PRIDE AND THE LOCUSTS — EXODUS 10
Base Text: Exodus 10 | Pastor Joshua Angarita
INTRODUCTION
There are people who at some point in their lives were simple, humble, and respectful. But something changed. When you have nothing, it is easy to feign humility. However, when you have a lot or reach a certain level, the attitude changes to: «No one can tell me anything anymore.»
That silent change in the heart has a name: pride.
Like the locusts of Exodus 10, pride begins to silently eat everything God has planted in your life. It is the sin that caused Lucifer to fall, and continues to destroy those who believe they no longer need God.
«But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me...» (Psalm 19:12-13)
To truly understand the gravity of this hidden sin, I invite you to watch the full preaching on video below. Then, join me as we dive deep into this study on what pride has to do with the plague of locusts.
🎥 Full Preaching
Watch on YouTube: Pride and the Locusts — Exodus 10 | Pastor Joshua Angarita
PHARAOH AND THE TRAP OF PRIDE
The plagues: a direct consequence
The plagues that struck Egypt came because a king refused to acknowledge God, despite clearly seeing His power at work. Each new plague represented an opportunity to humble himself. But every time Pharaoh rejected it, the next one was even worse.
«So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, 'This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?'» (Exodus 10:3)
Pharaoh was a stubborn man, and his heart progressively hardened. God's question was not rhetorical: it was an exact diagnosis of the state of his soul.
The fruit of rebellion
This attitude persists today. Many times we refuse to obey, we do only what our minds dictate, and we stop listening. Israel's sin was also rebellion, a direct consequence of pride (Isaiah 6:9-10). Spiritual hardening is the inevitable result of pride that is never dealt with or surrendered to God.
PRIDE: A DEEP BIBLICAL ANALYSIS
What exactly is pride?
Pride can be defined as a disproportionate and irrational self-esteem, which is usually accompanied by an insolent treatment of others. It is the constant attempt to appear better than we really are, living with anxiety to win applause and with bitterness when we are not taken into account.
«Pride is the high opinion that a poor, small, and petty soul has of itself.»
An ancient and universal root
Satan's ambitious pride was the original sin of the universe (Ezekiel 28:17). It may have been the first sin to exist, and undoubtedly, it will be one of the last to be eradicated from the human heart.
Pride declares war on God in three ways:
- Seeks to dethrone Him: Attempts to elevate sinful man to a position equal to or higher than God.
- Defrauds Him: Robs Him of the recognition and glory that belong only to Him.
- Insults Him: Arrogantly proclaims: «I am the architect of my destiny; I do what I want.»
The devastating offspring of pride
From pride are born other destructive sins: presumption, malice, boasting, greed, and slander. It is so deceitful that, as the psalmist warns, people wear it as if it were a decorative necklace (Psalm 73:6).
For a Christian, it is dangerously easy to fall into pride. All it takes is leaving God out of your daily plans, neglecting Bible reading and prayer, and starting to live leaning on your own understanding.
THE LOCUSTS: PROGRESSIVE DEVASTATION
«If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow... they will devour everything left after the hail—every tree growing in your fields...» (Exodus 10:4-6)
Total ruin in Egypt
The locusts came to eat all the plants and destroy the trees. They represented ruin, downfall, and hunger. When hardening of the heart takes over someone, they lose the ability to see their own impending downfall.
Devastation in waves
The prophet Joel describes how locusts operate:
«What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten.» (Joel 1:4)
This is exactly how pride operates in the spiritual life. It doesn't destroy everything in a single day. It acts in seasons, in layers, silently, until nothing is left of God's provision.
The locusts of Revelation
In Revelation 9:1-12, we see demonic locusts coming out of the abyss to exclusively torment those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
The seal of God is the mark of belonging. The greatest lie of pride is making you believe that you don't need that divine seal, convincing you that you can protect yourself. That was the lie that destroyed Pharaoh.
CONCLUSION
Pride spiritually consumes everything you need for your faith. It is the root of discontent, ingratitude, and presumption. Great theologians of history stated that pride is the very essence of all sin.
Since God opposes the proud (James 4:6), our only way out is to learn to strip ourselves of pride and clothe ourselves in humility daily. It is vital to learn to recognize our mistakes and accept correction.
Remember: When you have nothing, it's easy to pretend humility. But when you have a lot and start thinking 'no one can tell me anything anymore', that is the exact moment the plague of locusts begins in your life.
PERSONAL REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- Can you receive correction without justifying yourself? Or does pride make you react immediately defensively?
- Is there anyone in your environment whom you treat with insolence or disdain because you feel they «are not on your level»?
- Are you giving God the glory for your achievements, or deep down do you consider them the exclusive result of your own effort?
- Is there any area of your life (finances, relationships, ministry) where you have taken God out of the equation because you believe you already «know how everything works»?
Bible study based on the preaching of Pastor Joshua Angarita — MMM Portal Campestre Church, Girón, Santander, Colombia.