Connect Amos 6:13 with Proverbs 16:18 on the dangers of pride. Setting the Scene • Amos 6:13 – “You who rejoice in Lo Debar and say, ‘Did we not take Karnaim by our own strength?’” • Proverbs 16:18 – “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Both passages spotlight the same spiritual toxin: celebrating self-made success while ignoring the Lord who grants every victory. An Ancient Echo of Arrogance • The people of Israel in Amos’ day cheered their capture of Lo-Debar (literally “Nothing”) and Karnaim (“Horns,” a symbol of power). • Their chant—“by our own strength”—revealed a heart posture that paraded human achievement and sidelined divine enablement. • Proverbs distills that mindset into a universal principle: whenever pride steps onto center stage, collapse lurks in the wings. The Heart Issue: Self-Exaltation • Pride rewrites history, erasing God’s fingerprints and inserting self as the hero. • Psalm 44:3 reminds that victories come “not by their own sword… but by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face.” • When Amos’ audience ignored this truth, they aligned themselves with the downfall pattern Solomon later summarized. God’s Repeated Warning Pattern Scripture consistently pairs human arrogance with divine opposition: • Isaiah 2:11 – “The proud look of man will be humbled.” • James 4:6 – “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” • Daniel 4:37 – Nebuchadnezzar learned that “those who walk in pride He is able to humble.” Amos and Proverbs simply add two more witnesses to the same testimony. Real-Life Symptoms of Pride • Self-congratulation after achievements • Prayerlessness, since self believes it has everything handled • Dismissal of counsel (Proverbs 12:15) • Disdain for the weak or the small (Amos 6:1–6 shows Israel lounging in comfort while the needy suffered) The Inevitable Outcome • Amos soon foretold exile (Amos 6:7) for the self-reliant elite. • Proverbs warns that the crash is not a possibility but a certainty: “before destruction… before a fall.” • Historical confirmations abound—Uzziah struck with leprosy (2 Chronicles 26:16-21), Hezekiah’s near-loss of all treasures (2 Chronicles 32:25-26), and Herod’s gruesome end (Acts 12:21-23). Walking in Humility • Acknowledge God in every success (Proverbs 3:5-6). • Cultivate gratitude rather than self-glory (Psalm 34:2). • Serve others, echoing Christ who “emptied Himself” (Philippians 2:5-8). • Remain teachable and quick to repent when pride surfaces (1 John 1:9). Bringing It Together Amos 6:13 paints the proud proclamation; Proverbs 16:18 supplies the divine prognosis. Whenever hearts echo Israel’s boast—“by our own strength”—the outcome already announced by Solomon begins its march. Humility, on the other hand, keeps God on the throne of our memories, our motives, and our milestones, sparing us the fall that pride never sees coming. |
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