“For we dare not…compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise” (2 Corinthians 10:12).

Pride is a deceptive resident of every human heart. Paul admonished each of the believers in Rome regarding spiritual gifts “not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think” (Romans 12:3). He reiterated that warning of self-deception to the churches of Galatia. “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself” (Galatians 6:3).

In the Old Testament, Obadiah, the prophet, testified against Edom “The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the cliffs of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, who shall bring me down to the ground?” (Obadiah 3). The capital city of Edom, Petra, was literally carved out of the rock high above the ground and, consequently, the Edomites believed they were safe from attack. But they did not count on God. “Though thou exalt thyself [through pride] as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD” (Obadiah 4).

Pride is deceitful because it precludes us from seeing ourselves as we are before God. We tend to see ourselves in comparison to others. For example, I see myself as a better outfielder than others on my ball team or I see myself as a more competent accountant than those in my office. Fill in the character or physical quality of your own choosing and you must agree that we most often see ourselves as better than our neighbor.

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