The Scorner vs The Humble (Proverbs 3:34)
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Proverbs 3:34
Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor.
You know, if I were to ask you what your biggest pet peeve is, your mind would probably jump to something immediately. Maybe it’s when someone chews too loudly at dinner, or when people are walking too slow and blocking the sidewalk in front of you. For me (and I wouldn’t say it’s my biggest pet peeve), but you know those little stickers they put on fruit – I had a run-in with them the other day with some apples. Why do they exist, and why are they so hard to peel off?
Now, if a sticker on an apple can frustrate me, imagine how much more pride frustrates God. I don’t think the “pet peeve” analogy even does His anger and frustration here any justice. His Word makes it clear: God hates, absolutely hates, pride. We saw that yesterday in Proverbs 16:5. To Him, pride is not just a small annoyance; it’s an abomination.
Theologian Charles Bridges says, “On no point is the mind of God more fully declared than against pride – the spirit of scorning.” So yeah, this isn’t just a minor issue for God. Pride isn’t a sticker on an apple; it’s a giant wall blocking us from Him. It ruins our relationship with Him. Remember yesterday: if your heart is set in opposition to God, then God will set His heart in opposition to you. That’s evidenced by this verse:
“Toward the scorners he is scornful.”
That’s not an easy truth to hear, but it’s an important one. This part of the verse is talking about a particular kind of person – the hell-bent scorner. The scorner is someone who refuses to submit to God’s righteousness. They reject Him, mock Him, and ultimately scorn His grace.
Now, let’s pause for a second. This isn’t just about people out there – the “bad guys” of the world. This is about you and I, too. Remember, pride is sneaky. It’s subtle. And it can find its way into the nooks and crannies of our hearts, even if we’re following Jesus.
But here’s the good news: God doesn’t leave us stuck in our pride.
The second half of this verse shows us His heart toward those who humble themselves:
“But to the humble he gives favor.”
Isn’t that amazing? Yesterday we addressed the woefulness of God’s opposition and Him being opposed to you. How about the flip of that? God being in favor of you and for you. That’s His grace, His goodness, and His love poured out on them. It’s beautiful and so worthy of being desired.
Let’s frame it like this:
Imagine two people standing in front of God. One crosses their arms, rolls their eyes, and says, “I don’t need You.” To that person, God ultimately responds with justice – “Okay, if you don’t want Me, you won’t have Me.” But then there’s the second person. They bow their head, open their hands, and say, “Lord, I need You.” To them, God extends His favor – His presence, His love, and His grace.
And here’s the part that gets me: At one point, we were all like the first person. Every single one of us has scorned God in some way. But instead of responding with the justice we deserved, He pursued us, He chose us, and He saved us. He gave us favor we couldn’t earn and He now gives us more favor that we can’t earn. That’s our God. That’s grace. And it’s all the more reason to praise God.
And we’re going to do exactly that here in prayer in a second, but before we do, I want you to reflect on this verse with two questions:
1. Are there areas in your life where you’re resisting God’s authority over your life or scornfully rejecting His ways? Maybe it’s a decision, a habit, or even your attitude toward Him.
2. How can you actively humble yourself this week? Think about a specific area where you can take a step toward humility – maybe it’s apologizing to someone, surrendering control, or spending time in prayer.
Let’s pray for those thoughts and this verse today.
