Proverbs 11:2

The book of Proverbs gives us insights into so many different areas of life. The book gives us instruction on how to live our lives for God. Here is a proverb that gives us insight about the correlation of pride and wisdom:

Proverbs 11:2 (ESV)

When pride comes, then comes disgrace,

but with the humble is wisdom. 

Want to know how to get wisdom? Want to know what prohibits wisdom? Read the above proverb, again. The road block to our obtaining wisdom is "pride." The gateway to wisdom is "humility." This is why James tells us that if we lack wisdom we are simply to "ask God, who gives to all men liberially" (James 1). In order to ask we have to be humble. Pridful people don't ask. Humility allows us to come to God because we realize we need God. When we have pride we don't want to listen to God and we don't want to listen to God's messengers. Pride is like a vice grip being applied to God's conduit of wisdom. Think of a pipe coming right down from heaven and it is full of wisdom. God sends wisdom right to us. However, our pride pops up and squeezes the tube ... wisdom stops and our pride is the cause. God is willing to provide wisdom but He has one criteria: You must be humble. Ego is an obstruction to wisdom. Swallow your pride and drink from God's tube of wisdom.

Of all the principles taught by Solomon via the Holy Spirit there are few that are in such a contrast to the world's philosophy than this truth. The world talks about and teaches that we are to be focused on self-building and self-promoting life styles. Look at your average pro-athlete and you can visualize today's philosophical bent contrary to humility. It would be a rare find to locate a humble pro athlete. One who realized that his or her talents was based upon God's grace and mercy. However, you don't have to go to the playing pitch to observe such contrary living. You can often find the same thing in today's pulpits. You don't have to pay a ticket to see a sporting event to see pride in high function - you only have to take a free seat in any pew. Pastors, elders, deacons and church members all fall to the sin of pride and miss the beauty and grace that humility ushers in. God is ready and willing to give wisdom and grace to the humble. But, God resists the proud. When the King of Tyre had pride fill his heart, God sent judgment (Ezekiel 27). When Pharaoh wouldn't humble himself before God than judgment came (Exodus 6-10). When Nebuchadnezzar became filled with pride, God made him eat grass like an ox (Daniel 7). God does indeed resist the proud. The greatest sin we can commit is to steal God's glory and take it for ourselves in pride. When Eve saw the fruit that it could make her wise she took it for herself and gave it to her husband. Pride is the center of sin. When we give glory to ourselves we steal God's praise. He can't give wisdom to those who believe they have it in themselves. Humility opens doors to God's world of grace, mercy and wisdom. Pride shuts those doors.