Proverbs 8:13 “To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.”
Have you ever driven through a falling rock zone? Dad and I have. For two years before getting married he and I lived states apart. When we would make the cross state drive to see each other we would inevitably pass through areas guarded by signs warning drivers to be careful and watch for falling rocks. These expedient notices never really ruffled me much. We drove through the mountain passes without as much as a glance upward at the walls of rock blasted away to make the highway. But one day the unexpected happened!
Dad was returning to Ohio from a weeklong visit to New Jersey. He was flying along in order to make it back in time for a college class he was enrolled in when out of the corner of his eye he caught some movement high up on the top of the embankment. A mid-sized boulder had broken loose and hurtled down towards the road. In only a brief few seconds the missile reached the bottom and slammed into the front tire of Dad’s car. That was a real shocker! Thankfully Dad survived but the busted tire rendered the car inoperable. Ever since that day Dad and I are wiser and take the “Falling Rock Zone” warnings seriously. We now know that being alert and aware of our surroundings may spare us from another harrowing experience.
There are many “Falling Rock Zone” areas in life. Circumstances, people, or places can position us for personal and spiritual danger if we are not careful. One of the boulders apt to hit us by surprise is pride. Pride has been the downfall of many for as long as time has endured. Satan lost his position with the heavenly angels and was hurled out of heaven because of pride. And many others have also succumbed to the temptation.
The Lord hates pride and arrogance. Wisdom tells us to fear the Lord and hate what He hates. He knows this pitfall causes self-destruction in those who are caught unawares. It goes before destruction (Prov. 16:18), creates strife. (Prov. 13:10) leads to dishonor (Prov. 11:2), fosters a deceptive feeling of infallibility (Obadiah 1:3) and produces humiliation (Prov. 29:23). It affects men, women, rulers, nations, and even spiritual beings. No wonder God warns us over and over to watch out for pride and appeals for us to humble ourselves in His sight.
Sadly, we often ignore these warnings. Our lack of attentiveness to the inner rumblings of arrogance put us in a dangerous place. Every human being is in danger of being smashed by the boulder of pride if not attentive to the hazard.
So beware! The warnings are real. Wisdom suggests you stay alert and keep your eyes peeled for any movement in the walls of your heart. Otherwise, when you are least expecting it, a boulder can break loose, and you will suffer unexpected damage in the “Falling Rock Zone.”
Love,
Mama
