Sirach 10:1-16: a reflection

1A wise judge will instruct his people. The government of a man of understanding will be well ordered. 2As is the judge of his people, so are his officials. As the city’s ruler is, so are all those who dwell in it. 3An undisciplined king will destroy his people. A city will be established through the understanding of the powerful. 4The government of the earth is in the Lord’s hand. In due time, he will raise up over it the right person at the right time. 5A man’s prosperity is in the Lord’s hand. He will lay his honor upon the person of the scribe. 6Don’t be angry with your neighbor for every wrong. Do nothing by works of violence. 7Pride is hateful before the Lord and men. Arrogance is abhorrent in the judgment of both. 8Sovereignty is transferred from nation to nation because of injustice, violence, and greed for money. 9Why are dirt and ashes proud? Because in life, my body decays. 10A long disease mocks the physician. The king of today will die tomorrow. 11For when a man is dead, he will inherit maggots, vermin, and worms. 12It is the beginning of pride when a man departs from the Lord. His heart has departed from him who made him. 13For the beginning of pride is sin. He who keeps it will pour out abomination. For this cause the Lord brought upon them strange calamities and utterly overthrew them. 14The Lord cast down the thrones of rulers and set the lowly in their place. 15The Lord plucked up the roots of nations and planted the lowly in their place. 16The Lord overthrew the lands of nations and destroyed them to the foundations of the earth.

Sirach reflects at length on pride, and traces it to its root, which is not merely arrogance but a turning away from God. The beginning of pride, he says, is when a man departs from the Lord; his heart has departed from him who made him. Pride does not begin merely as an inflated opinion of ourselves; it begins deeper, in a heart that turns away from God, forgetting its Maker, forgetting its dependence. When the heart departs from God, it begins to exalt itself; the root of pride is a heart turned from the one who made it. Pride is not first about others or ourselves but about God: it grows from a heart that has departed from him. To trace pride to its root is to find a heart turned away from its Maker; and to guard against pride is to keep the heart close to God.

Notice where Sirach locates the beginning of pride: in a heart that departs from God. Pride, he says, begins when a man departs from the Lord, when his heart turns from the one who made him. It is not first an inflated self-regard that then forgets God; it is a departing from God that then breeds self-exaltation. When we lose sight of God, of our dependence on him, of his being our Maker, the heart begins to exalt itself, forgetting the one to whom it owes everything. The root of pride is this turning away from God. And so the remedy for pride is not first to think less of ourselves but to keep our hearts near to God, remembering him as our Maker, remembering our dependence. Pride grows where the heart has departed from God; humility grows where the heart stays near him. To guard the heart against departing from God is to guard against pride at its root.

That is worth taking to heart, for pride begins with a heart departing from God, and the remedy is to keep our hearts near him. We can think of pride merely as an inflated opinion of ourselves, to be corrected by thinking less of ourselves; but Sirach traces it deeper, to a heart that has departed from God, forgetting its Maker. Pride grows where the heart turns from God; humility grows where it stays near him. The guard against pride is to keep our hearts close to God, mindful of our dependence on him. Do not treat pride as merely a matter of self-regard; guard your heart against departing from God, which is where pride begins. Guard your heart against departing from God, remembering him as your Maker and your dependence on him, since this is where pride begins, as Sirach says the beginning of pride is when a man departs from the Lord and his heart turns from him who made him; for pride grows not first from an inflated view of ourselves but from a heart that has turned away from God, and the remedy is to keep our hearts near him, mindful that we are his and depend on him, so that humility grows where the heart stays close to God.

Lord, Sirach reflects at length on pride, and traces it to its root, which is not merely arrogance but a turning away from you. The beginning of pride, he says, is when a man departs from the Lord; his heart has departed from him who made him. Pride does not begin merely as an inflated opinion of ourselves; it begins deeper, in a heart that turns away from you, forgetting its Maker, forgetting its dependence. When the heart departs from you, it begins to exalt itself; the root of pride is a heart turned from the one who made it. Pride is not first about others or ourselves but about you. Show me where Sirach locates the beginning of pride: in a heart that departs from you. Pride begins when a man departs from you, when his heart turns from the one who made him. It is not first an inflated self-regard that then forgets you; it is a departing from you that then breeds self-exaltation. When I lose sight of you, of my dependence on you, of your being my Maker, my heart begins to exalt itself. The root of pride is this turning away from you. And so the remedy is not first to think less of myself but to keep my heart near to you. Take that to my heart, for pride begins with a heart departing from you, and the remedy is to keep my heart near you. I can think of pride merely as an inflated opinion of myself, to be corrected by thinking less of myself; but Sirach traces it deeper, to a heart that has departed from you. Pride grows where the heart turns from you; humility grows where it stays near you. Keep me from treating pride as merely a matter of self-regard; help me guard my heart against departing from you, Lord, which is where pride begins, remembering you as my Maker and my dependence on you.