“Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.” (Ezek 28:17NIV)
As we see in Ezekiel 28, when God made the angel that we now call Satan, he was full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. But though this being has not lost the wisdom and beauty God had given to him, he is not being viewed by God or humans as wise or beautiful anymore. In fact, he is the most hated of all beings. Why? According to what we are shown in our opening bible text, the reason is that he corrupted his wisdom and beauty at some point in history.
Now what does it mean to corrupt one’s wisdom? It means to make it destructive. Wisdom is God’s gift, given by Him as a spiritual tool for building people or things up. But once it is corrupted, it stops being a tool for edification; it becomes a tool for ruining and destroying what is good.
Then what does it mean to corrupt one’s beauty? It means to weaponize it or turn it into a trap for destruction. Beauty is God’s gift, given by Him to His creations to draw attention to His greatness, majesty and goodness. But once it is corrupted, it stops being a tool for bringing glory to God; it becomes a tool for manipulation and seduction.
So, when the word of God says that Satan corrupted his wisdom and beauty, it is simply telling us that this being became destructive with the beautiful gifts God had adorned him with. And because of that, God threw him down from the place of honour He had placed him. So, he became useless to Him and no longer capable of experiencing His goodness or favour. He became nothing but a being doomed to destruction.
But what made all this happen to Satan? What reduced a highly exalted being to nothing before his creator? What was responsible for the corruption of his God-given wisdom and beauty? As we are told in our opening bible verse, it was pride that was responsible. In other words, his beauty and wisdom got into his head and he began to see himself as too much; he began to think of himself more highly than he ought to. And why was that so? It was so because he, at some point, forgot totally that there was nothing he had that he had not received as a gift from God.
In like manner, when we also begin to lose sight of the fact that there is nothing we are or that we have that we have nor received from God our maker, pride will begin to capture our hearts and enslave them (1Cor 4:7; James 1:17). And if we do not immediately deal with it, it won’t be long before it becomes our master and begins to corrupt and ruin every good thing God has given to us. Then, instead of using the beauty, education, wealth, influence or any other gift God has given to us to lead men to glorify Him, we will start using it as a tool to bring honour to ourselves.
Now there is no way we will be using what God has given us to draw attention to ourselves or bring honour to ourselves and not become destructive in the process. It is not just possible. And once we become destructive with what God has given to us, He has a duty to throw us down, as He did with Satan. How far down He will cast us is not what I can tell. But He will surely throw us down once we allow pride to corrupt our lives and the things He has given to us.
Remember King Nebuchadnezzar. Remember that the very moment he allowed pride to corrupt the majesty God gave him was the moment he was driven away from his throne and kingdom into the wilderness, where he lived like a mad man and beast. And if God had not been merciful to him and restored him, he would have died in that wilderness like any other beast. (Cf. Daniel 4)
So, beloved, continually watch your heart and see to it that you make no room for any form of pride in it. It will corrupt you and the gifts of God in your life. And once that happens, it does not matter how high God has already placed you, He will have no choice but to throw you down. My prayer is that you will not do anything that will result in your being thrown down by God, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
But watch yourself!
Copyright © 2023, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)
Amen.
But watch yourself!