PRIDE AND ASSOCIATES
James 4:1-5:6
PRIDE AND ASSOCIATES
“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill.”
The first image that comes to mind reading James 4 is that of a person torn within, with different desires vying to be satisfied. But it does not match with the next sentence, that you desire and you kill.
The ultimate desire, that leads us to fight, quarrel, wage war and even kill, is the desire to be pre-eminent, to dominate, to have everyone bending to your will. It even fights to be the dominant desire in us.
This, of course, is the original sin of man, when Satan tempted man with the promise that “you will be like God”.
We have several words to describe this desire and James covers the gamut of them: fights and quarrels, kill, selfishness and self-centredness, slander, judgemental, self-confidence and presumption, boasting, hoarding, cheating especially those weak and helpless, self-indulgent, murder. You can examine these and trace the thread to the desire to elevate self over others—pride.
The rich, the powerful, the elite, those in authority or born to such families, the talented and skilled—those that possess something that places them ahead of others—all are susceptible to the seductive lie that they are special as a result.
But even those on the other side of the equation may not escape the sin of pride, taking hold of their position as victims and using that to damage, castigate and condemn those who have victimised them. In our anger we pray that God will unleash his wrath upon these wicked people who have been the source of our suffering.
James tells us that friendship with the world—when we are no different and succumb to the temptation of the devil to be superior—is enmity with God. The proper position of man is to be humble. Only God can lift us up.
“Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”