Commentary - Proverbs 29:23

Bird's-eye view

This proverb sets before us one of the fundamental, unalterable laws of God's moral universe: the way up is down, and the way down is up. It is a perfectly balanced antithetical proverb, presenting two paths and two destinations. The first path is that of pride, arrogance, and a high view of oneself. The destination of this path is not elevation, as the proud man supposes, but humiliation. God Himself guarantees this outcome. The second path is that of humility, a lowly spirit, and a right estimation of oneself before God. The destination of this path is not the debasement the world expects, but honor and glory. This is a foundational principle of wisdom, and it finds its ultimate expression and fulfillment in the gospel of Jesus Christ, who humbled Himself and was therefore highly exalted.

The world's system is built on the lie that self-promotion, self-assertion, and self-esteem are the keys to success. This proverb cuts right across the grain of that entire project. It tells us that the universe is not built that way because the God who built it is not that way. He resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Therefore, this is not just good advice for a happier life; it is a description of spiritual reality. To ignore it is to fight against the very fabric of creation and to set oneself against the God who upholds it.

Outline

Context In Proverbs

The book of Proverbs is relentlessly concerned with the distinction between two kinds of people: the wise and the fool, the righteous and the wicked. Pride is the quintessential characteristic of the fool, while humility is the bedrock of wisdom. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom," and you cannot fear the Lord if your heart is filled with pride. This proverb fits squarely within this overarching theme. It echoes other passages throughout the book: "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov 16:18). "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom" (Prov 11:2). "Before destruction a man's heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor" (Prov 18:12). Proverbs 29:23 is not an isolated thought but rather a capstone statement on a theme woven throughout the entire collection of wisdom sayings. It summarizes the end of the matter for both the proud man and the humble man.

Key Issues

The Great Reversal

We live in a world that is organized around the principle of self-exaltation. From the playground to the boardroom, the message is consistent: promote yourself, believe in yourself, make a name for yourself. The world tells you to climb the ladder, and if you have to step on a few heads to do it, well, that's just the cost of getting to the top. But Scripture teaches that God's economy operates on a completely opposite principle. In God's kingdom, the ladder is inverted. The way to true exaltation is through self-abasement. The way to be first is to be last. The way to be great is to be a servant. This proverb is a concise statement of this great, divine reversal.

This is not a call to a false, groveling humility that is really just pride in disguise, a kind of "look how humble I am" performance. That sort of thing is just as self-centered as outright arrogance. True humility, a lowly spirit, is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. It is a heart that is fundamentally oriented away from self and toward God and others. The proud man is curved in on himself. His own glory, his own reputation, his own comfort are the center of his universe. The humble man has been set free from that tiny, suffocating kingdom of self. He is God-centered, and because he is, God promises to lift him up. The proud man tries to seize glory for himself and ends up with shame. The humble man seeks God's glory and finds that God shares His own glory with him.

Verse by Verse Commentary

23 A man’s lofty pride will bring him low,

The proverb begins with the man who has a high opinion of himself. The Hebrew word for pride here suggests swelling, a sense of being puffed up. This is the man who carries his own press clippings. He is the hero of all his own stories. He trusts in his own abilities, his own wisdom, his own righteousness. This pride is "lofty"; it is a high thing, a tower he has built for himself. But the text tells us that this very thing he trusts in for his elevation will be the cause of his downfall. The tower will collapse. It is not that pride might bring him low, or that it sometimes does. The proverb states it as a law of the universe: it will bring him low. God has set Himself against the proud (James 4:6; 1 Pet 5:5). He will not tolerate a rival throne in His creation. Therefore, the man who exalts himself is on a collision course with reality, and reality is governed by God. The humiliation might come through public disgrace, financial ruin, or the simple exposure of his foolishness, but it will come. God guarantees it.

But a lowly spirit will take hold of glory.

The contrast is stark. On the other side is the one with a "lowly spirit." This is not the man with low self-esteem, which is often just another form of self-obsession. This is the man who has a right assessment of himself in relation to God. He knows he is a creature, not the Creator. He knows he is a sinner, saved by grace alone. He is not constantly angling for position or recognition. He is content to be overlooked, to serve in unseen ways, because his validation comes from God, not from men. And what is the destiny of this man? He "will take hold of glory." The word often translated "honor" or "glory" refers to weightiness, substance, and high reputation. It is the opposite of the inflated, puffed-up emptiness of the proud. While the proud man grasps at honor and it slips through his fingers, the humble man finds that honor pursues him. He doesn't seek it, but God bestows it. God gives him a weightiness of character and a good reputation that is real and lasting. This is the great paradox: in emptying himself, he is filled. In making himself low, he is lifted high.

This principle finds its ultimate fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ. No one was higher than He, yet He humbled Himself, taking the form of a servant, and became obedient to the point of death on a cross (Phil 2:5-8). He is the supreme example of the lowly spirit. And what was the result? "Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name" (Phil 2:9). He took hold of glory. And because we are united to Him by faith, this pattern becomes the pattern of our lives as well. We die with Him to our own pride, and we are raised with Him to a life of true, God-given honor.

Application

The application of this proverb must begin with a ruthless self-examination. Pride is the native air we breathe as fallen creatures. It is a spiritual cancer that can manifest in a thousand different ways, from blatant arrogance to the subtle pride of the overly sensitive person who is always getting their feelings hurt. We must ask God to search our hearts and expose the ways we are puffed up. Do we crave the praise of men? Are we defensive when criticized? Do we look down on others? Do we subtly steer conversations back to our own accomplishments?

The only cure for this disease is the gospel. We must look to Christ, who embodied perfect humility. We must see that our pride is what nailed Him to the cross. He was brought low so that we, in our lowliness, could be lifted up. Repentance from pride means turning away from self-trust and self-admiration and casting ourselves entirely upon the mercy of God in Christ. It means cultivating a "lowly spirit" by meditating on the majesty of God and the grace of the gospel. It means actively choosing the lower place, seeking to serve rather than be served, and esteeming others better than ourselves.

When we do this, we are not earning our exaltation. We are simply living in accordance with reality. We are aligning ourselves with the grain of God's universe. The promise of this proverb is that as we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, in His time, and it is always the right time, He will exalt us. He will give us a substantial, weighty glory that the world can neither give nor take away.