“You were anointed as a guardian cherub,
for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God;
you walked among the fiery stones.
You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created
    till wickedness was found in you.”
Ezekiel 28:14-15

The snarl, slanted eyes, and dripping sneer of hate. You can’t miss it. That is the face of the Soul Eater.

You have seen him but you don’t really notice him. He is everywhere, a common monster living free in broad daylight. We have grown used to his ways and even applaud his work of subversion. He is a destroyer, homewrecker, a lurking evil, the first villain. But he is gladly invited into our homes, welcomed in the company of friends, and sadly,  tolerated in the church. Even your dear old mom allows him to linger.

He is the Soul Eater.

The Soul Eater is loved on a personal level but despised in the lives of others. So when we are alone with him we embrace his ways, making daily deals with him, asking him to work on our behalf. And when he does we forget just how deadly the deal we made with him is. He lies as he kills, and we believe him. He knows how to get things done, but it is always at the expense of others. Bones break, teeth gnash when he is at work.

He is the Soul Eater.

Look how he divides. Watch him denigrate and despise. HIs laugh has no pity. And we laugh with him.

Oh, you think he hasn’t made any deals with you? That is because he has already lied to you. The moment you shake his clammy palm, you forget. You forget the love and admiration you had for those you claim to adore. You forget value. You forget that the blood of Calvary is worth more than all the diamonds buried at the bottom of the sea. You forget how he hurts.

The Soul Eater plots, plans, and schemes against you. He wants you to join him in   “The Black Parade.”

So who is he?

He goes by many names, “Amour-propre”, “Gall”, “Swag”, “Hubris”, “Stolz”, “Gordost”, but you know him as “Pride.”

Even his name is tricky. We want him around but we know we really shouldn’t. There is a pride that is good, but if we are not careful when we strive for the good side of pride it quickly spoils and turns bad. The deal looks good until you realize the pride you bought has already bit you. The English writer Charles Bridges says this about it:

“It is hard to persuade a man that he is proud. Every one protests against this sin. Yet who does not cherish the viper in his own bosom? Man so little understands that dependence on his God constitutes the creature’s happiness and that the principle of independence is madness, and its end – destruction. The haughty walk on the brink of a fearful precipice; only a miracle preserves them from instant ruin.”

The origins of the monster’s arrival is repeated daily in our lives. Ezekiel the prophet describes it clearly in chapter 28:17: “Your heart became proud on account on of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.” This quote is about Lucifer’s fall, the making of Satan. The root is pride or self-love. Pride takes root when I exalt myself above everyone and everything else.

The psychologist even buys the lie, “In order to love others you must first love yourself.” Who doesn’t love themselves? We all do. Even the person who gets depressed about himself is depressed because he thinks he deserves better than he is getting because he loves himself so much. Pride has entered our soul since birth. It joins hands with Satan as he declares his independence in Isaiah 14:13-14, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of the assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Olympus, I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I WILL MAKE MYSELF LIKE THE MOST HIGH.”

Did you hear that? Pride wants to win. Be on top. Equal with God. Pride loves thyself so much all other loves pale in comparison.

It is this self-love that gives birth to the monster. This seed has been planted in you. You don’t believe me? That is because you are being lied to by the monster.

Let’s talk more about this later because he is hard to kill. And once dead he springs quickly back to life. But just know this:

“Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked are sin.” (Prov. 21:4)