OCTOBER 21, 2015
Pride at the Core
Ezra
. . . was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses. — Ezra 7:6
Read:
Ezra
9:1-9
“He thinks he’s really something!” That was my
friend’s assessment of a fellow Christian we knew. We thought we saw in him a
spirit of pride. We were saddened when we learned that he soon was caught in
some serious misdeeds. By elevating himself, he had found nothing but trouble.
We realized that could happen to us as well.
It can be easy to minimize the terrible sin of
pride in our own hearts. The more we learn and the more success we enjoy, the
more likely we are to think we’re “really something.” Pride is at the core of
our nature.
In scripture, Ezra is described as “a teacher
well versed in the Law of Moses” (Ezra 7:6). King Artaxerxes appointed him to
lead an expedition of Hebrew exiles back to Jerusalem. Ezra could have been a
prime candidate to succumb to the sin of pride. Yet he didn’t. Ezra didn’t only
know God’s law; he lived it.
After his arrival in Jerusalem, Ezra learned
that Jewish men had married women who served other gods, defying God’s express
directions (9:1-2). He tore his clothes in grief and prayed in heartfelt
repentance (vv. 5-15). A higher purpose guided Ezra’s knowledge and position:
his love for God and for His people. He prayed, “Here we are before you in our
guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence” (v. 15).
Ezra understood the scope of their sins. But
in humility he repented and trusted in the goodness of our forgiving God.
Lord, fill us with such a love for You that we think first of
what will please You, not ourselves. Free us from the subtle captivity of our
own pride.
Pride leads to every other vice: It is the complete anti-God
state of mind. C. S. Lewis
Source: Our Daily Bread 2015