God Opposes the Proud

Wisdom is humble.  Humility means putting others first.  But why does it matter?

For the devious person is an abomination to the Lord,
But the upright are in his confidence.
The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,
But he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
Toward the scorners he is scornful,
But to the humble he gives favor.
The wise will inherit honor,
But fools get disgrace (Prov. 3:32-35, ESV).

R. Nial Bradshaw (2013), Creative Commons

This section has four statements about God’s perspective on those who obey or disobey the commands of Prov. 3:27-30.  The first three show first God’s displeasure toward the disobedient, followed by his favor toward the obedient.  The fourth statement reverses the order, signaling the end of the section.

The language here is not moderate.  “Abomination” (Prov. 3:32) may be the strongest possible term to express hatred.  The devious person, who builds himself up by tearing others down, is an object of God’s extreme hatred (Prov. 3:32).  The wicked, who ignores God’s instruction and goes his own way, is thwarted by God at every turn (Prov. 3:33).  Scorners, who always believe they know better than everyone else, receive the Lord’s scorn (Prov. 3:34).  Fools, who love simplicity and refuse to learn wisdom, become disgraceful examples of what not to do (Prov. 3:35).

What’s abominable to God is often distasteful to others as well.  I’m sure you’ve seen (or been) the person who’s so focused on himself that he brings his own disgrace.  Comedian Brian Regan, with surprising insight, cautions us to “Beware the Me Monster.”

I made the mistake of trying to tell a story about having only two wisdom teeth pulled, and I learned a lesson: Don’t ever try to tell a two-wisdom-teeth story because you ain’t goin’ nowhere.  The four-wisdom-teeth people are going to parachute in and cut you off at the pass.  ‘Halt!  Halt with your two-wisdom-tooth tale!’  You will never complete one; trust me.[1]

The “Me Monster” is the person who always focuses on himself.  Even the world recognizes how ugly this behavior is.

In contrast, the upright person, who imitates God’s pattern of selfless love, is brought into God’s intimate circle (Prov. 3:32).  The righteous one, who trusts in God’s provision and not his own performance, receives God’s backing for every endeavor (Prov. 3:33).  The humble person, who considers others more important than himself, is given favor from the Lord (Prov. 3:34).  The wise person, who never stops learning and loving, gets praise from the King of Heaven (Prov. 3:35).

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  These two roads lead in opposite directions, and there’s not much room between them.  Where do you fall?