We read in Ezekiel 31:2 a question posed to Pharoah king of Egypt, "...'Whom are you like in your greatness?'" He goes on to describe how good they appeared to others and to themselves, then concludes with their eventuality in 31:14-15, "'For they have all been delivered to death, To the depths of the earth, Among the children of men who go down to the Pit.' "Thus says the Lord God: 'In the day when it went down to hell,...'".

I'm sure that Pharoah along with the average Egyptian felt they were "pretty good" and would one day be recognized and rewarded for their goodness. In Ezekiel 32:17-32, we see Egypt joining all those other "pretty good" nations who were at one time mighty, as we read in verse 18, "Son of man, wail over the multitude of Egypt, And cast them down to the depths of the earth, Her and the daughters of the famous nations, With those who go down to the Pit:". Contrast this with one who was a man after God's own heart, as we read from the lips of David in Psalm 28:1, "To you I will cry, O Lord my Rock: Do not be silent to me, Lest, if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit." David knew that his hope did not rest in his goodness or his righteousness but on God. Read the words in Ezekiel 33:12, "Therefore you, O son of man, say to the children of your people: 'The righteousness of the righteous man shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall because of it in the day that he turns from his wickedness; nor shall the righteous be able to live because of his righteousness in the day that he sins'".

The same sin that brought down Pharoah, the people of Egypt, the surrounding nations, and most of the people of Judah was the sin of pride. God can work with brokenness; He will not force Himself on the prideful person. The prideful individual who deems himself "pretty good" deems himself worthy of honor and recognition. This person feels that he has worked hard for all the blessings that he has received. This same individual gets angry when things go wrong, and screams, "unfair". God's method of salvation, of deliverance from the Pit, has always been the same: grace. He, by His grace, chooses to give us that which we, the unworthy and undeserving sinners that we are, don't deserve. We read in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Those who feel they are pretty good, feel the need to boast of their goodness and feel no compulsion to seek a Savior. Unfortunately, this will one day result in eternity in hell. Those who recognize themselves for who they truly are in comparison to an infinitely perfect God, will fall on their knees and seek out the only way out of the Pit. When we do, we can rest on the amazing truth in 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."