Hebrew Word Study – Proud – Gavah: גָּבָהּ – Gimmel Beth Hei

Proverbs 16:5: “Every one [that is] proud in heart [is] an abomination to the LORD.”

For whatever reason I  found myself in Proverbs this morning where I read in Proverbs 16:5: “Every one [that is] proud in heart [is] an abomination to the LORD.”  The word proud in Hebrew is gavah. It comes from a Semitic root GV which is the word for locust as a reference to the swarming of locust that devours all the crops of the lands, the food source of the land. As it swarms through the field it gradually eats the life giving food that a farmer was growing.  As I reflect over the last six months that is the way I have been feeling, like a swarm of locust has entered my heart and was devouring all the spiritual nourishment that I was enjoying such that I could no longer hear the cry of the world with my heart, I could not long see the pain of the world with my heart and I could no long speak a prayer to the sorrow of the world with my heart. Was it the pride of my heart that caused an abomination to the Lord such that I began hearing, see and speaking with my mind?  The word abomination is ta’av which is something disgusting. So disgusting Jesus could not be around it.

Isn’t it odd that the ancients associated pride with a swarm of locust. For that is what pride does, it swarms into your heart without warning and no matter how hard you try to fight it off, it keeps coming until it has stripped away all that  spiritual nourishment from your heart.  Jesus said, “What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul. What will a man give in exchange for his soul.” Mark 8:36-37.  

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I re-read a passage from my favorite author, C.S. Lewis in Chapter 8 of Mere Christianity, The Great Sin.  The great sin is, of course, pride. Quoting C.S. Lewis,  “According to Christian teachers the essential vice, the utmost evil is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness and all that are mere fleabites in comparison.”    “As long as you are proud, you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”  

Despite all my fancied spiritual insights, spiritual life style, the enemy managed to sneak in with the greatest sin of all, pride.  How do I know I am proud?  Because that is the only reason I feel bummed out is because of a recent failure in my life. As I was nurturing my hurt pride and feeling sorry for myself, I discovered something rather wonderful.

I stepped outside this morning and for the first time in months I was able to listen with my heart again. Again my heart heard the cry of this world, again my heart heard the voice of that little mourning dove as he greeted me for the first time in months and together with Jesus we again wept over a lost world. Again I saw that little bird singing and dancing in front of my disability bus reminding me that the Spirit of God was near.  Once again that squirrel came up to me begging for his peanut and when he twitched his nose at me I was no longer bummed out. These friends care not about my wounded pride, my Savior cares not either, for being able to once again listen with my heart I heard Him say, “Welcome back.”

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