The Other Side of Pride

The LORD appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you. - Jeremiah 31:3 HCSB

The man sat in the congregation; listening to the teacher speak about Bible study. The teacher was passionately exhorting the people to enter into Hashem’s instructions for themselves and know for sure what the Lord God wanted from them.

“Do not rely on what I say!” the teacher cried out. “Each of us must die and after that comes the Judgment![1] I will not be able to stand with you on the Great Day of Judgment. Study Yahweh’s precepts. Engrave them upon your hearts. Memorize them so that on that great day you will be able to remind Hashem of His promises as our ancestor Moses did.”[2]

The man sat listening to this with a doubting mind. All his life he had struggled in school. He could barely read. The yetzer hara[3] whispered in his mind, “What’s the use? You’re too stupid to understand the Bible. It’s too complicated for the likes of you. Why even try?”

I have often warned of the dangers of pride. I have often quoted “God resists the proud but draws near to the humble”[4] to you. However, do not fall into the trap of only thinking of pride in one dimension. We usually think of the haughty, arrogant person who looks down his nose at everyone around him but pride can take another form – low self-esteem.

Perhaps we have not had the opportunities others have had. Perhaps we were not born with great physical attributes or keen minds. Therefore, it might be too difficult for the yetzer hara to get us to get “too big for our britches.” So it switches tactics and gets us to grow bitter about our lack of giftedness and to fear humiliation. “Don’t expose yourself. Don’t let anyone know your weakness. Don’t put yourself out. They’ll only laugh at you.”

Brother, sister, I understand your fears. I struggle with them too. On one hand, it is important to keep in mind that we are but “dust and ashes.”[5] On the other, it is equally important to remember that the Lord has loved us with an everlasting love and continues to extend faithful love to us. We are worthy – not because of the things we can do but because of Who loves us. We are created in His image[6] and He longs to be united with us just as surely as He wants to be united with the other members of the Trinity.[7]

The call to humility does not imply that we constantly deprecate ourselves but that we not think of ourselves more highly than we should think. Instead we are to think sensibly, realistically about ourselves.[8]

We were granted talents, each according to his ability.[9] Let’s work at developing them, allowing room for the machinations of neither hubris nor low self-esteem.[10]

[1] Hebrews 9:27
[2] Exodus 32:13 cp the promise we claim Mark 16:16; John 3:17; 10:9
[3] The negative impulse to sin; inherent sin
[4] James 4:6
[5] Genesis 18:27
[6] Genesis 1:26-27
[7] John 17:11, 21-23
[8] Romans 12:3
[9] Matthew 25:14-18
[10] Matthew 25:26-28