Saturday, 3 October 2026
Where in the Bible? No. 3
Today's theme was Pride. Here are the five verses, where each one sits between Genesis and Revelation, and what it means.
Verse 1 · What pride is
The pride of your heart has deceived you, O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks whose habitation is the heights, who say in your heart, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’
Obadiah 1:3 · verse 22,514 of 31,102, 72.4% of the way through the Bible · Old Testament, Minor Prophets
What it means
God addresses Edom, a nation descended from Esau, living in a mountain stronghold of rocky cliffs. Feeling untouchable, the Edomites gloated when Jerusalem fell. God warns that their pride has fooled them: no height is beyond His reach.
Where it fits
Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament, just one chapter of 21 verses. The fourth of the Minor Prophets, it sits about 72.4% of the way through the Bible, between Amos and Jonah.
Verse 2 · What pride looks like
The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.’
Luke 18:11 · verse 25,700 of 31,102, 82.6% of the way through the Bible · New Testament, Gospels
What it means
Jesus tells a story about two men praying in the temple. The religious leader stands apart and thanks God that he is better than everyone else, even the tax collector nearby. Jesus says it was the tax collector, who simply asked for mercy, who went home right with God.
Where it fits
New Testament, in the Gospel of Luke. This parable comes as Jesus travels towards Jerusalem, in a section full of His teaching on prayer, about 83% of the way through the Bible.
Verse 3 · Where pride leads
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18 · verse 16,859 of 31,102, 54.2% of the way through the Bible · Old Testament, Wisdom & Poetry
What it means
Arrogance sets a person up for a crash. The saying is often shortened to 'pride comes before a fall', but the original pairs pride with destruction and a haughty spirit with stumbling. The warning applies to individuals and nations alike.
Where it fits
This much-quoted proverb sits in Proverbs 16, in the Solomon collection, about 54.2% of the way through the Bible. Proverbs is part of the Old Testament wisdom books.
Verse 4 · The better way
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves.
Philippians 2:3 · verse 29,395 of 31,102, 94.5% of the way through the Bible · New Testament, Pauline Epistles
What it means
Paul asks the Philippians to be united by putting others first. They should not act out of rivalry or vanity, but humbly treat others as more important than themselves. He goes on to show Jesus, who humbled Himself to death on a cross, as the perfect example.
Where it fits
This verse leads into the famous passage about Christ’s humility in Philippians 2. It sits about 95% of the way through the Bible, in one of the letters Paul wrote while imprisoned.
Verse 5 · How to respond
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you.
1 Peter 5:6 · verse 30,472 of 31,102, 98.0% of the way through the Bible · New Testament, General Epistles
What it means
Peter is writing to Christians facing hard times. He tells them to place themselves willingly under God's strong care, rather than grasping for status. God sees, and at the right moment He will raise them up. The next verse invites them to hand Him their worries.
Where it fits
New Testament, in Peter's first letter, written to believers scattered across Asia Minor. This comes in its closing chapter, about 98% of the way through the Bible.
What Scripture says about pride
- Pride quietly fools us into feeling untouchable.
- Pride compares itself with others and looks down.
- Pride leads to a fall.
- Humility values others above ourselves.
- Humble yourself and let God lift you up.
Take it with you
Is there a place today where you could put someone else first?
A prayer
Father, forgive me when I think too highly of myself. Teach me to see others as You see them, and to rest in Your grace rather than my own importance.