In our last Friday Focus, we talked about how wisdom wins a king’s heart and is much better than gold. I want to continue this thought about riches as we look at the next few verses of Proverbs 16.
The highway of the upright turns aside from evil; whoever guards his way preserves his life. Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud. (Proverbs 16:17-19 ESV)
The temptation of quick riches
It is interesting that this is our focus for today, because the topic of the spoils of war or quick riches keeps popping up in my Bible study time. As my life group at church studied verses from Psalm 119, this admonition caught my eye:
Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. (Ps. 119:36-37)
How easy it is to take something for selfish reasons. Abraham could have done that. (See Genesis 14). He had gone after the armies that captured his nephew, Lot, and was taking him back to Sodom, when he was met by the king of Salem, Melchizedek, who blessed him and reminded him that God Most High (El Elyon) had delivered him from his enemies. As a result, Abraham gave a tenth to Melchizedek as an offering unto God.
He still had a lot of the “spoils” of his short war, and when he met the king of Sodom, he was told to keep all the people he’d captured for himself. Instead, Abraham refused, not wanting that anyone would say that they had made him rich. His loyalty was to God alone. All he allowed was that the foreigners, who had gone to battle with him, would be designated a share.
The example of Abraham pales in comparison to that of our Lord Jesus, who, “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:6-8).
He lived out what it looked like to be of a lowly spirit with the poor. Only through His obedience in setting aside his glory was he ultimately exalted and given the name that is above every name. Jesus is our example to put obedience to God’s commands above earthly, selfish gain, and as we give Him our ultimate loyalty, we preserve our lives.
Because the opposite brings destruction
The opposite of humility is pride. The humble find life, while the proud find death. “Pride goes before destruction.” How many times have we as children said, “I can do it!” We resist the assistance of our loving parents to take control and show we can handle things ourselves, only to drop the fork, spill the dish, or fall off the bike. These are minor examples of the larger road to destruction found in pride.
If we do not submit to the lordship of Christ at an early age, we know what pride looks like in the teen years or as young adults. “Taking the wheel” of a literal car or of our life without the guidance and instruction of an elder can bring devastating results. Cutting off our parents, because we think we know best as we age, hurts them, ourselves, and any children to follow. Pride stands between every break in relationship and leaves no one without wounds to show for it.
The saddest example, however, comes from those who are mature adults. They’ve been through childhood and the young adult years. They are established in life and on their own. Maybe they’ve even accomplished good things in education or work, but they congratulate themselves for it. God has no place in their life. Pride drives their decisions. Self rules. Then, something happens—an accident, illness, or loss. With only self to sustain them, they quickly spiral out of control and lose all hope for the future.
Okay, you may be saying. This is not always the case. You know plenty of people who died with their pride intact. Life was good while they lived and looked good when they died. How does this verse apply? The Bible is clear—those without Christ will meet eternal destruction.
Where does this place you? Satisfied in your self-indulgent lifestyle or humbly seeking to grow in understanding of God’s Word in order to better live for Him? “The highway of the upright turns aside from evil.” Guard your life from the evils of pride and rest in the eternal preservation found only in Christ Jesus.
Grace and Peace
If you missed the last Friday Focus post, click HERE, or start this Walking in Wisdom series from the beginning.
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