Pride goeth...well, you know.

Sunday
Verse of the Week: Proverbs 16:18 
Pride goeth before destruction...

This week, I'm examining an oldie but goodie. When I say "oldie," I of course know ALL the verses are old, but the oldies are the ones that have been quoted generationally for years, at least in my family history.

People often say, "Pride goeth before a fall," but the actual verse says "destruction." Either way, pride doesn't lead to a good result. "...and an haughty spirit before a fall" is the rest of the verse, which is a key to understanding the type of pride the first part of the verse is speaking about. Haughty means arrogant pride, pride that looks down upon others and is egotistical.

Enter Uzziah. Uzziah became king of Judah at age 16 and reined some 52 years in Jerusalem. So much for term limits! What this says about him is that he was an excellent leader of Judah. 2 Chronicles 26:5 says, "He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah...and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper."

Those versed in foreshadowing understand what happens next: ultimately, Uzziah stopped seeking the Lord, and he died a leper after he took it upon himself to burn incense in the temple, a big no-no, since this was a Levite's job. 2 Chr.26:16 says, "But when he was strong, he grew PROUD, to his destruction." Uzziah, a rock star in Judah, was stricken with leprosy, cast out of the kingdom, and most sadly, "...was excluded from the house of the Lord."

Pride, putting oneself above God's will, leads down a path to destruction. The option is to follow God and live. Not much of a choice if you ask me!!