Pride and Humility

In the account of king Nebuchadnezzar, we find the a great example of how a “haughty spirit [goes] before a fall”.(Proverbs 16:18) The Babylonian king proclaimed, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” After that, in order to fulfill the word of God: “He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.”(Daniel 4:30-33)

You can contrast pride and humility. When pride concerns self it puts man in a false position before God because it attributes the benefits of the grace of God to self. On the other hand, humility and meekness is a true position before God because it wisely acknowledges that man is nothing without God, and totally dependent on Him.

You can also consider pride and meekness as stages of a process. First, out of the abundance of his grace, God prospers a people, which can cause them to become haughty in their material splendor. The Lord then breaks their pride into pieces. They gain wisdom to become meek before God. Solomon said, “with humility comes wisdom.”(Proverbs 11:2)

Proverbs 16:18; Daniel 4:30-33; Proverbs 11:2