Pride Opposed

"You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 1 Peter 5.5

Peter emphasizes the importance of humility, after calling the community of faith to live with humility towards each other. This is the attitude that Christ modeled (Philippians 2) and the attitude that God desires. God is opposed to pride and arrogance, the word used here means "to range in battle against"; God goes to war against the arrogant.

As I've been thinking about this part of the verse, my mind keeps going back to the first King of Israel, Saul. In 1 Samuel 13 Saul and his army are on the eve of battle with the Philistines. They are outnumbered more than 10 to 1, and they are waiting for Samuel to come and offer a sacrifice before battle. They wait for a week, and Samuel is still not there, the army begins to desert, and so Saul takes action. He calls for the elements of the burnt offering, and offers a sacrifice to God, a sacrifice that he as king cannot offer. As he finishes, Samuel arrives, and after learning what Saul has done, says these words:

You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you. (1 Samuel 13.13-14)

Saul, in his arrogance, and poor leadership, offered a sacrifice and also sacrificed the favor of God. The covenant that led to the coming of the Messiah could have applied to Saul. Had Saul led well, had he acted in humility before God, his line would have been established forever, and there would be a statue of Saul in Jerusalem today instead of David (this is really there, I've seen it). Saul acted in arrogance, he overstepped his position as king, and God opposed Saul.

The remainder of Saul's life is a sad one. He looses favor and popularity, is tormented by a spirit, chases a shepherd through the dessert, dies by his own hand in battle, and has his decapitated body, and those of his sons, displayed on the wall of a pagan city. That was the result of Saul's arrogance.

God is opposed to the proud.


Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11

TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!