He Weighed His Hair?

587 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Sa 18:9, “Then Absalom met the servants of David. Absalom rode on a mule. The mule went under the thick boughs of a great terebinth tree, and his head caught in the terebinth; so he was left hanging between heaven and earth. And the mule which was under him went on. (2 Sam 18:9) Apparently, the Holy Spirit can't say it enough. Pride is a deadly sin. How proud Absalom was of his hair. We know he made a big deal about it because of the special mention we read of in 2Sa 14:26, “And when he cut the hair of his head-at the end of every year he cut it because it was heavy on him-when he cut it, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels according to the king's standard.” He weighed his hair? This one verse is a graphic picture of the end result of pride, but there are many more examples of God's displeasure with pride. Isa 13:11 "I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. In Job 40:11, “ Disperse the rage of your wrath; Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him.” Pr 16:5 Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; Though they join forces, none will go unpunished. With these warnings about pride ringing in our ears, perhaps we need a deeper understanding of pride. Simply stated, pride is thankless godlessness. It is a failure to acknowledge God for anything that could be perceived as good about us. Those fancy follicles of Absalom, couldn't grow an inch without God, and every one of them were numbered, just as sure as Absalom's days were numbered, along with all others who exalt themselves above God. Isa 2:11,12 says, “The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, And the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. 12 For the day of the LORD of hosts Shall come upon everything proud and lofty, Upon everything lifted up-And it shall be brought low-” Oh Lord, help me to stay out of the trap of pride, humbly looking to You and acknowledging You for all things.