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Wisdom (Proverbs 8) – Day 10

Proverbs 8:13

To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behaviour and perverse speech.

The Thought

The word fear is used often in the Bible as meaning respect and honour. In many contexts, the use of this word is nothing to do with being afraid. If we respect and honour someone, we will approve of their lifestyle and agree, at least most of the time, with their opinions.

In this verse, wisdom is telling us what is not good for us, and most of us would agree, recognising that pride is something we do not appreciate in others. God does not appreciate pride either, both James and Peter use the same words in their letters, telling us God opposes the proud, but shows favour to the humble (James 4:8, 1 Peter 5:5).

There are many occasions when we can be proud without pride becoming a problem. It is right for us to be proud of ourselves or our children when we or they achieve something difficult, or make an exceptional effort to reach a goal even if we (they) do not succeed.

But pride and arrogance are not the only things that God doesn’t like, the verse continues adding evil behaviour and perverse speech.

One thing leads to another, and being proud of ourselves can lead to us feeling arrogant, that can make us forget that God has made us who we are, and trusting in ourselves, we rely on our own opinions, convinced that we have the right ideas and don’t need the Lord.

That is the slippery slope to hell!

Action

Pray for protection for yourself and those you love today, that you will thank God always for the abilities He has given you and the wisdom He makes available for you.

Read James 4 and/or 1 Peter 5 today, and pray for those qualities in yourself and the people around you.

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