Arrogant or humble

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

ARROGANT OR HUMBLE

Prov 21:24

24 The proud and arrogant man — "Mocker" is his name; he behaves with overweening pride.

NIV

We have already seen something like this, in that Solomon wrote that pride comes before destruction or in the King James Version, the fall. But here this prideful man is also considered arrogant and then called a mocker. This is the word that is used as to make mouths at. It is a scoffer, or one who gives God lip service. This is the person who says he trusts in God, but lives as if he trusts in himself. This is being arrogant in the fullest sense. This person might well believe in God for salvation, knowing they cannot save themselves, but as far as trusting God to provide all their needs, that is entirely a different story. They might even think that non-scripture is true, God helps those who help themselves. But actually it is what is considered a phantom verse. In fact It was Benjamin Franklin that made that saying popular in his writing of Poor Richard’s Almanac. This is so against all other scripture which tells us that cursed is the man who trusts in flesh.

Jer 17:5-6

"Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. 6 He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.

NIV

Anyone who trusts in his own abilities is not only foolish, but arrogant and is mocking God. This would apply to every aspect of our lives, not just for salvation. If we trust in our education, our trade skills, our sales ability, our knowledge of the world and/or the scriptures, or our ability to produce an abundance of money for our future. No matter what we trust in , if it has anything to do with ourselves, we are being arrogant and foolish and are operating in an overweening pride. This means a passionate outburst of arrogance. It would be someone who strongly believes they are right, they use scripture out of context to support their wild ideas of self-reliance. They refuse to see the truth. We cannot afford to have any arrogance at all. If we think we are rich, we are poor and naked. If we think we are smart, we are not. If we think we have anything because of our ability we are being unaware of his provisions. We cannot trust ourselves in any way, for without question, we fail God all too often. How can we trust ourselves if we cannot do all that God desires for us to do because we are imperfect in our humanity. True, in the spirit we are already made holy and blameless in his sight. Not because of us, but because of Jesus. But in the flesh we are weak and unable to attain this pureness, this holiness, this righteousness. So then why would we trust this flesh for anything else? We must trust God completely or don’t trust him at all. How can we ever think we can only partially trust God, which is trust him for one thing, but not for another. We cannot serve both God and money, or self.  It has to be either or, not part one and part another. Either we trust him or our self.  If we trust ourselves for anything we are cursed. If we trust him completely we are blessed. Arrogant or humble, that is our choice.