Topical Bible: Contempt: Pride and Prosperity Prompt To

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Contempt, as understood within the biblical context, often arises from a heart filled with pride and a life marked by prosperity. The Scriptures provide numerous examples and teachings that illustrate how pride and prosperity can lead individuals to hold others in disdain, ultimately distancing themselves from God’s will.

Biblical Instances of Contempt Stemming from Pride and Prosperity

1. Pharaoh’s Contempt for God and Israel: In the book of Exodus, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened by his own pride and the prosperity of Egypt. His contempt for the Israelites and their God is evident when he dismisses Moses and Aaron’s request to let the Israelites go, saying, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go” (Exodus 5:2). Pharaoh’s prideful heart led him to scorn the God of Israel, resulting in devastating consequences for Egypt.

2. Goliath’s Scorn for David: The Philistine giant Goliath, confident in his own strength and stature, held David in contempt when the young shepherd boy came to face him in battle. Goliath’s pride is evident in his words: “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” (1 Samuel 17:43). His disdain for David, rooted in his own arrogance and the might of the Philistine army, ultimately led to his downfall.

3. The Rich Fool’s Disregard for God: In the parable of the rich fool, Jesus illustrates how prosperity can lead to contempt for God’s sovereignty. The rich man, blessed with abundant harvests, decides to store up his wealth without regard for God’s provision or the needs of others. He says to himself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy; eat, drink, and be merry!” (Luke 12:19). His prideful self-reliance and contempt for divine accountability result in God declaring, “You fool! This very night your life will be required of you” (Luke 12:20).

Teachings on Pride, Prosperity, and Contempt

1. Warnings Against Pride: The Bible consistently warns against the dangers of pride, which often leads to contempt for others. Proverbs 16:18 states, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” . This verse underscores the perilous path of pride, which can lead to a downfall marked by contempt and separation from God.

2. The Deceptiveness of Wealth: Prosperity can deceive individuals into believing they are self-sufficient, fostering a contemptuous attitude toward God and others. In 1 Timothy 6:17, Paul advises, “Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” . This teaching highlights the importance of humility and reliance on God, rather than on material wealth.

3. The Call to Humility and Service: Jesus exemplifies the antidote to pride and contempt through His life of humility and service. In Philippians 2:3-4, believers are encouraged, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” . This call to humility serves as a counter to the contempt that pride and prosperity can engender.

Conclusion

The biblical narrative and teachings provide a clear understanding of how pride and prosperity can prompt contempt, leading individuals away from God’s intended path of humility and service. By recognizing these dangers and adhering to the teachings of Scripture, believers are called to cultivate a spirit of humility, placing their trust in God rather than in their own achievements or wealth.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 123:4
Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Useful Phrases
... indolent neglect. indomitable pride. indubitable signs. ... prismatic blush. pristine
dignity. private contempt. privileged caste. ... prospective success. prosperity revival ...
/.../kleiser/fifteen thousand useful phrases/section i useful phrases.htm

Bit and Bridle: How to Escape Them
... Orientals pride themselves on their cunning, and David, by ... hill and plain with a
defiant contempt of rule ... of many souls, for they could not bear prosperity. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 37 1891/bit and bridle how to.htm

The Epistle of St. James
... for His People, not outward calm or prosperity, but the ... real humiliation but a source
of profound joy and pride. ... to express malice (ver.21) or contempt in words ...
/.../moffat/the general epistles james peter and judas/the epistle of st james.htm

Hindrances to Revivals.
... our corrupt dispositions, and mortifying to the pride of man ... their communions such
members, as in contempt of the ... of the wealth, numbers and prosperity of the ...
/.../finney/lectures on revivals of religion/lecture xv hindrances to revivals.htm

From 1787 to 1791 Inclusive
... the doctor's character, and bringing him into contempt with the ... And for this polite
and prompt reply to our ... of his Church, the happiness and prosperity of the ...
/.../a history of the methodist episcopal church volume i/chapter 2 from 1787 to.htm

The Same Necessary and Eternal Different Relations
... and rash passions, by lusts, vanity, and pride, by private ... passion or private interest
would prompt you, but ... wrong, and the general neglect and contempt of all ...
/.../i proposition i the same.htm

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
... the haughtiest monarchs refer with pride to victories ... juncture of apparent grandeur
and prosperity that Phraortes ... of the hour, but the prompt punishment which ...
/.../chapter iiithe medes and the.htm

The Life and Death of Mr. Badman,
... the leading sin to witchcraft.2. It also ariseth from pride, which was the sin of
the fallen angels.3. It ariseth too, from scorn and contempt of others.4. But ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the life and death of.htm

Memoir of John Bunyan
... Had royal or noble gossips, and a splendid entertainment attended his christening,
it might have been pointed to with pride; but so obscure was his birth, that ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/memoir of john bunyan.htm

The Pilgrim's Progress
... I also give My pilgrims timely help, so they are not delivered up to his power,
to do to them what his doggish nature would prompt him to. But what! ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the pilgrims progress.htm