Consequences of Pride in the Bible are found in several verses. You may ask, “what is pride in the Bible?” or “what are some examples of pride in the Bible?” Check out these five consequences of pride and how it affects people.
What are the Consequences of Pride?
Here is a List of 5 consequences of Pride
1. Illogical Sense
When the prideful speak arrogant words against those who are righteous, their words don’t make sense. The content doesn’t line up with sound logic because they are lying to make themselves look good.
This is how David saw it in the Psalms. He said their lies will be silenced.
Let the lying lips be mute, which speak insolently against the righteous in pride and contempt.
Psalm 31:18 ESV
2. Disgraced & Humbled
A prideful person brings disgrace to himself. The person does some action that is against the law or specific rules or regulations of an institution. These people are acting foolishly and with a lack of wisdom.
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.
Proverbs 11:2 ESV
A Contrasting Biblical Example
The opposite is true If that person acts with humility. They are considered wise.
In John 8, the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman to Jesus who had been caught in adultery. They intended on shaming her by putting her in the middle of the crowd and calling out her sin. The Pharisees were testing Jesus to see if His response gave them a reason to arrest Him.
Jesus responded by bending down to the ground and writing something in the dirt. We don’t know what He wrote. After this, He said, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7 ESV).
He continued to write in the dirt. One by one, each man left. Jesus stood up and asked the woman,
Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more” (John 8:10-11 ESV).
You see. The Pharisees were prideful. And unknown words that Jesus wrote in the sand and the words He said out loud about being without sin, brought these prideful men down low. They were humbled and Jesus was exalted. He had the power to forgive sins.
The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the Lord alone will be exalted
Isaiah 2:11 ESV
Jesus called the Pharisees out. And forgave the woman of her sins. I think she had a much better outcome for the people involved. Her life was changed for an eternity!
3. Punished & Ended
There is so much evil all around us. It is literally disgusting some days. And at times it seems like people are getting away with it. As bad as it seems, God will bring them all to justice. If it doesn’t happen in our lifetime, it will happen when Jesus returns! Isaiah is prophesying the punishment of the wicked.
I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.
Isaiah 13:11 ESV
When my job changed and I felt like there was injustice, I had to let it go and leave it to God to resolve. That was hard to do. But He is the God of justice and He has said that “vengeance is mine and I will repay” (Deuteronomy 32:35 ESV). I really didn’t think I would see any sort of justice come to my situation. However, the next year, I saw justice come to fruition for the person that I felt was behind it all. I was glad that God had brought those involved to justice. But in the end, I was sad and prayed for those impacted. They made mistakes and would have to live with them.
4. Scattered Thoughts
When Mary, the mother of Jesus, became pregnant by the Holy Spirit, she went and stayed with her cousin Elizabeth. She was the mother-to-be of John the Baptist. When Mary greeted Elizabeth, John jumped in her womb for joy over Jesus in Mary’s womb. Elizabeth praised her for her belief that their Lord was to be born by her.
And Mary responded with this beautiful song. It is often called The Magnificant after the Latin translation of the first few words, “My soul magnifies the Lord.” In her song, she mentions how God is strong and how the proud have scattered thoughts.
He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
Luke 1:51 ESV
The proud take counsel from their own hearts. And God is causing them confusion within. This prideful heart is counseling them to establish within themselves something magnificent and it will be humbled and brought low.
5. Torn Down
In Zephaniah, the prophet told the people to gather to hear the word of the Lord. God heard the prideful taunts of the Moabites and the reproach of the Ammonites against Judah.
The prophecy against them was that they would be like Sodom and Gomorrah. From the story of Lot, we know how the fire burned down from heaven and decimated these two cities (Genesis 19:24-25 ESV).
This is the story that leads up to this verse.
This shall be their lot in return for their pride, because they taunted and boasted against the people of the Lord of hosts.
Zephaniah 2:10 ESV
In return for pride, they are completely torn down or decimated like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
The Lord tears down the house of the proud but maintains the widow’s boundaries.
Proverbs 15:25 ESV
The opposite is true for the humble. Those of low estate, like the widow, will have boundaries and protection from the Lord.
Abundantly Repaid
What can we learn about the consequences of pride? Those who are prideful will get the justice they deserve. The Psalmist says that they will be abundantly repaid.
Love the Lord, all you his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.
Psalm 31:23 ESV
Wow, that is a payment that I do not want to see at all! But I love how the Lord responds to those who are faithful. He preserves us! That is something that we can be thankful for when we keep our focus on the Lord and maintain a humble heart.
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Amen
YES!