The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 13 September 2023 – Pride Is A Great Destroyer
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TOPIC: Pride Is A Great Destroyer
READ: Ezekiel 28:1-20 (NKJV)
- The word of the LORD came to me again, saying,
- “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because your heart [is] lifted up, And you say, ‘I [am] a god, I sit [in] the seat of gods, In the midst of the seas,’ Yet you [are] a man, and not a god, Though you set your heart as the heart of a god
- (Behold, you [are] wiser than Daniel! There is no secret that can be hidden from you!
- With your wisdom and your understanding You have gained riches for yourself, And gathered gold and silver into your treasuries;
- By your great wisdom in trade you have increased your riches, And your heart is lifted up because of your riches),”
- ‘Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Because you have set your heart as the heart of a god,
- Behold, therefore, I will bring strangers against you, The most terrible of the nations; And they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, And defile your splendor.
- They shall throw you down into the Pit, And you shall die the death of the slain In the midst of the seas.
- “Will you still say before him who slays you, ‘I [am] a god’? But you [shall be] a man, and not a god, In the hand of him who slays you.
- You shall die the death of the uncircumcised By the hand of aliens; For I have spoken,” says the Lord GOD.’ “
- Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
- “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “You [were] the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
- You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone [was] your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
- “You [were] the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
- You [were] perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you.
- “By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones.
- “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you.
- “You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you.
- All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror, And [shall be] no more forever.”
- Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
THE MESSAGE:
Our reading today is a text with double references, first to the Prince or King of Tyre and secondly to Lucifer. Pride means inordinate self-esteem, disdainful behaviour and insolent exultation. The king of Tyre in his pride, had his heart lifted up; he called himself God and claimed to sit in the seat of God, yet he was a man! His heart was lifted up because of his riches got by wisdom and understanding. The wrath of God was poured out against him – he was brought down to the pit; his wisdom and brightness were defiled, he perished and died the death of the uncircumcised! Pride is dangerous!
Before Lucifer failed, he was full of wisdom, perfect in beauty and was made with refined precious stones (verses 13-14). He was the anointed cherub that covered and walked in the midst of the stones of fire. Note that he was and is still a created being, was perfect in his ways till iniquity was found in him. The five “Is” that destroyed Lucifer in his pride were: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds and I will be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:13-14). God’s judgment descended on him to be brought down to hell; to the sides of the pit. His heart was lifted up because of his beauty. We must beware of whatever makes us proud because if God didn’t spare Satan, He will not spare us. Pride goes before a downfall. Humble yourself before God and He shall lift you up.
PRAYER: Lord make us humble Servants so that we will never lift our hearts against You in Jesus’ name. Amen.
