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“A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long asyou’re looking down, you can’t see something that’s above you.” (C.S. Lewis)Pride is the foundation upon which all other sins rest, the substrate on which all othersins feed.It is the surest path directly away from God, as it is the antithesis of God Himself.When pride strikes, its lethal venom courses through a person’s life, simultaneouslycommandeering his consciousness and anesthetizing him to its pernicious effects. If leftunchecked, it becomes a gangrenous cancer that consumes a person down to the core ofhis soul.Pride is idolatry in its most toxic state: a replacement of the Creator with oneself. Itbluntly screams in the face of God, “Not Your will, but mine be done.”Because of this, God reserves some of His most potent language for expressing Histhoughts about pride:“These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proudlook...” (Proverbs 6:16-17, NKJV)“Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord...” (Proverbs 16: 5, NKJV)“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to adebased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with allunrighteousness...they are...proud, boasters, inventors of evil things...who, knowing therighteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving ofdeath...” (Romans 1:28-32, NKJV)“Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than forhim.” (Proverbs 26:12, NKJV)Pride is a sin that has close to a 100% infection rate. Nearly every human being that’sever lived has struggled with it on some level.Not even Moses, the man described by God Himself as more humble “than all men whowere on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3, NKJV) was immune to its effects.Reaching his breaking point with the children of Israel at Kadesh, Moses defied the Lord and shouted to the people, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out ofthis rock?” (Numbers 20:10, NKJV)The words had hardly left Moses’ mouth when the Lord thundered against him injudgment: “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children ofIsrael, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have giventhem.” (Numbers 20:12, NKJV)“Devastating” would hardly describe how this judgment must have sounded to Moses.The man had spent 80 years preparing for his leadership role and would spend 40 yearsdischarging the duty.All to die before he reached the goal.All because he momentarily opted to arrogantly direct Israel’s attention away from theglory of God.God hates pride, and He will not tolerate it.