DANGEROUS PRIDE
Opening Prayer
As I read your Word today, Lord God, show me more of who you are; teach me more of your ways and how I should live.
Read PSALM 75
Psalm 75[a]
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A psalm of Asaph. A song.
1 We praise you, God,
we praise you, for your Name is near;
people tell of your wonderful deeds.
2 You say, “I choose the appointed time;
it is I who judge with equity.
3 When the earth and all its people quake,
it is I who hold its pillars firm.[b]
4 To the arrogant I say, ‘Boast no more,’
and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns.[c]
5 Do not lift your horns against heaven;
do not speak so defiantly.’”
6 No one from the east or the west
or from the desert can exalt themselves.
7 It is God who judges:
He brings one down, he exalts another.
8 In the hand of the Lord is a cup
full of foaming wine mixed with spices;
he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth
drink it down to its very dregs.
9 As for me, I will declare this forever;
I will sing praise to the God of Jacob,
10 who says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked,
but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”
Footnotes
- Psalm 75:1 In Hebrew texts 75:1-10 is numbered 75:2-11.
- Psalm 75:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
- Psalm 75:4 Horns here symbolize strength; also in verses 5 and 10.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Spend a few minutes praising God and considering his character and works.This psalm presents two extremes, with God in the center seeing and responding to each as they deserve. It is a helpful picture, though worth remembering there aren’t clear-cut goodies and baddies in real life. Most of us are a big mix of both, dependent on God’s grace in everything.
Here, though, we have an either/or. There are ‘the arrogant’ (v 4). These people boast and flaunt their ‘horns’—a symbol of strength, audaciously picking a fight with heaven itself! The psalmist is scathing, pointing out that no one can exalt themselves (v 6). We could walk out of our houses right now and declare to the street that we are now in charge of the universe, but we’d be laughed at (or taken away for psychiatric evaluation).
On the other hand, we have the righteous, who understand their place. They praise God and know he has all the power, and that they have none, if he hasn’t given it (v 7). It is these people God lifts up, granting them honor and strength.
Pride is a perennial temptation. It distorts our perspective, enlarging us and minimizing God, and it has devastating consequences. Thankfully, we have a loving father willing to discipline us for our own good, to forgive us, and to continue working on our characters.
Apply
We are all susceptible to pride. Come before God in repentance now, and ask him to humble you.
Closing prayer
As I look to this day, Father, I need wisdom in every circumstance that comes. Be at work in me and through me to do your will, to serve you and others.
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