Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.

2 Kings 14:23-15:38; Acts 25:23-26:23; Proverbs 16:18-27 Here, we have the record of seven reigns – five in Israel, two in Judah. The five in Israel “did evil in the eyes of the Lord” (2 Kings 14:24; 2 Kings 15:9,18,24,28). The two in Judah “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” (2 Kings 15:3,34).

There is, however, one criticism of these two kings of Judah: “The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there” (2 Kings 15:4 ,35). “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall … blessed is he who trusts in the Lord” (Proverbs 16:18,20).

There is a choice to be made – Do “evil in the eyes of the Lord” or do “right in the eyes of the Lord.” When we read Paul’s testimony, in Acts 26, we learn that there is a great difference between religious pride which brought him “to the ground” (Acts 26:14) and trust in the Lord who says, “I am Jesus … get up and stand on your feet” (Acts 26:15-16). From my One Year Bible.

Charles Cameron, better known as Charlie to his friends, lives in Scotland and is a member of the Church of Scotland. He owns several Christian blogs found at the following links:

Old Testament; New Testament

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