PROVERBS 18
12 Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.
13 If one gives an answer before he hears it is his folly and shame.
14 A man’s spirit will endure sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?
15 An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16 A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before the great.
– Proverbs 18:12-16
PROVERBS 18 HUMILITY PRECEDES HONOR
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When we give in to our nature, pride comes easily
In our sinfulness, we are unable to walk in humility
When we automatically gratify our desires and cravings
We are giving in to the flesh and begin to be more prideful
Humility precedes honor that is why Jesus sampled it for man
Without emulating him, we will be living in sin and shame.
In these following verses Solomon gives us a wise proverb on haughtiness or pride. In verse 12, he gives us the aftermath of a heart that is proud which is ruin or destruction. In verse 13, he shows us that a haughty person boasts and reacts before he actually hears others which leads him to foolishness and shame. In verse 14, he shows us again another manifestation of a proud person: it cannot endure suffering or sickness but it shows that he has a spirit that is crushed because it doesn’t long to please the Lord but to please himself. Verse 15 shows the unteachable spirit that the proud possess. They cannot hear wisdom because they are so busy glorifying and raising themselves up. When we hear these wise sayings, it is wise for us to examine our hearts and heed Solomon’s advice.
The term haughty is defined in biblehub.com as an attitude of arrogance, pride, and disdain towards others. It is characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance. Notice that the highest in rank of importance in a haughty person is their inflated sense of self. They raise themselves up to a pedestal based on their own standards. They cannot think of others because they are so full of themselves. Their world revolves around their needs, their wants and desires and their appetites. Greed, power and pride are what powers them up.
Why is a haughty person an abomination to the Lord as Proverbs 16:5 mentions? Remember the first sin of Adam and Eve? It has to do with pride because they wanted to know everything that God knew. In other words, they wanted to elevate themselves higher than they really are. They want more than what they have and cannot be satisfied with what they already have. A haughty person cannot see others. They definitely cannot see God because their god is “self-love.” This is why Jesus set an example of humility for us all when he who is a God gave up his divinity to become human.
REFLECTION
- What are some manifestations of a haughty person as different from a humble one?
