Proverbs 11:2
When pride comes, then comes dishonor
But with the humble is wisdom.
Message: Understand your limits
Time: Proverbs records multiple individuals as its author with Solomon as the principal author. Solomon died in 931 BC though most think the book was likely in its final form sometime before the end of Hezekiah’s reign in 686 BC. It is a book that instructs people on the path of wisdom. It speaks to all of life and living our lives under the authority and direction of God.
What the Lord is Saying: This is the first time that pride is mentioned. This verse compares pride and humility.
Pride seems to be a problem as this verse mentions, for with it comes dishonor. There is a connotation of pride in our world today that doesn't seem to be wrong, such as me saying "I am proud of my children" which seems to be an admission that I am glad that my children are mine. It is a word which shows that I am extremely glad with a deep level of satisfaction for having an association with a person or cause.
But traditionally, pride is a vice. And more specifically in religious traditions, it is competing with reliance and dependence on God. With God as creator, we serve Him and surrender to Him and His ways. We are guided by His principles and in life, he is the one to receive glory for anything that is accomplished including my work. Without God in the picture, it seems like life shifts to personal achievement as well as societal achievement. Its focus is more on community being served and guiding our principles.
I have been reading a book on life and more specifically life in my later years. I am 58 and so with the kids gone from the home and myself past my prime of productivity, I am looking at these later years and figuring out my purpose. Chapter 3 of this book is "Kick your success addiction" and primarily is focusing attention on workaholism. The book mentions that "work, which is a source of meaning and purpose, becomes workaholism, which hurts our relationships." Saint Augustine observed that "pride lurks even in good works in order to destroy them." Success is fine and part of excellence but somewhere along the way it becomes an addiction in our life.
I know I struggle with pride. I have gifts that I think the Lord has given me and it seems it is important to not be tempted to think too highly of myself and in the process get my focus off of God. As years have gone by and as I have done things, often driven to do those things, I start seeing myself as the one that needs to do things. This mostly occurs at work, in the work I do and work assignments.
In this verse, the writer states that pride produces dishonor. NIV says disgrace, shame (KJV). From the internet, "Luke 14:11 says, "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted". This verse emphasizes a principle of spiritual humility, suggesting that those who seek honor for themselves through pride will be brought low, while those who are humble will ultimately be lifted up by God." Thus, God will humble every person.
Thus, this verse is framing the unhealthy version of pride or the kind of pride that inflates the view of oneself. The dishonor or shame is the result of this unhealthy or inflated view of oneself. The problem seems to be when the scale is tipped and a person moves from confidence to overconfidence. The overconfident person takes unnecessary risks because they think they cannot fail. A student thinks they can't fail, so in turn, they don't study. A person who has great confidence in their driving might cause themselves to take risks on the road and result in getting a ticket which is showing them at fault. The person starts out thinking they can't fail, but this could produce failure. The failure is the dishonor or shame of now being seen as a foolish person.
I get this way at times, thinking I can do things that sometime are beyond my ability. That time I worked on Pamela's car and changing a tire and then forgot to tighten the lug nuts once the car was on the ground. And the wheel came off and I looked foolish. I felt like a bad person, a failure. And it all started with "I can do this" even though I am not a mechanic.
The contrast here is the humble person. This is the person with a quiet confidence. It is a person that understands their limits. This is the person knows when they can handle something and knows when they need to shift the responsibility to another person. The humble person still acts but acts within reason and this is the person then which is seen as wise. This person knows when to give where credit where credit is due.
Prayer: O God, help me to be that person that understands my limits. You have gifted everyone differently and often it is better when the right person does the task at hand. Help my overconfidence. I suppose I have that tendency to think, "I got this" but I can be a strong person that trusts in others and ultimately trusts in You. Help me understand me. And live within my constraints.
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