Reasons Why You Must Exchange Pride for Humility, and Do It as Soon as Possible - Part 5
Reason #1:
You Will Be Brought Low
The ultimate example of the tragic consequences of pride is found in the fall of Lucifer in Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14. When Lucifer was created by God, he was blessed beyond imagination. Lucifer was an extremely beautiful, supremely wise and talented creature who was placed by God in one of the highest positions in the realm of Heaven. This is how God Himself described him in Ezekiel 28:12-14 (NLT):
“You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone—red carnelian, pale-green peridot, white moonstone, blue-green beryl, onyx, green jasper, blue lapis lazuli, turquoise, and emerald—all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire.”
“Think of all that Lucifer had at his disposal. He was one of the three archangel cherubs; he carried delegated authority by virtue of his position and gifts; he had access to heaven’s riches and leadership of its economy; and he was in a strategic position with great influence” (Faught, p.35).
Lucifer had it made! He had more than anyone could wish! But then he made a tragic mistake, and he lost it all. In an instant, it was gone forever.
*“You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you. Your rich commerce led you to violence, and you sinned. So I banished you in disgrace from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire.”—Ezekiel 28:15-16 (NLT) *
What was it that caused Lucifer to fall from such a great height and lose everything? God tells us in the next verse:
*“Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor. So I threw you to the ground and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings. You defiled your sanctuaries with your many sins and your dishonest trade. So I brought fire out from within you, and it consumed you. I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. All who knew you are appalled at your fate. You have come to a terrible end, and you will exist no more.”—Ezekiel 28:17-19 (NLT) *
It was pride. As in the cases of Herod and Nebuchadnezzar, Lucifer began to believe that he was great in himself. He deceived himself into believing that his greatness was his own doing, and he forgot that it had all been given to him by God. As Bill Faught says, “He could not acknowledge that his incredible beauty had come from the Most Beautiful of all—the Lord God” (Faught, p. 33).
*“In your great pride you claim, ‘I am a god! I sit on a divine throne in the heart of the sea.’ But you are only a man and not a god, though you boast that you are a god. You regard yourself as wiser than Daniel and think no secret is hidden from you. With your wisdom and understanding you have amassed great wealth—gold and silver for your treasuries. Yes, your wisdom has made you very rich, and your riches have made you very proud.”—Ezekiel 28:2-5 (NLT) *
The stark contrast between the glorious and exalted high position that Lucifer occupied before his fall and his condition and station in life after his fall is startling. He lost it all because pride was found in him.
“All of them call out to you. They say, ‘You have become weak, just as we are. You have become like us.’ Your grand show of power has been brought down to the grave. The noise of your harps has come down here along with your power. Maggots are spread out under you. Worms cover you.
“King of Babylon, you thought you were the bright morning star. But now you have fallen from heaven! You once brought down nations. But now you have been thrown down to the earth! You said in your heart, ‘I will go up to the heavens. I’ll raise my throne above the stars of God. I’ll sit as king on the mountain where the gods meet. I’ll set up my throne on the highest slopes of Mount Zaphon. I will rise above the tops of the clouds. I’ll make myself like the Most High God.’ But now you have been brought down to the place of the dead. You have been thrown into the deepest part of the pit.
“Those who see you stare at you. They think about what has happened to you. They say to themselves, ‘Is this the man who shook the earth? Is he the one who made kingdoms tremble with fear? Did he turn the world into a desert? Did he destroy its cities? Did he refuse to let his prisoners go home?’”—Isaiah 14:10-17 (NIRV)
My grandparents might say that Lucifer had gotten “too big for his britches,” and God put him in his place, letting him know Who was boss.
A Warning for Leaders
Lucifer’s tragic story was written for our benefit. If we don’t take it to heart and learn from his mistakes, the Bible is very clear that we could experience similar consequences. We are specifically warned in the book of 1st Timothy that if we allow pride to get a foothold in us, then it will lead to our downfall, just as it did for Lucifer.
“This is a faithful and trustworthy saying: if any man [eagerly] seeks the office of overseer (bishop, superintendent), he desires an excellent task … and He must not be a new convert, so that he will not [behave stupidly and] become conceited [by appointment to this high office] and fall into the [same] condemnation incurred by the devil [for his arrogance and pride].”—1 Timothy 3:1-6 (AMP)
These verses are a serious warning to leaders who have the authority to promote others to positions of exalted authority. There may be people among us who are exceptionally gifted, wise, and talented. These gifted people may express a desire to be in positions of leadership. That’s good! Paul tells us here in 1st Timothy that it is a worthy goal to become an overseer. These gifted people may seem like the most qualified candidates for those positions, but it would be a serious mistake to promote them to those positions of authority before they have had time to develop the experience and godly character needed to handle those responsibilities. We would actually be setting them up for failure.
John Paul Jackson told the story of his conversation with a high-ranking witch in the New England area. This witch boasted to John Paul that he and his followers could cause the downfall of any preacher they wanted to bring down. Their strategy was to sit in church meetings and listen for certain sentences in the preacher’s messages that indicated a point of pride in his life. Then they would target that “crack” in his character, feeding that pride, until it led to his downfall (Jackson, 2008).
The Bible is clear that churches should never place new, inexperienced believers in positions of oversight in a church body. That is a trap for them. They will be needlessly made vulnerable to the same temptations of pride that unseated Lucifer from his position of leadership in the realm of Heaven. And just as Lucifer took one-third of the angels with him when he fell, the inexperienced leader could also split a church, taking one-third of the believers with him in his downfall. Rehoboam is a clear example of this mistake.
The newly-crowned King Rehoboam had a chance to improve on the magnificent splendor of his father Solomon’s reign over the kingdom of Israel. All he had to do was to follow the wise advice of the elder counselors who had proven their worth through the guidance they had offered to his father as he built Israel into a glorious kingdom that was envied by so many other kings and other nations. Instead, however, Rehoboam chose to exalt his young friends to positions of high counselors to the king. Their foolish advice split the kingdom in a single day, causing ten tribes to rebel, leaving Rehoboam with only a shadow of the kingdom that his father had built to magnificence. Because of his foolish decision, Rehoboam lost almost his entire kingdom in a single day. Israel never regained its former magnificence (1 Kings 12; 2 Chronicles 10).
References:
Faught, B., Jr. (2007). Ten Symptoms of the Lucifer Syndrome: Finding the Cure and Freedom for Today’s Worship and Leadership. Mustang, Oklahoma: Tate Publishing & Enterprises.
Jackson, J. P. (2008). True Spirituality [2-CD Set]. North Sutton: Streams Ministries.
