NOVEMBER 13 “WATCH OUT FOR PRIDE”

We see in this reading today the personification of a City.  The City of Tyre. Modern day, still known as Tyre, Lebanon.  Have you ever looked at a City as having a pride, in itself? I like the idea of a personification of a City.  If a City could speak for itself, act out for itself, would some cities be considered Proud and Arrogant and Condescending, just like some people come off like that.  I think of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles…and even the city I was raised in, Montreal.  I always felt like I left “My City”, I was tired of her “My City”.  As if my City had a personality of it’s own and I was divorcing myself from her.  In a sense, I was.  People asked me, “would you ever go back?”  I would say, “no, the city is prideful and arrogant” . I was tired of living in that City.  It’s interesting how people begin to emanate the spirit of a city.  They take on her attributes and negative characteristics.  Of Tyre, our text tells us she was proud, “You say, O Tyre, I am perfect in beauty, Your domain was on the high seas; your builders brought your beauty to perfection”.   Then we see that the Pride of the City affects its inhabitants, “say to the ruler of Tyre “in the pride of your heart you say, I am god”.  From the Pride of the City we go to the Pride of its People to eventually the Prince of Pride, Ch 28 verse 12 “You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Dedn, the garden of God”.  Many people suspect this is now alluding to Satan, or Lucifer.  “You were the anointed guardian cherub/angel”.  The greatest sin, the greatest sin of Lucifer, Like the City of Tyre, like the ruler and the people of Tyre, was PRIDE.  Something we scoff at everyday.  It’s a sin, but is it really a sin? I mean, c’mon, who doesn’t suffer a little pride? 

“Your heart became proud on account of your beauty and you were corrupted by your wisdom” 

It’s sad to see people ruined by good looks, success, intelligence, gifting and all else that we would consider “good”.  I know we like to say, ignorantly, “God doesn’t hate” but yet we find in Proverbs 6:17 “these things I hate says The Lord, a prideful spirit and a haughty look” Perhaps because it reminds him of Lucifer, the Great Arch Angel who fell because of Pride and the fall out from that dreadful even, even thousands of years later, we suffer from the sins of Pride.  It has destroyed Cities, people, families, marriages, churches and the list goes on.  Pride reminds me of Carbon monoxide poisoning, you can’t smell it or see it, as it slowly kills you.   Are you being poisoned by Pride and you don’t even know it, realize it?