Pride

Israel Needs The Gospel - Romans 10:1 – 10:4 (commentary)

In this passage we find several reasons why the Jews rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah. For many years they had known the Old Testament prophecies and had practiced the Law which pointed them to Christ (Galatians 3:24). A few accepted Him, but the majority refused Him. The r …

The Truth Will Set You Free - John 8:31 – 8:38 (commentary)

Jesus explained how when we obey God’s Word we grow in spiritual knowledge; and as we grow in spiritual knowledge, we grow in freedom from sin (vv. 31-32). These unbelieving Jews, even though they were under the iron hand of Rome at that very time, claimed that as Abraham’s ...

The Plague of Locusts - Exodus 10:1 – 10:20 (commentary)

The Lord says he has made the king and his officials stubborn because He wants to work these miracles (v. 1). He also wants the Hebrews to tell their children and grandchildren about His miracles and the harsh treatment of the Egyptians (v. 2) Then they will know that He is Lord. …

Pride Causes Us to Be Contentious - Proverbs 13:6 – 13:13 (commentary)

A person may be rich and have all kinds of material things but have nothing spiritually. Another person may be poor materially speaking but rich spiritually (v. 7). It is sad to see but those who posses riches often put their trust in their possessions. The rich man may need to u …

The Surprise Attack - Judges 8:1 – 8:12 (commentary)

The Ephraimites had played an important role in Gideon’s victory over the Midianites (Judges 7:24-25). When Gideon called on them, they came, defending the Jordan River and slaying Oreb and Zeeb, the princes of Midian. But despite their great victory, the Ephraimites were provoked, wishing ...

Edom’s Pride and Punishment - Obadiah 1:1 – 1:14 (commentary)

This period of Old Testament history comes from a time when war was simply a fact of life. Here we find the nations waging war against Edom (vv. 1-4). The theme of the book is clearly established in the first four verses when the Lord says, “I will bring you down.” The implication ...

God’s Law Commanded Death - Judges 20:12 – 20:23 (commentary)

The guilty ones were named and sent for, but the Benjamites rejected the request of the other tribes to surrender those wicked men of Gibeah for execution in order to purge the evil (vv. 12-13). Benjamin, because of pride, apparently felt that he could manage their own affairs and punish their ...

Pride Goes Before Destruction - Proverbs 16:18 – 16:22 (commentary)

TEMPER IS WHAT GETS MANY OF US INTO TROUBLE. PRIDE KEEPS US THERE. These verses discuss pride, humility and disaster (vv. 18-19). Pride blinds and humility opens the eyes. It is easy to tolerate in ourselves what, when we see it in the life of someone else, fills us with disgu …

The Hammering of the Four Horns - Zechariah 1:18 – 1:21 (commentary)

The second vision is divided into two parts: (1) The four horns (vv.18,19); and the four carpenters (vv.20,21) The horns are thought to be the four world powers, spoken of by Daniel, that oppressed Israel which were Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. The horn is often spoken …

David Marries Michael - Saul’s Sister - I Samuel 18:17 – 18:30 (commentary)

When Saul realized that he could not destroy David personally, he was determined to let the Philistines kill him. His scheme was that he would give his oldest daughter to marry David (v. 17). However, before he was able to pull this off, she married another man (vv. 18-19). Then …

Don’t Boast about Tomorrow - James 4:11 – 4:17 (commentary)

This passage should be understood as an illustration of what happens in a life void of humility (vv. 11-12). In fact harsh criticism of fellow Christians is one of the worst expressions of pride. The person who does it sets himself above the person he criticizes and the div …

Judgement on Israel is Near - Ezekiel 7:1 – 7:27 (commentary)

In this chapter Ezekiel predicts the complete destruction of Judah. The wicked and proud will finally get what they deserve. If it seems as though God ignores the evil and proud people in our day, we can be assured that a day of judgment will come, just as it came for the …

Egypt Cut Down Like a Great Tree - Ezekiel 31:1 – 31:18 (commentary)

The Lord challenged Pharaoh and his armies to learn a lesson from history. Assyria, the mightiest empire in the Near East from 745-626 B.C., had once been like a mighty cedar of Lebanon. It was well nourished and grew tall. Birds lodged in its branches, and animals sought …

