Pride Goes Before a Fall. Part [10] 04/10/2026 (Morning thought)

1st Kings 18:And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.

Afterwards, God exalts Elijah upon a pinnacle, and there he is in danger of succumbing to pride, as can be observed in his own words. Again, some persons wonder why Elijah had to pray only once for fire, but seven times for rain. And in our own experiences, we may wonder why at times God may answer our prayers immediately, whilst at other times we have to pray seven times. In many cases, the problem could be traced back to pride.

As Elijah stood upon Mt. Carmel God gave him the victory over the false worship which had infiltrated, and tainted almost everyone in Israel. It was a major overturning of Baal worship, and Jezebel, the priests and Ahab all suffered very humiliating defeats in the public square. Yet, it was by the power of God alone that victory was won, and thus, like so many before, Elijah has to be very careful lest it goes to his head, because pride could also affect righteous persons if they are not kept by the power of God at all times.

1st Kings 18: 42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, 43 And said to his servant, go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, there is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.

1st Kings 18:44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down that the rain stop thee not.

May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!

Pride Goes Before a Fall. Part [9] 04/10/2026 (Evening thought)

Matthew 14:25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

[Desire of Ages pp 381] While the billows talk with death, Peter lifts his eyes from the angry waters, and fixing them upon Jesus, cries, “Lord, save me.” Immediately Jesus grasps the outstretched hand, saying, “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” Walking side by side, Peter’s hand in that of his Master, they stepped into the boat together. But Peter was now subdued and silent. He had no reason to boast over his fellows, because through unbelief and self-exaltation he had very nearly lost his life.

When he turned his eyes from Jesus, his footing was lost, and he sank amid the waves…. We should never believe that righteous individuals are entirely immune from the indulgence of pride in different forms, and in various ways. The Lord is not revealing these dark chapters in Bible history, just to make us feel bad. He is showing us these things so that we may take a serious look at ourselves, and confess and repent where necessary.

We have been studying the book, Live like Elijah, but after careful observation you will see that Elijah was also affected by the indulgence of pride. His was not of the more common kind, for it was spiritual pride, that endangered him to the same problem the you and me in the here and now may be suffering from. In his valley experiences, he has to run for his life as David had to. He is confined to the wilderness, by the brook Cherith, and there he learns that favorite song, Humble me.

1st Kings 17:2 And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, 3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!