Tricks Of Pride
There is one settled rule in religion that cannot be compromised. God must rule and man must submit. Human pride has been playing tricks on mankind from the beginning of human history. It is the devil's main play-ground of temptation. It has played a leading role in all alienation from God and has sparked defiance of divine law everywhere sin has abounded.
It is no wonder, therefore, that in numerous places and on numerous occasions throughout holy writ danger signals pointing at the pitfalls of pride are set up all along the way. "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time; casting all your anxiety upon him, because he careth for you." (I Pet. 5:6-'7) "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble." (Verse 5)
In order that man may properly submit to God, it is necessary that he be in possession of the will of God in clear and precise terms. This is abundantly provided in the New Testament. It is a complete revelation without one essential thing lacking. It is inspired of God "that the man of' God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work." (2 Tim. 3:17) Education in humility does not have to proceed very far until one begins to wonder why huge human institutions in religion pay nominal lip service to the Lord and ignore much that he says. They play up modern human thought and play down ancient revelation. The Bible is really not a guide to them at all. An examination of the official organs of denominations in religion reveal more party pride than loyalty to the word of God. Grandiloquent schemes of social service lean for inspiration on human expedience rather than on the word of God. Scarcely nothing is done because God says so. There is a widespread spirit of rebellion against divine authority. It keenly reminds the faithful of the stinging rebuke of the Lord: "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46) "Let no man deceive himself. If any man thinketh that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He that taketh the wise in their craftiness: and again, The Lord knoweth the reasonings of the wise, that they are vain. Wherefore let no one glory in men." (I Cor. 3:18-21) It is very hard on a wise man of the world to become the sort of a fool the world judges him to be when he submits to God. "Behold, this only have I found that God made man upright but they have sought out many inventions." (Ecclesiastes 7:29) This explains mans aversion to "the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ". The rough and reckless handling the church has suffered in all the aspects of its being at the hands of men can be classified as tricks of pride. When men presume to change the divine order in doctrine, organization, work or worship, it might be on the assumption that they are wiser than God. Jesus Christ is the author of eternal salvation to them that obey him. Tampering with divine arrangement in the name of modern discovery is not obedience. "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For behold your calling, brethren, that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame them that are wise; and God chose the weak things of the world that he might put to shame the things that are strong; and the base things of the world, and the things that are despised, did God choose, yea and the things that are not, that he might bring to naught the things that are: that no flesh should glory before God." (I Cor. 1:25-29) There can be no walking with God unless it be a walk of faith in keeping the commandments of God.
Human pride has always been the chief obstacle in the way of man's obedience to God. The devil appealed to it in the garden of Eden and won his first victory in his battle for human ruin. He used it as a temptation in his struggle with Christ. Vainglorious friendship with the world has always been enmity with God. It is a fatal conceit when men imagine that they are capable of directing their own steps. "0 Jehovah, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." (Jer. 10:23)
Old Nebuchadnezzar strutted and swaggered on the broad walls of Babylon. Swollen with pride and drunk on power he cackled defiance at the Almighty. He tumbled down from his throne, was driven from men, dwelt with the beasts of the field, his body was wet with the dew of heaven, he ate grass like an ox, his hair grew like an eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws. In power he was more like an ox or an ass than what he imagined himself to be. Human pride plays such tricks on men. When his understanding returned, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, the most sensible thing he had ever done. He spoke the language of humility rather than of pride. "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven; for all his works are truth, and his ways justice; and those that walk in pride he is able to abase." "All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?"
Naaman, of Syrian fame and captain of the host, "was a great man with his master and honorable" but he was a leper. Human greatness and the pride that goes with it cannot avert the tragedies that descend on human kind. Naaman was beyond human help and sought divine aid. He found it in Elisha the prophet of God. He was told to go down to the river Jordan and dip himself seven times and he would be healed. Pride played a trick on Naaman. He rebelled and spit out words of anger and scorn. He went away in a rage. He was still a leper. He had to shuck his pride, accept God's foolishness and obey the command before he was healed. It was a chastened as well as a cleansed Naaman who went gratefully to the prophet and vowed eternal allegiance to the God of Heaven.
The call to repentance is the divine demand to be rid of pride and to turn away from sin. Nothing less than unconditional surrender to the will of God will be accepted. When that surrender is made there will not be enough of worldly pride left to speak lightly of the commands of God. When the Lord says: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" there will be no irreverent remarks such as even some preachers make. "e;Baptism cannot save anybody". "There is no virtue in water to wash away sin". "You cannot find Christ in a pool of water" and so on and so on. It sounds like Naaman before he had the pride all knocked out of him, "Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them and be clean?" Well, why not? Simply because God had something to say about it. A wise man said: "In all our getting, get wisdom". In all our doing, you had better obey God.