“Pride Before Destruction”


BIBLE READING: Isaiah 38-40

                In this chapter, we see how damaging pride can be not just to one person, but to a whole multitude of people–in this case the nation of Judah. But before we move on, I would like to present this piece of wisdom presented to us by King Solomon.  “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)
            King Hezekiah led a righteous life when he started to reign in the nation of Judah. He reopened the temple & expelled the idols inside, he re-established the Passover feast and saved the nation of Judah from the invasion of Sennacherib, King of Assyria. The Lord even saved him from death! But as soon as Hezekiah had the opportunity to shine for God’s glory, he turned to pride towards himself and “his” accomplishments.  Pride, to clarify, has two faces: the pride that gives a sense of honor, such as a father with his child, and the pride that gives the sense of self-entitlement. The pride that the Lord detests is the pride that doesn’t glorify God. Such pride offends, destroys, and taunts–not just enemies but everyone else.
            Now, back to Hezekiah: After the Lord had blessed Hezekiah, He decided to give Hezekiah the control of the situation which was to glorify God to the ambassadors from Babylon. “. . . God withdrew from Hezekiah in order to test him and to see what was really in his heart.” (2 Chronicles 32:31, NLT) As the ambassadors arrived in Judah, Hezekiah led them on a tour of all the riches he had accumulated. Hezekiah forgot the Lord in his tour and glorified himself as the savior of Judah. Quickly after, the prophet Isaiah confronted Hezekiah. The Lord sent a humbling message to Hezekiah that brought Hezekiah to repentance. The Bible tells us that not just Hezekiah, but the entire nation bowed down in repentance.  If you have wronged the Lord by glorifying yourself, it’s time to repent like Hezekiah. Don’t let time catch up and cause your destruction. As we saw in the beginning with Proverbs, putting ourselves before God is synonymous with destruction. God will always glorify those who put Him first in their lives.
                                                                                                              -Joshua Barajas-Murillo


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