pride

Isaiah 13:11
I will punish the world for its evil,
the wicked for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty
and will humble the pride of the ruthless.

Here in the middle of God's proclamation of destruction against Babylon we find an indictment for the world. This is because from this time forward throughout Scripture, Babylon represents the world and peoples that set themselves up against God and His people.
I find it interesting that of all the things the world could be judged for; deception, lies, murder, war, violence, sexual immorality, etc... God chooses pride. Here in verse 11 he uses four words to reinforce His anger and wrath against this specific sin; arrogance, haughty, humble or humiliate and pride.

In the movie "The Devil's Advocate," Al Pacino, playing the devil, delivers a couple of speeches about vanity and pride. He says,
"Vanity...is definitely my favorite sin. Kevin, it's so basic. Self-love. The all-natural opiate."
"You sharpen the human appetite to the point where it can split atoms with its desire; you build egos the size of cathedrals; fiber-optically connect the world to every eager impulse; grease even the dullest dreams with these dollar-green, gold-plated fantasies, until every human becomes an aspiring emperor, becomes his own God... and where can you go from there?"

If vanity truly is the Devil's favorite sin, this verse demonstrates that it is among God's most hated. We cannot stand back and accuse Babylon of being more wicked than us... for as soon as we judge, we make ourselves guilty of the same pride for which they were condemned. Pride gives way to greed, lust, desire, ambition, deception, destruction and every other sin committed by man. Pride is the license to sin, to self medicate, to self indulgence, to self justification. Pride is the foundation of the lies we tell ourselves and the very walls that define us and the roof that covers over all our ugliness.

Perhaps instead of rooting out various sins in our lives, we should instead focus on removing our pride and work on humility, sober-mindedness, modesty and self discipline. With every decision we make, it would be good to ask, "Will this decision exalt me or God?" "Will this decision promote my agenda or God's?"

Father - Forgive me for my pride and arrogance. Protect me from vanity. Humble me. Teach me modesty, sobriety, self-discipline and contentment. Let me be counted with the people of God who humble Honor You and promote Your kingdom and Your agenda. Amen.