Morning Dew

Key Passage:Psalm 45

Key Word: You love righteousness and hate wickedness Psalm 45:7

Walking with God is a lifelong journey. When we are done on this side of eternity, we simply pick on the other side this incredible journey of discovery. When you think you know Him you then realise you really don’t know Him. But then He would stop being God if we can fully know Him. All of eternity is not enough to completely unravel God. God is infinitely mightier, larger, bigger and deeper than our greatest faculties of reasoning and comprehension. But to know someone, you must know what he or she likes and what he or she hates. In this regard, God does not leave us in doubt. Through His word we know what He loves and what He hates.
Over the next few days I just want to explore a few of these loves and hates of God.
If there is a number one hate of God, it has to be pride. God hates pride. He hates the proud. He totally detests the haughty and the prideful. Just let these words of God speak to you.

These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look, A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren Proverbs 6: 16-19

Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
Though they join forces, none will go unpunished – Proverbs 16:5

But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:
“God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6

Why does God hate pride? If I may, I would like to offer two simple reasons.
The greatest rebellion ever was fuelled by pride. Lucifer, an incredibly anointed Cherub. Perfect in his creation. His beauty was unsurpassed. He had precious stones for his covering. But one day his heart got puffed up with pride. He basically looked at God and thought he also deserved the worship. He planned a coup d’état in Heaven and led one third of the angels in a rebellion against God. See what the scriptures say about this event.

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”

The second reason is not too far from the first one. I know a lot of people may argue with me on this, but I am convinced God did not create man to live independent of Him. We are to be dependent on God for all eternity. In Him we live, move and have our being.
So every act of pride in human beings is in a sense a declaration of independence from God. This is the lie the devil sold Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He told them that eating the fruit will make them wise and they will be like God. He told them to disobey God and become independent of God. He was telling them to rebel and they fell for it. Men have been doing this since. They have basically been trying to assert independence and walk away from God. The root of this is pure pride and God hates it. We cannot take any glory for anything we achieve or own, because all our talents and all resources belong to God. He gave them all. So we really have nothing to boast about except to give God the glory. There is a song we sing in Church that affirms this position.

All glory must be to the Lord
For He alone is worthy of our praise
No man on earth should give glory to himself
All glory must be to the Lord.