Divinely Frustrated
clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 1 Peter 5:5
Is Opposed – Look around you. Does it seem to you that God opposes the proud? That certainly doesn’t appear to be the case, does it? Everywhere we see arrogance, hubris and self-importance promoted, even idolized, while those who don’t seek the cover of magazines are generally ignored and forgotten. How can Peter even suggest that God stands against the proud? How can he quote the author of the verse in Proverbs 3:34 who was one of the world’s greatest celebrities?
If you’ve never been frustrated by the apparent injustice in this morally upside-down world, then you just don’t appreciate what it means to be an alien resident – a displaced citizen of a Kingdom that is radically different than the current world’s system.
The Greek word in Peter’s letter is antitassetai, taken from the Greek words anti (against) and tasso (to set in place, to order, to arrange). God is against the position and order of the proud. Peter has a Hebrew word in mind. It is luts – to mock, deride, to hold in contempt. God not only opposes the proud; He mocks them. He acts in ways that are inimical to their entire view of life. He makes them look like fools.
What God says is the truth. But sometimes we have to look deeper to see that truth. If we observe only the surface, it looks like the proud prosper and the humble are mistreated. That’s what the enemy wants us to believe so that we will be tempted to adopt behavior that appears to bring us gain. The truth is hidden. Most of God’s truth is. God’s opposition to the proud is revealed in two important ways. First, it is revealed in the eschatological outlook of the Bible. Yes, the proud may prosper for a season, but the only true measure of success is the eternal measure, and in that arena they are woefully inadequate. God’s justice assures us that they will fall. There is no point in mimicking them. They are on a road to destruction.
The second factor is the nature of God’s acts among men. The true meaning of what God does is also hidden because on the surface it looks as though God does everything wrong. He chooses a no-account tribe to bring His message to the world. He chooses a slave people to show His power. He takes the runts of the litter, the second-born nobodies, the left-over’s as His witnesses and warriors. He even sends His own Son, not to dominate but to die. God never acts according to the world’s system of successful methods. Keep that in mind that next time to pick up a book about winning. God loses on purpose because He does not endorse any aspect of pride. That’s what grates on the conscience of the proud. They detest a God Who takes what they have discarded and turns it into glory and victory.
If God opposes the proud, both eschatologically and operationally, then so must we. Don’t think that God will assist your success if your methods follow the ways of the proud. That does not serve His purposes. Look for losers. That’s where you will find the God of triumph.