The Punishment of Israel - Isaiah 9:8 – 9:21 (commentary)

After giving a description of the coming Messiah, Isaiah focuses on the nation of his day. The nation in Isaiah’s day was ruled by leaders who did not care about the people under them. Pride made Israel think it would recover and rebuild in its own strength (vv. 8-9). Isaia …

The Fall of Lucifer - Isaiah 14:12 – 14:23 (commentary)

In his military might this great king had laid low the nations, including Phoenicia, Philistia, Egypt, Moab, Edom, Cilicia, and much of Judah (vv. 12-15). But he would fall like a morning star. The brilliance of a star in the early dawn suddenly vanishes when the sun rises. Senna …

Pride And Anger Work Against Humility - Proverbs 30:29 – 30:33 (commentary)

Four Stately Creatures (vv. 29-33) In God’s order of things, some creatures are small and in humble positions and some are in more prominent positions. Three or four strut around (v. 29). In contract to the four lowly creatures in the four previous verses are those that app …

Nebuchadnezzar’s Humiliation - Daniel 4:28 – 4:33 (commentary)

Sadly, Nebuchadnezzar did not take the prophet’s advice to turn from his evil ways. It seems almost incredible that the king would refuse to heed Daniel’s pleading and yet that is exactly what happened. The heart of man has not changed since that historic event. With all the preaching of ...

Fellowship With The Lord is Important - Jeremiah 13:1 – 13:11 (commentary)

The people were not responding to Jeremiah’s message, so God had him perform a symbolic act to get their attention (vv. 1-11). He commanded Jeremiah to buy a linen belt and wear it around his waist (vv. 1-2). The fact that it was made of “linen,” the material us …

Hezekiah’s Visitors And Death - II Kings 20:12 – 20:21 (commentary)

In Hezekiah’s pursuit of an anti-Assyrian policy he made alliances with both Egypt and Babylon. When he was sick (possibly with boils) the king of Babylon sent him presents as well as letters wishing for his recovery (v. 12). Attempting to show gracious hospitality to th …

Judgment For David’s Sin - I Chronicles 21:1 – 21:17 (commentary)

The writer did not state David’s motivation for taking a census of Israel except to say that Satan caused him to do so (v.11). Unlike the census taken in the book of Numbers (Numbers 1:2) that God had ordered, it appears that this census was taken so David could take pride …

Amaziah’s Good Reign in Judah - II Kings 14:1 – 14:14 (commentary)

Amaziah began to reign in Judah about a year after Jehoash had become king of Israel and his rule extended for 29 years. He followed his father’s example by upholding the worship of the Lord but he did not remove the high places. When he avenged the murder of his father, Joash, …

What Happens to Those Who Burn Incense to The Gods of Moab - Jeremiah 48:27 – 48:35 (commentary)

Moab who had once treated Israel as one caught among thieves (v. 27) was now forced to abandon her towns and dwell among the rocks to hide from the invader who sought her life (v. 28). Moab would now experience scorn, ridicule and calamity. Her past history of peace and physical …

What The Lord Says About Edom - Jeremiah 49:7 – 49:22 (commentary)

This passage has to do with God’s Judgments against Edom - (vv. 7-22). The Edomites come next to receive their judgment from God. These people had descended from Jacob’s elder brother Esau, whom God had bypassed for the blessing, giving it to Jacob (Gen. 25:19-34). Th …

The Explanation of Moab’s Fall - Isaiah 16:1 – 16:14 (commentary)

Instead of coming to Jerusalem, with the Assyrian armies coming, the Moabites fled all the way south to strongholds in Edon, such as the city of Petra (v. 1), which was about 50 miles south of Moab’s southern border. From here the Moabites sent an appeal to the king of Judah to g …

Judgment of Tyre - Isaiah 23:1 – 23:18 (commentary)

In this chapter the prophet extends his message to Tyre, which is Israel’s neighboring nation to the northeastern Mediterranean coastal kingdom (v. 1). Ships making their way eastward from Tarshish (probably in Spain) would stop in Cyprus before going on to Tyre and Sidon which w …