Vol.15 No.1

Beautiful Rebels
“For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Luke 14:11
By Amarachi P. Ananaba

From the annals of history stem two stories that show us what pride will ultimately do; that our lives—without submission to the authority and guidance of God—will come to a miserable end.

Pride in Heavenly Garb

Based on Ezekiel 28:12-17; Isaiah 14:12-15

The first story unfolds even before our world was formed. It opens in the bliss of heaven where all celestial beings lived in harmony. As the angels bowed before God, one harbored pride.

Lucifer, whose name means “shining,” or “brilliant one,” was the covering cherub, the leader holding great influence over his fellow angels. How was Lucifer described? “…full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty…every precious stone was thy covering.…Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth…thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.” Ezekiel 28:12-14. 

Isaiah commented: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” Isaiah 14:12.

So how did this beautiful, perfect being go wrong? “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of clouds; I will be like the most High.” Isaiah 14:13, 14.

Do you see that Lucifer had “I” problems? He was consumed by the evil duo of pride and jealousy. He balked at God’s supposed unfair treatment of him, in addition to coveting the position of Jesus Christ who also ruled in heaven. John 1:1-4.

Little by little, desiring praise for himself, Lucifer’s malicious ideas—that God was unfair, and that His Law was bondage—spread discontent among the angels. So cunning were his deceptions that countless angels were won to him. Yet, all who were mislead, even Lucifer himself, were given opportunity to repent. In love, God was longsuffering, doing all He could to bring the wayward angels back. But to no avail. Their minds were so deluded that they questioned God’s Law and the position of Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

Eventually, this discontent destroyed heaven’s peace. “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven…he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 12:7-9.

So Lucifer and his followers were cast from heaven and made their home on earth. Now known as Satan, he plunged the whole human race into rebellion. Revelation 12:9; Genesis, Chapter 3. But God’s love didn’t stop at the gates of heaven. He sent His Son as a ransom for all. John 3:16.

From the Father to the Children

Based on 2 Samuel, Chapters 13-19

Now, we turn to the life of a prominent young man, who presents a carbon copy of Lucifer. Possessing great influence and beauty, the young, charismatic Absalom was the son of King David. His darker attributes appeared after his half-brother, Amnon, raped their sister Tamar. In extreme anger, Absalom murdered Amnon, was banished from the kingdom by his father, and fled to Geshur. There, he had opportunities to repent for what he did, but, like Lucifer’s malice toward Jesus, Absalom’s hatred for his father festered and grew for two years.

The effects of David’s adultery with Bathsheba were evident in Absalom’s character. Knowing that self-confidence and self-exaltation had caused his own fall, David was reluctant to discipline his children, so Absalom grew up unrestrained, possessing many of the character traits which led his father to ruin.  As these consequences trickled down to David’s subjects, they soon began to lose confidence in their once mighty king.

When Absalom was finally allowed to return home, he understood well the weakened influence of his father and used this as a means of setting up his own government. In entertaining Israel’s complaints and sympathizing with the ungrateful subjects of David’s kingdom, his popularity grew. He sought to be a judge over the people and cunningly “stole the hearts of the men of Israel.” 2 Samuel 15:6. Eventually, many exalted him as the rightful heir to David’s throne.

Sound familiar? So Lucifer, after marring heaven’s atmosphere with dissatisfaction, likewise began planning for the establishment of his throne in heaven.

With the affections of Israel turned toward him, Absalom orchestrated a revolt against his father. The rebellion came to a head, resulting in an all-out battle between father and son. Thus, we have a mirror image of the war fought in heaven.

Realizing the battle had turned against him, Absalom sought to save his own life and fled, but was caught in a tree by his handsome, lengthy locks of hair. Finding him hanging helpless, Joab, David’s general, “took three darts… and thrust them through the heart of Absalom.”

2 Samuel 18:14. His body was thrown into a worthless pit and covered with a mound of stones. This was the sad memorial of the favored rebel. It provided a perpetual reminder that rebellion against God and His chosen leads to death.

PATHETIC PARALLELS

The lives of Lucifer and Absalom portray the essence of unnecessary ruin, the fatal foundation of evil built upon pride and arrogance. Within its venue, all participants battle to exalt themselves as the highest, trampling others on their climb upward.

Today, Satan still seeks to implant his spirit of egotistical rebellion in men as he did with Absalom, whose life and death stand as a pathetic parallel. But because of God’s gift of His dear Son, we can break free from this evil. Compare Isaiah’s previous description of Lucifer’s pride to that of Jesus’ humility:

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being in fashion as a man he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:3-8.

Following in Jesus’ path of humility, we may find release from the pride of life! Beauty, charisma, intellect, and influence—the basic worldly prerequisites for fame—are of little worth in God’s eyes.

“For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Luke 14:11

Helping the less fortunate, being content, esteeming others above ourselves—these are ways to break the fetters which bind us to that same spirit which bound the beautiful two who rebelled against God.

* Amarachi P. Ananaba is a student at Hartland College in Rapidan, VA. Majoring in Christian Secondary Education, she enjoys singing, teaching, reading, and writing.