Pride is so dangerous in that most would deny being prideful. A murderer knows he's a murderer. A rapist know's he's a rapist. But pride is so prevalent, yet so subtle to so many, that this sin is often overlooked or justified by the individual. It is also deemed much less important or deadly than so many others, but this is not the way God sees this sin. We see this sin rear its ugly head in many ways, but one of the most evident ways is when one disagrees with your views or opinions. Pride blinds. When one's pride is attacked, out the door will go such beautiful qualities as love, mercy, grace, patience, etc. Friendships end, families break apart over politics, favorite sport's teams, social issues, or simply who is right or wrong in any dispute.

The transition in Job's three friends is staggering. We witness such beauty and love in the behavior of his friends in Job 2:11-13, "Now when Job's three friends heard of all the adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place...For they had made an appointment together to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him. And when they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him, they lifted their voices and wept; and each tore his robe and sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven. So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great." That display of concern and love for a friend is truly admirable. In fact, if that were the measure of true friendship, many of us would fail that test. Yet what transpires is that the three friends have come to the erroneous conclusion that Job was suffering like he was because of his wickedness, and that he was only receiving what he deserved considering the degree of his wickedness as evidenced according to them by all the calamities that occurred. Job, knowing that these accusations were false, simply defended himself. This is where the pride of his three friends changed them from their previous position of love and mercy. In Job 8:4, Bildad said, "If your sons have sinned against Him, He has cast them away for their transgression." Job had just lost seven sons at once, to which Bildad heartlessly states, essentially, that they got what they deserved. His friend Zophar states in 20:5, "That the triumphing of the wicked is short, And the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment? Zophar labels his friend both wicked and a hypocrite. Eliphaz states in 22:5-9, "Is not your wickedness great, And your iniquity without end? For you have taken pledges from your brother for no reason, And stripped the naked of their clothing. You have not given the weary water to drink, And you have withheld bread from the hungry...You have sent widows away empty, And the strength of the fatherless was crushed." Eliphaz didn't know any of these things to be true, but in his anger, he simply made them up, throwing false accusations at his former friend.

We would do well to watch out for this insidious sin. Pride can attack any of us, none of us are beyond it. We should never weaken on our defense of God and His Word. But even when this comes under attack, our defense should be one of love and mercy and grace. Jesus modeled this for us. Jesus said in John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." This is what Jesus did when falsely accused and was disagreed with. He never weakened on the truth of the God's Word, but He always responded in love and mercy. To those other things like politics and sports, who was right or wrong at a party, may we all be rich in grace and learn to stop fueling worthless arguments. Augustine is credited at saying: "In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, and in all things charity.”