iii. 16, 17. _Moreover the Lord saith, Because the
daughters of Zion are haughty, . . . therefore the Lord
will smite._
A terrible doom is here denounced against the Jewish women, not
because they were vicious, but because they were haughty. Haughtiness
is found also in men, though in them its manifestations are somewhat
different. It is therefore a question of universal interest. In what
respects is haughtiness sinful?
+I. The sinfulness of haughtiness is manifest in view of what it is.+
Webster defines it as "pride mingled with some degree of contempt for
others; arrogance." It is a compound iniquity, and as such is doubly
offensive. In the chemical world two deadly ingredients may
neutralise each other's noxious qualities, and form a harmless and
useful article: _e.g.,_ water, a compound of hydrogen and oxygen;
common salt, a compound of chlorine and sodium. But it is never so in
the moral world: combinations of iniquities are always especially
offensive. How then must God look upon haughtiness, which is made up
of two sins most emphatically denounced in His Word!
+II. The sinfulness of haughtiness is manifest in view of its
sources.+ Clearly it springs--1. _From a forgetfulness of our
dependence upon God._ Of what is it that we are so proud that we
cannot conceal our pride? It is of gifts which we have received from
God (1 Cor. iv. 7), and for the continued possession of which we are
absolutely dependent on His will. Some are haughty because of what
they _are_--beautiful, talented, &c.; others because of what they
_have_--rank, money, &c.; others because of what they _have done_--on
the field of battle, in art, literature, &c. But personal
excellencies, amplitude of possessions, or gross success, should
produce in us not self-exaltation, but gratitude to God. To be
ungrateful is to be base; and as haughtiness is one of the flowers
that spring from ingratitude, that evil root which has for its seed
forgetfulness of our dependence upon God, it is base and hateful too.
2. _From a forgetfulness of the purposes for which God has so richly
endowed us._ God endows and helps men, not for their own
gratification, but that they may more effectually help others. This
great law runs through the whole universe. The sun is filled with
light, in order that it may be a light; the violet with perfume, in
order that it may diffuse its perfume. So is it with ourselves. In
proportion to our gifts we are stewards for God, and were intended to
be channels of blessing: great gifts, therefore, should not cause us
to swell with foolish arrogance, but should weigh us down with a
solemn sense of our responsibility. 3. _From a forgetfulness of our
relation to our fellow-men._ God is our Father, and all men are our
brethren, but we forget this, and so we behave ourselves towards many
as if they were made of an inferior clay. In a household, the
children who have sight look not with scorn, but with compassion, on
a sister who is blind; and if we remembered that all men are our
brethren, our perception of their shortcomings as compared with
ourselves would excite, not our pride, but our pity.
+III. The sinfulness of haughtiness is manifest in view of the
emphatic discord with the example of Christ.+ Every sin may be
condemned on this ground, yet haughtiness is in an especial manner in
flagrant contradiction to that embodiment and manifestation of
excellence which we have in the character of our Lord. In His
dealings with men, even the lowest and most degraded, who can detect
one trace of arrogance? Notice especially, that while He never called
attention to His temperance, His truthfulness, His prayerfulness,
&c., He did point out meekness as the feature by which He was
especially distinguished, and by which His followers were to resemble
Him, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me _for I am meek and lowly
in heart._"
1. We may see now why haughtiness, which we are so accustomed to
treat as a trivial thing, is so emphatically condemned in God's Word.
2. A very moderate acquaintance with human life is enough to teach us
that haughtiness is a prolific source of sorrow, as well as a sin. It
is so in those _towards_ whom it is manifested; slights are resented
as insults, and brooded over as bitter wrongs. It is so in those _by_
whom it is manifested: the haughty meet with repeated mortifications,
arising from the rejection of their claims to superiority,[1] and
they are frequently brought into perilous collision with persons of
like temper. An intelligent self-interest would lead us to shun that
which God denounces as a sin. 3. While haughtiness may be natural in
the children of this world, it is a grave and alarming inconsistency
in the professed followers of Jesus.