Arrogancy

"The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong." (Psalm 5: 5 NIV)

"You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed and who stray from your commands." (Psalm 119: 21 NIV)

"Arrogance" is "an attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions." Arrogancy is often manifested by the arrogant person's attempt to make himself look good at the expense of others, to "put down" others as the way of building up one's self.

We can learn much about the bibilical definition of arrogancy by looking at all the verses dealing with it and by looking at other words and characteristics associated with it. From the verses above we notice how those who are generally arrogant are those who are "cursed" and who are people who are not keepers of God's word. They are such as generally "do wrong" and who "stray from" the "commands" of the Lord.

Notice also how the above words describe the arrogant person as being "hated" and rejected by God in addition to being "cursed." They will not be saved for they "shall not stand in your sight."

The words are a warning to all who might think they are saved and in favor with the Lord to examine their hearts and to use this "rule" or measuring rod to discover whether they have truly been saved and given the Spirit of God, together with a meek and humble spirit.

"But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.'" (Malachi 3: 15 NIV)

The "arrogant" are "cursed" and so to call that person "blessed" whom the Lord calls "cursed" is to be greatly deceived. Yet, it is the world that does in fact bless the arrogant and the proud, for they "call evil good, and good evil." (Isaiah 5: 20) Notice too how those who are "arrogant" are those who are "evildoers" and who "challenge God."

"Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord." (II Peter 2: 11 NIV)

An arrogant person is one who is "fearless" in areas where he ought to be fearful. He is one who is bold to slander superiors, even angels! Even "challenging" God himself! Rather than being meek in God's presence, and in the presence of superiors, the arrogant person is boastful and self promoting in his speech, and seeks his own advancement at the expense of denigrating others.

"They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting." (Psalm 94: 4 NIV)

"Slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents." (Romans 1: 30 NIV)

It is so unbecoming for professing Christians to be arrogant. It contradicts their profession of salvation. Arrogancy is associated with "doing evil" and with "boasting" (bragging) and with rebellion against proper authorities. Paul, when enumerating the sins of depraved and rebellious man, puts "arrogancy" in the list, it being characteristic of those who do not know God.

"The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate." (Proverbs 8: 13 KJV)

A man who fears God will have the inner witness in his soul to convict him of such sins as arrogancy. It is the lack of fear and reverence for God that produces arrogancy and pride. Notice also from this verse what words and characteristics are associated with being arrogant.

"Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed." (I Samuel 2: 3 KJV)

To be "arrogant" is to "talk exceeding proudly." The command of scripture is to repent of such an attitude and spirit, to stop being arrogant, and to come to a proper view of oneself, to be humble and meek as respects how we view ourselves in relation to others. Christians are called to "esteem others better than themselves" (Philippians 2: 3) rather than esteeming them as inferior and treating them in a deprecating manner.

"To the arrogant I say, 'Boast no more,' and to the wicked, 'Do not lift up your horns. Do not lift your horns against heaven; do not speak with outstretched neck.'" (Psalm 73: 4, 5 NIV)

Again the "arrogant" person is defined as one who boasts and who is an "egoist," one who has inflated views of himself, and one who is regularly and inordinately using the pronoun "I" when he converses with others. An arrogant person is one who is "stiffnecked," who "looks down on" others, and who has his nose in the air. Such are viewed as self promoters.

"'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy." (Ezekiel 16: 49 NIV)

The citizens of wicked Sodom were arrogant. What an awful place to live! Notice also how those who are "arrogant" are often those who are "overfed" and "unconcerned." This indicates that the rich in this world are generally people who are arrogant.

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant..." (I Timothy 6: 17 NIV)

It must be a sin more common to the "overfed" and to the "rich," to be "arrogant," than for the poor and needy. The arrogant person does not have a proper view of himself, but is deceived about himself. The mirror in which he looks gives him a distorted view of himself.

Arrogant people are not interested in helping others. Why should they? It goes counter to their efforts of exalting themselves to lift up others.

