WORD STUDY – HAUGHTINESS AND
PRIDE ‫גאל גבה‬
Just a reminder that this will be the last week that the
Hebrew Word Study Devotional books will be available for
purchase. After March 1st they will be taken off the market
for good :( except for a limited amount of softcover books
that will be made available through our website until sold
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books priced at .99 they would make wonderful gifts for
friends and family…even a “Hi, just thinking of you…be
blessed” kind of a gift :-) here’s our stores link
http://www.chaimbentorah.com/store/ Since we are a grassroots
type ministry, we really do appreciate everyone spreading the
word!
Also, due to a great response we’ve extended the 20% off
sale on the Hebrew Word Study Manual however this is for a
limited time so if your interested in learning how to do your
own word studies, this would be a great time to buy. The
manual is an 80 page spiral bound book and comes with teaching
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Lastly, we will be offering a Webinar this spring/summer to
help all those who purchase a manual with their studies.
Blessings, Laura
Proverbs 18:12, “Before destruction the heart of man is
haughty, and before honour is humility.”
Something caught my attention as I read this verse this
morning. The writer is saying that it is the heart of man that
is haughty. The word haughty in Hebrew is gabah which means
to be high or exalted. Yet, there is another word in Hebrew
which means the same thing, to be high or exalted and that is
ga’on. With only 7,500 words in the Classical Hebrew you are
not going to find it full of synonyms like in English. Thus,
we need to drill down much further into the word gabah to see
how it is distinct from ga’on.
Both words could mean
arrogance as the context of this verse would suggest. Yet,
there is little more to this arrogance.
In Proverbs 16:18 we learn that a haughty gabah spirit ruch
brings about a fall but pride ga’on brings about destruction.
Here the word for pride is ga’on. In Proverbs 29:23 we learn
that pride ga’on brings a man low. Proverbs 11:2 tells us
that pride ga’on brings shame.
So there seems to be a
difference between gabah haughty and ga’on pride, although
both can bring about destruction. Destruction is the word
shavar in Hebrew. This word is an old Akkadian word which is
used in the rock quarries where a rock is broken into pieces.
Gabah, haughtiness is found both in the heart (lev) and the
spirit (ruch). Ruch is also used for breath, wind and air. It
is there, you can feel it but you can’t really see it. It can
represent that hidden part of you. Gabah haughty comes from
the same Semitic root as locust. In the old Persian it has
the idea of collecting and multitudes like an overpowering
army. The idea is not so much as feeling pride and arrogance
but feeling that you have the advantage over another person.
This often results in pride and arrogance.
I believe the
difference between gabah (haughty) and ga’on (pride) is that
pride ga’on suggest self importance, taking yourself too
seriously, Thinking you are of more value than you really are
in a situation. It is common sign of someone who has a poor
self image and they are given a position of some power or
authority they blew it all out of proportion and think they
are really special. I see it all the time in ministry with
ministers and leaders taking themselves too seriously,
thinking because they have that title before their name they
are someone special and should receive special treatment and
honor. One day they come face to face with a situation where
they suddenly realize that they are not all they are cracked
up to be and end up being shamed.
Haughtiness gabah are for those who really are superior in
their spirits. They have confidence and assurance of their
capabilities and are capable. They are not those with a poor
self image who try to create a picture of themselves as
something they really are not. These are the professional
athletes, the successful executives and the powerful
politicians. They are who they say they are and they laud it
over everyone else. They have power and they know it and they
expect you to bow down to them and do their bidding if you
want to share in the benefits of their power. Gabah is not
applied to one who has power, but to the one who misuses that
power to cause people to serve him rather than using his power
to serve others. Such individuals who abuse their power will
end up being shavar, broken into pieces.
I was talking with someone the other day who spent three years
in a Federal penitentiary. He said that is was very different
than a state penitentiary as everyone in the Federal
penitentiary seemed to be professionals, officers of the law
who committed crimes, doctors convicted of drug charges or
patient abuse, lawyers convicted of abusing the law,
politicians wrongly using their power by taking bribes and
offering favors and even clergy who took advantage of their
congregations. All were people of power who accepted that
power to serve mankind and instead used it to their own
advantage.
These are gabahs (haughty) who were shavar
destroyed, their power shattered into pieces. Shavar is a
heavy boulder which when dropped on your foot will break your
foot. But when it is shavar it is shattered into pieces and
you barely feel one of those pebbles as it touches your foot.
Many of us are given positions of power and influence, even if
it is just to be a Sunday school teacher, you are still put in
a position of influencing another person.
