One of the greatest weaknesses of men and women alike is their propensity to become haughty once they gain a certain amount of recognition for their skills, talent, smarts or even their looks. Some even for what they have accumulated. Synonyms: arrogance, conceit, pride, hubris, hauteur, vanity, self-importance, pomposity, condescension, disdain, contempt.
During the reign of the Pharaohs, it was common for them to have engineers, sculptors and other craftsman to do their bidding. One such was a man named Bek who grew up in Heliopolis, an important cult centre of the sun god Ra. The young prince Amenhotep (who became the pharaoh Akhenaten) had a palace at that place, and it is likely that his religious views were formed in part by the Heliopolitan teachings. Bek followed his lord to Akhetaten, the city founded by Akhenaten. He oversaw the construction of the great temple statues of the king and the opening of the Aswan and Gebel es-Silsila stone quarries, from where the stone was transported. It is said of him that he was a man of great courage and energy, chaste and generous, but Bek was also known for his remarkable haughtiness and ostentation. It might be said that some men (women) have earned the right to be haughty and ostentatious. But haughtiness is not approved of by God. In Isaiah the Lord saith: “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched-forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet.” He will smite the crowns of their head. (Isaiah 3:16) For haughty men the Lord said: “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18) Obviously there were haughty men and women during Old and New Testament times but do we have any haughtiness in our day?
I was talking to a friend, the other day who had just recently joined a new company to serve as a salesperson. He said his office is next to the office of the President of the company. He no sooner moved into his office and started unpacking his work items when a crew of workmen came in and started knocking a wall out. they explained that they had been authorized to expand the the President’s office (next to his) by taking half of his. When they were through he merely had a cubby hole to work in. Then he found out that the President had an office in each of the companies locations and was seldom in the office next to his. The President also had a parking spot directly in front of the door that was seldom used but when he was there it had better darn well be vacant for his car. The President of the company made sure everyone was aware of his priorities and his ostentatiousness. I suppose one could replace Bek with that President’s name; Bek was remarkable for his haughtiness and ostentation.
I realize that there are some men and women whose office is of such importance that they need to be granted the right-of-way and many other privileges that the masses can and should step aside for. At the same time there are those who demand it who have no need and these are they whom the Lord referred to and said: “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18) These men and or women have elevated themselves above others and their haughtiness will cause them to fall, by and by. The following describes a haughty one arriving in heaven titled,
“The Best Poem In The World”
I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven’s door,
Not by the beauty of it all, Nor the lights or it’s decor. But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp…
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics, the trash…
There stood the kid from the seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.
Herb, whom I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine, Looking incredibly well.
I nudged Jesus, “What’s the deal?
I would love to hear your take. How’d all these sinners get up here? God must have made a mistake. “And why’s everyone so quiet, So somber give me a clue.”“Hush child,” said He, “They’re all in shock. No one thought they’d be seeing you.”
We must pray that haughty will not be one of the adjectives that follow us to the grave for when we get to heaven (or wherever that was) we do not want to be “shocked, confused, bewildered” as was our friend above.