Before destruction the heart
of man is haughty,
but humility goes before honor.

Proverbs 18:12

We don’t use the word, haughty, much these days and it is a shame we don’t because it is a very strong and descriptive word.

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines haughty…Proud and disdainful; having a high opinion of one’s self, with some contempt for others; Lofty and arrogant; supercilious. 

The Hebrew word for haughty is: gabah (H1361) and can be used in a positive sense speaking of God as being exalted and highly lifted up. Or it can be negative, as in this key verse, and refers to a person who is arrogant and lofty (lifting one-self up). In the Hebrew the big difference between these two meanings are obvious. God, is the always existing One, and is the only One worthy to be exalted and highly lifted up. 

Any human lifting themselves up is doing so in absolute arrogance and haughtiness as they have nothing to boast about because they have nothing in their minds or genius or physical beauty or strength or power, etc… but that Yahweh has given them these attributes and abilities to build from. We do not even have the ability on our own to build on and improve the abilities and attributes we have be given.

The ultimate haughtiness is rejecting the fact that God has given us all things, including all the things that make us…us! And when a person, or “we” as a culture reach that point of being haughty in our very hearts’ history proves that destruction is not far behind. 

Humility on the other hand is the complete opposite of haughtiness. And its reward is much sweeter with deeper impact and eternal!

If we want true honor…true worth…true nobility…

Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord,
and He will exalt you.

James 4:10