You can either
become a ga’on pride taking yourself too seriously, thinking
you are just so all important because you have that title of
manager or supervisor to your name and expecting people to
treat you according to the status you think you deserve or
you can be gabah and use that status that you really do have
to your own advantage rather than as a service for which that
status was entrusted to you.
Either way the Bible teaches that one day you will face your
shavar, whatever power you have will be shattered into pieces.
No matter what position of power or authority we are given we
must always remember that the reason we have that power or
authority is so that we can more effectively serve, not be
served.
Devotional Proverbs 16:18
Good Morning Yamon Ki Yesepar and Nevim Arith Hayomim:
Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty
spirit before a fall.”
“Be nice to the people you meet going up because they are the
same people you will meet going down.” Jimmy Durante.
We have all heard the old Proverb “Pride goeth before a
fall.”
After walking this earth for more than three score
years I can only respond: “That I knoweth.”
But the
Scripture really says it is pride that goes before
destruction. It is a haughty spirit that goes before a fall.
The words in the Hebrew for “pride” and “haughty” are two
different words. Yet both words mean the same (pride) in the
Hebrew. Both words have the idea of exalting oneself, being
haughty and prideful.
In Classical Hebrew we need to remember that if two different
words mean the same thing,
they are not identically the
same. There is a difference between the two words, but that
is usually not evident if you look the words up in the back of
your “Strong’s Concordance” or you Hebrew Lexicon.
To
discover that difference in the words you will need to
translate the words letter by letter.
The “pride” that goes before destruction is “ga’an” which is
spelled “Gimmel Aleph Nun.”
The Gimmel represents misguided
missionary zeal.
In other words the shadow of Gimmel tells
us to beware of our zeal for defending our doctrines or
beliefs. Churches have been split and people’s soul salvation
have been questioned because they were baptized in the name of
the Father only and not in the name of the Father, Son and
Holy Spirit.
Gimmel is telling us stand back and ask
yourself, “Is this something worth fighting over, is it
something worth separating yourselves from other believers?”
Sometimes our zeal over some religious doctrine can be so
intense that it leads to the Aleph which in it’s shadow warns
us of not seeing both sides of an issue. You can become so
firm in your belief on an issue that you will refuse to listen
to other arguments which might just prove you wrong.
Such an
attitude leads to the next letter in the word for pride which
is the Nun. The Nun shows us that when we become over zealous
in some point of doctrine that we refuse to listen to another
argument or explanation, we become the Nun or “aloof.”
Proverbs 16:18 tells us that this leads to destruction.
The
word “destruction” here is “shever” which means to break into
many pieces. It is also used to describe a sense of sorrow
or distress.
In other words if you allow this form of pride,
taking an overzealous stand on some doctrinal issue
that you
will refuse to listen and consider another side of the issue,
it will make you aloof and lead to sorrow and distress.
The second word for “pride” which is often rendered as
“haughty” and is used as an adjective to “spirit” is the word
“gavah” which is spelled “Gimmel Beth Hei.”
This form if
pride also starts with a “Gimmel” which warns against over
zealous belief in some doctrine, but this leads to the next
letter which is a Beth. The shadow of the Beth speaks of
Spiritual pride.
This zealous belief often follows some
personal revelation which causes a person to feel that he has
been given a special commission that makes him a little higher
or lifts him up above others.
Others look up to him and he
runs the risk of falling into the shadow of the “Hei” which is
self deception.
The best advice I ever received in Seminary was from a pastor
of a large church in Dallas, Texas. He said I was to beware
of the two most dangerous people in the church. The first is
that critic who will take issue with everything you say or
do. You will not be able to sneeze without his discussing
your style, it’s value and/or it’s worth.
The danger from
such a person is that he will discourage you.
However, the
second most dangerous person in the church, who is even more
dangerous than the critic is that sweet, little old lady who
will tell you that you are the most wonderful, spiritual and
brilliant pastor that the church ever had.
The danger here
is that you will believe her.
This “haughty spirit” is spiritual pride which makes you think
you are somehow more special, more brilliant and more in tune
with God than others. You get revelation from God (Gimmel)
and it makes you feel above other believers (Beth), but it is
only the Hei, self deception.
Such an attitude will lead to
a fall. In the Hebrew that word for fall is “kishalon” which
means to miss your target.
The Septuagint uses the Greek
word “patais” which is a word for sin.
will lead to sin.
Such an attitude
C.S. Lewis said it best in his book “Mere Christianity.” “A
proud man is always looking down on things and people, and, of
course, as long as you’re looking down, you can’t see
something that’s above you.”