain for themselves. Totally selfish and self-centred, individualistic.
c) Pride as Jealousy
The third is pride as jealousy. When someone praise them for good work done, they would usually say: No lah! No lah! I am the worst. Many people are better than me. But in their hearts, they know they are the best! But when someone else gets praises, they become jealous of them. Why was he or she promoted instead of me? I am clearly the better candidate! False humility. Jealousy.
Wah, someone got a new coffee machine ah! A new toy… a new car… a new house…a new wife! [kidding] So jealous!
Sometimes, they can be two-faced. Nice to boss but nasty to subordinates. Sar-kar! (Three-legged) They will be the first to arrive at the office and last to leave. Love to show the boss how hardworking they are. They always like to claim credit for others’ work. Total hypocrites!
2. Biblical understanding on Pride
I hope by now, you realise that we talking about pride today. The biblical teaching on pride is way more severe than that from the Aesop’s Fable. There is a warning of an imminent destruction or punishment.
Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 18:12
Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honor.
The Bible draws a strong corelation between pride and destruction, and also between humility and honor. In the Old Testament, we recall of at least three examples of this co-relation.
a) Pharaoh vs Moses (Ex. 7 – 12)
First, the conflict between Pharaoh and Moses in Exodus. Moses was called by God to bring the Hebrews out of slavery under Egyptian rule. Moses had famously told Pharaoh to “let my people go!” Ex. 10:27 tell us “…the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go” (See also Ex. 7:14). Because of pride, Pharaoh refused Moses and eventually, this led to the Ten Plagues in the whole of Egypt. The Pharaoh, not only lost many of his army men in the Red Sea, he also lost his first born son.
b) David vs Goliath (1 Sam. 17)
Next, in Sunday School, we remember well the conflict between David and Goliath. Goliath was a giant champion from Gath, a Philistine. He was believed to be about 2.38m in height. David was just a young shepherd boy, small in stature. When Goliath first saw David, he said to him, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” … “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!” (1 Sam. 17:43-44). David took a stone from his bag and slung it at Goliath and struck him at his forehead. Goliath fell face down on the ground. The small shepherd boy, David, had overcome the mighty giant Goliath.
c) Saul vs David (1 Sam. 18:8-16)
The third example is a little less known: the conflict between Saul and David.
After David’s victory against Goliath, David returned home. And the crowd sang and shouted: “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” (1 Sam. 17:6). When Saul heard this, he was very angry and eyed David from that day on. The Bible tells us that “the next day a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul.” (1 Sa 18:10).
Huh? What did I just hear? Did God really send a harmful spirit upon Saul? Why would God do that? What does it actually mean?
Saul was in great distress for a long time and his enemies are warring against him. God has turned away from him and answer him no more, either by prophets or by dream. Saul’s heart was full of bitterness. He was jealous of David’s great victory and God’s blessing on his successor. At wits end, Saul summoned his mentor, the prophet Samuel, to ask him what to do.
1 Sam. 28:16–17.
16 And Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the LORD has turned from you and become your enemy? 17 The LORD has done to you as he spoke by me, for the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David.
God had become Saul’s enemy and had turned away from him. Saul’s pride eventually led to his own downfall.
3. A hardened heart reveals sinful pride
So, we ask the crucial question, What does it mean that God hardened Pharoah’s heart and sent a harmful spirit upon Saul?
For this question, I found Bonhoeffer’s understanding helpful. He calls it: cor curvum in se – a heart turned in upon itself. This Latin phrase was first coined by Martin Luther but have been used repeatedly by Bonhoeffer. A heart turned in upon itself is God’s way of punishing the prideful. This is the sin of Adam. The pride of humanity.
Bonhoeffer: Human beings have torn themselves loose from community with God and, therefore, also from that with other human beings, and now they stand alone, that is, in untruth.
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