Pride and Arrogance

O. T. #527  "Pride and Arrogance"
MAY 29, 2015
JUDGES 8-PART 2
Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.  Proverbs 16:18

LET IT GLOW

Does pride precede a fall or destruction? Often the key verse is misquoted. Gideon is going to destroy his family's faith in God in today's lesson. He may not have fallen for 40 years, yet his worship of God did. Pride and arrogance-watch out for them. Destruction and a fall are close behind.
May I add that it hurts when you fall down due to being high and mighty because of pride, speaking from experience.

By the way, haughty means arrogance in the Hebrew language.

Gideon experienced victory over the Midianites with only 300 men, due to God's power. Then Gideon took revenge on the men of two cities because they would not give his men bread to eat while pursuing the enemy.
What happened next?

• The Israelites wanted Gideon and his son to rule over them due to their saving Israel from the Midianites. 
• Gideon refused the offer for himself and his son.
• Gideon told the Israelites, "The LORD will rule over you."

For the first time the tribes began to desire a king and a central government. However Gideon refused for himself and his sons to hold such a position. Israel was a theocracy that recognized God as her sovereign. Many more years would pass before God would authorize a true king in Israel. However, the desire for centralized leadership to replace the loosely confederated tribal amphictyony had already been initiated.  (Falwell)

The Israelites credited Gideon for having delivered them rather than the Lord. He not only neglected to build an altar in tribute to God's deliverance, but he did not call the people to worship as other judges had done after their victories. Perhaps this omission accounts for Gideon's eventual fall into the sins of pride and self-worship. When the glory goes to oneself rather than to God, pride and delusion are not far behind. (D. Jeremiah)

Is God first in you life? If He is, God must affect every dimension of your life, not just what you do in church.  (Life Application Study Bible)

LET IT GROW

When Gideon began to give ear to his friends' flattery, he ran the risk of being something other than God had called him to be.

What happens?

As quickly as the snap of a finger, Gideon changed. Gideon made a request: each one give him the earrings from the plunder. (They were Ishmaelites.) Then the men threw their newly acquired gold earrings into a garment. (Keep in mind that there had been 135,000 of the Midianite army who died.)

Several commentaries say the gold was over 40 pounds.
Gideon used the gold to make an ephod (Ex. 28:29).He was a Benjamite, not a Levite. Gideon had no business making items for worship or putting them anywhere other than the tabernacle in Shiloh. This ephod became a snare for Gideon and his family-they began to worship it. Gideon the idol breaker became Gideon the idol-maker. (Ps. 106:39) (The Jeremiah Study Bible)

Israel had 40 years of peace and 70 sons, one of whom was Abimelech, a wetched king, with his many wives/concubines. The sin of idolatry seemed have the domino effect. The sin of polygamy was never God's blueprint for marriage.  If we lower our defense, we tend to go from good to bad to worse.

We need to guard ourselves against the sins and hindrances that rob us of the abundant life we have been given. (Gideon by Priscilla Shirer)

Are we always on guard against the bad slithering into our life? Are we aware of pride knocking at our door?


LET IT GO

Always keep God first in my life.

Stay in His Word.

Trust His strength when I am weak.

Reject pride and arrogance; remain humble.

Focus on King Jesus.