BEWARE! – The SOURCE of our PRIDE can be our DOWNFALL
April 4 Bible
Reading: 2 Samuel Chapters 16-18
BEWARE! – The SOURCE of our PRIDE can be our DOWNFALL
"Absalom rode on a mule. The
mule went under the thick boughs of a great terebinth tree, and his head caught
in the terebinth; so he was left hanging between heaven and earth. And the mule
which was under him went on" (2 Sam 18:9)
Absalom
rebelled against his father, and attempted to take over the leadership of
Israel by deception. Using his charm, he stole the hearts of the men of Israel
(2 Sam 15:6b). This was not acceptable because until now God had chosen the person
who would rule over Israel by confirming this selection through His prophet
Samuel who anointed the future king by pouring oil on his head – as was in the
case of both Saul (1 Sam 10:1) and David (1 Sam 16:13). Absalom should have just looked into the
history of Israel, and have known that God selects the future king of Israel.
Any attempts to thwart the purposes of God will only end up in defeat and
disaster!
Absalom had
good looks and a lot of hair that was the source of his pride. "Now in all Israel there was no one who
was praised as much as Absalom for his good looks. From the sole of his foot to
the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. And when he cut the hair of
his head--at the end of every year he cut it because it was heavy on him--when
he cut it, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels according to
the king's standard" (2 Sam 14:25-26). We see that the source of his
pride resulted in his downfall and death later.
In 2 Sam
18:9 we see Absalom hanging from a tree cursed by God and forsaken by heaven
and earth, and understand God’s abhorrence of children rebelling against their
own parents. Absalom was probably entangled by the hair of his head, which
being very long and thick might easily catch hold of a bough, especially when
God directed it. Some however think that the head of Absalom, which being
caught while running between two branches, was enclosed so firmly that he could
not disengage himself from the hold, nor make use of his hands while the mule
that was under him went away. Thus the matter of his pride was the instrument
of his ruin.
Pride is sin (Prov 21:4) and hateful to God (Prov 6:16-17; Prov 16:5). It often originates in self-righteousness (Luke 18:11-12) and defiles us internally (Mark 7:20, 22) while hardening our minds (Dan 5:20). Let us understand that pride is a hindrance to us seeking God (Psalms 10:4; Hosea 7:10) as well as being a hindrance to our improvement (Prov 26:12) Pride is the characteristic of the devil (1Tim 3:6) and the world (1 John 2:16). Let us beware and learn from the sad story of Absalom– the source of our pride can be our downfall as well…!!!
