Presumption, in a biblical context, refers to the act of taking liberties or assuming authority beyond what is granted by God. It often involves overstepping boundaries, acting with unwarranted confidence, or making decisions without seeking divine guidance. The Bible provides numerous warnings and examples concerning the dangers and consequences of presumption.

Old Testament References:

1. Deuteronomy 18:20 : "But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death." This verse highlights the severe consequences for those who presumptuously claim to speak on behalf of God without His command.

2. Numbers 14:44 : "But they dared to go up to the ridge of the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the covenant of the LORD moved from the camp." The Israelites' decision to proceed into battle without God's blessing serves as a cautionary tale of presumption leading to defeat.

3. Psalm 19:13 : "Keep Your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless and cleansed of great transgression." Here, the psalmist prays for protection against presumptuous sins, recognizing their potential to lead to greater transgressions.

New Testament References:

1. James 4:13-16 : "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.' You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast in your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil." This passage warns against the presumption of making future plans without acknowledging God's sovereignty.

2. 2 Peter 2:10 : "Such punishment is specially reserved for those who indulge the corrupt desires of the flesh and despise authority. Bold and self-willed, they are unafraid to slander glorious beings." Peter describes the presumptuous nature of false teachers who reject divine authority and act with arrogance.

Examples of Presumption:

1. King Saul (1 Samuel 13:8-14): Saul presumptuously offered a burnt offering, a duty reserved for the prophet Samuel, leading to his rejection as king. His actions demonstrate the peril of assuming roles not appointed by God.

2. Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26:16-21): King Uzziah's presumption in entering the temple to burn incense, a task designated for priests, resulted in his affliction with leprosy. This account underscores the importance of respecting God's established order.

3. The Sons of Sceva (Acts 19:13-16): These Jewish exorcists attempted to invoke the name of Jesus without true faith or authority, resulting in their humiliation. Their account illustrates the danger of presuming spiritual power without a genuine relationship with Christ.

Warnings Against Presumption:

1. Proverbs 27:1 : "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring." This proverb cautions against the presumption of certainty about the future.

2. 1 Corinthians 10:12 : "So the one who thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to fall." Paul warns believers to remain vigilant and humble, recognizing the risk of presumption leading to spiritual downfall.

The scriptures consistently emphasize the importance of humility, obedience, and reliance on God's guidance, warning against the dangers of presumption in all its forms.Exodus 5:2
And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.
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Exodus 14:11,12
And they said to Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? why have you dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?
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Exodus 17:7
And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?
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Numbers 15:30
But the soul that does ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproaches the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
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Numbers 16:41
But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, You have killed the people of the LORD.
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Numbers 21:5
And the people spoke against God, and against Moses, Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loathes this light bread.
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Deuteronomy 6:16
You shall not tempt the LORD your God, as you tempted him in Massah.
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Deuteronomy 29:19,20
And it come to pass, when he hears the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of my heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:
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1 Kings 20:28
And there came a man of God, and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, Thus said the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.
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1 Kings 22:24
But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak to you?
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Job 15:25
For he stretches out his hand against God, and strengthens himself against the Almighty.
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Psalm 19:13
Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
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Psalm 131:1
Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.
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Proverbs 18:12,13
Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honor is humility.
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Proverbs 25:6,7
Put not forth yourself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men:
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Isaiah 5:18-25
Woe to them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:
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Isaiah 10:15
Shall the ax boast itself against him that hews therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shakes it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.
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Isaiah 14:13,14
For you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also on the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
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Isaiah 28:14-18,22
Why hear the word of the LORD, you scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
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Isaiah 29:15,16,20
Woe to them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who sees us? and who knows us?
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Isaiah 45:9,10
Woe to him that strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashions it, What make you? or your work, He has no hands?
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Isaiah 58:3
Why have we fasted, say they, and you see not? why have we afflicted our soul, and you take no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and exact all your labors.
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Isaiah 65:5
Which say, Stand by yourself, come not near to me; for I am holier than you. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burns all the day.
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Jeremiah 23:34
And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the LORD, I will even punish that man and his house.
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Matthew 4:5-7
Then the devil takes him up into the holy city, and sets him on a pinnacle of the temple,
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Luke 4:9-11
And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, If you be the Son of God, cast yourself down from hence:
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Luke 12:18-20
And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
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Luke 14:7-11
And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying to them.
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Luke 18:11,12
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank you, that I am not as other men are, extortionists, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
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Romans 1:32
Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
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Romans 9:20,21
No but, O man, who are you that reply against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why have you made me thus?
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1 Corinthians 10:9-12
Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
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2 Thessalonians 2:3
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
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James 4:13-16
Go to now, you that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
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2 Peter 2:10,11
But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.
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The Scriptures Reveal Eternal Life through Jesus Christ
... would receive the testimony that the scriptures give of ... There was nothing more general
among that people ... than a vain carnal confidence and presumption of being ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/lecture iv the scriptures reveal.htm

Concerning Christian Liberty
... and laws are prescribed to us in the Scriptures. ... And in general, no work makes the
workman such ... accomplish this, and yet, with impious presumption, through our ...
/.../luther/first principles of the reformation/concerning christian liberty.htm

Concerning the Sacrament of Penance
... and in examples taken from the Scriptures, where we ... They effect nothing by their
rash presumption, but to ... fasting; while all, under one general delusion, say ...
/.../first principles of the reformation/concerning the sacrament of penance.htm

Erroneous Opinions Imputed to the Apostles.
... have been drawn, or rather such a presumption taken up ... To those who think that the
Scriptures lead us to ... even they who think it was a general, but erroneous ...
/.../paley/evidences of christianity/chapter ii erroneous opinions imputed.htm

Of Passages from the Holy Scriptures, and from the Apocrypha ...
... sure confidence is not free from arrogance and presumption. ... religion which is delivered
in the Scriptures, and which ... is just a kind of general pestilence in ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/of passages from the holy.htm

Concerning Christian Liberty
... and laws are prescribed to us in the Scriptures? ... And in general no work makes the
workman such ... accomplish this, and yet, with impious presumption, through our ...
/.../luther/concerning christian liberty/concerning christian liberty.htm

General Principles of Interpretation. 1 Since the Bible Addresses ...
... The Scriptures ascribe every actual event to God in ... The same general principle applies
to other difficulties"in ... not do, is the height of presumption and folly ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxiv general principles of.htm

General Index.
... Advent message, proclamation of, timely, 351-354. general proclamation of, 355-374. ...
in our day, 143, 144. Presumption, 59. ... see also Bible; Scriptures. ...
/.../white/the great controversy between christ and satan /general index.htm

Secret Study of the Holy Scriptures.
... of the Hebrew Scriptures, is a presumption almost comically ... the lack of personal
acquaintance with the Scriptures. ... What created beings in general are of course ...
/.../moule/to my younger brethren/chapter iii secret study of.htm

Trinity Sunday the Article of Faith on the Trinity.
... I must say a few words in general concerning it here. ... Yet, in their blind delusion
and presumption, they go on ... The Scriptures teach us that all creation is the ...
/.../luther/epistle sermons vol iii/trinity sunday the article of.htm

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