In order to turn a person from his actions and suppress his pride. God spares his soul from the Pit, his life from crossing the river of death. Job 33:17-18 HCSB
The Scriptures tell us that “pride comes before destruction” (Proverbs 16:18). There is nothing wrong with being proud of an accomplishment but pride develops when a person has an inflated sense of personal status or accomplishment. Often someone will treat others poorly or speak badly of others in an attempt to make himself look better. Jesus taught that one must be humble and be a servant to others if he truly wants to be great.
Pride is the original sin and is the root for all other sins. When Adam and Eve thought they were better than God and did not have to follow His instructions, they brought sin into the world. In these verses Elihu was telling Job that God uses discipline to suppress the pride of man. God had allowed many disasters to come upon Job but He had spared his life from death and the grave.
Challenge: Evaluate your own life. Do you have a prideful spirit? Do you think you are better than others? Ask God to give you a spirit of humility and to help you to have a servant’s attitude.