"But they, our forefathers, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and did not obey your commands...You warned them to return to your law, but they became arrogant and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, by which a man will live if he obeys them. Stubbornly they turned their backs on you, became stiff-necked and refused to listen." (Nehemiah 9: 16, 29 NIV)

God help us not to be described as such! As being arrogant before God and man! God help us to be meek and humble and not self promoting!

Notice again how arrogancy is connected with those who are disobedient to God and scripture and with pride, boastfulness, and with being stiffnecked and stubborn, and with being unwilling to listen to others.

"And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible." (Isaiah 13: 11 KJV)

God's judgment falls hard upon the arrogant! In this life, and surely also in the coming Day of Judgment.

"But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory." (Daniel 5: 20 NIV)

The example of Babylon's king is a witness to all those who's heart is arrogant and boastful. Because pride and an arrogant spirit reigned in the heart of the pagan king, he was removed by God from his reign over Babylon. Every sinner will have all his "glory" to be "stripped away." God will deal severely with the arrogant soul.

"We have heard the pride of Moab, (he is exceeding proud) his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart." (Jeremiah 48: 29 KJV)

And what did Lord God do to arrogant Moab? Did he not do as he did to Babylon's king?

"Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous." (Psalm 31: 18 NIV)

This prayer is sometimes answered in this life. God brings down great men who's arrogancy becomes great. Surely in the coming Day of Judgment the Lord will fully fulfill this prayer and will in that day silence all the arrogant talk of the wicked. No more will the arrogant be allowed a place in this world.

"For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." (Psalm 73: 3 NIV)

It is a fact that those who are arrogant generally DO prosper in this world. They "get ahead" at the expense of others. It is sad that the Psalmist fell into desiring to follow their example. Yet, every truly poverty stricken person is tempted to become like the proud and arrogant, falsely thinking this is the only way to prosper in this world. Thankfully, later in the Psalm, the Psalmist sees his error in desiring to be like the wicked.

"The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life—men without regard for you." (Psalm 86: 14 NIV)

Notice again how the scriptures declare that an "arrogant" man is one who attack others regularly and unfairly and who are men who have "no regard for God."

"The arrogant mock me without restraint, but I do not turn from your law." (Psalm 119: 61 NIV)

"We have endured much ridicule from the proud, much contempt from the arrogant." (Psalm 123: 4 NIV)

God sees all the hurt that his people receive from the arrogant ones! Oh how it hurts to be the object of unjust ridicule and slander from these arrogant ones!

"The proud and arrogant man-"Mocker" is his name; he behaves with overweening pride." (Proverbs 21: 24 NIV)

Again, we have an even larger picture of the arrogant soul. He is proud and a "mocker" of superiors, of God, of angels, and of other high officials. They have no love for others, and are often found ridiculing others.

"Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant." (I Corinthians 13: 4)

So, to have this divine love (agape) is to have a remedy against this awful evil spirit of pride and arrogancy. Those who are without this love have little restraint on their pride and arrogancy.

I Corinthians 8: 1 warns us that knowledge, without this divine love, makes one arrogant. The wicked have no "buffer" to their pride and arrogant spirits.

"But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have." (I Corinthians 4: 19 NIV)

Even in the church of Jesus Christ are found these "arrogant people." Paul knew how to deal with them. He would look beyond their talk and examine them "power," their actual state, rather than their mere pretensions to greatness.

Paul tells Titus that a bishop "…must not be arrogant." (Titus 1: 7) But oh how many preachers today are anything but meek and humble! How many today are boastful and arrogant! Do they not belie their Christian profession?

"Her prophets are arrogant; they are treacherous men. Her priests profane the sanctuary and do violence to the law." (Zephaniah 3: 4 NIV)

Notice again how the prophet describes the arrogant prophets as being "treacherous" and deceitful men! Notice how they are discovered by their works and fruit, by their deeds and their arrogant speech.

If we are arrogant, we need to come to Christ for forgiveness and for deliverance from this damning sin.