Pride. The Great Sin.Prøve

Pride drives people apart

“And the women sang to one another as they celebrated,
'Saul has struck down his thousands,
and David his ten thousand.’
And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him." (1 Samuel 18:7-8)

We saw yesterday that pride is based on comparing your status or achievements with those of other people. That means that other successful people threaten your self-esteem. This creates separation or even hostility.

We see this with King Saul, for example. He was successful politically and militarily. But then David joined him and proved even more successful. This made Saul furious with jealousy. His successes no longer counted. He had eyes only for his 'rival.' Although David achieved victories for Israel (and thus for Saul), Saul regarded David more and more as an enemy. Not because David did anything wrong but because he outperformed Saul himself. Saul's proud heart could not bear that. He even went so far as to try to kill David.

When the latter fled, Saul gathered a group of soldiers to track him down and kill him. It was only due to God's protection that David survived this years-long manhunt.

A proud attitude drives people apart. Ultimately, pride makes a person lonely because he wants to be at the top and alienates everyone else. Do you recognize this in your environment? Perhaps even in yourself?