Success is the most sought-after specialty in society. Everyone wants to hit the jackpot, cross the finish line, and climb a mountain. Heaps of self-help books have been published on attaining success. There are also countless seminars and online podcasts devoted to helping you strike the oil of happiness and ride the gravy train to prosperity. But what is often omitted is how dangerous success can often be. 

There’s a lot of truth in the old adage that says, “The higher you climb, the harder you fall.” This is a common contemporary proverb, and King Solomon (the author of Proverbs in the Bible) probably understood it better than anyone else. He climbed higher than most people in history—he built Israel’s first temple, established nationwide peace, and his sage wisdom earned him country-wide fame. And he fell harder than most characters in biblical history. As a matter of fact, he fell all the way to his own death and the dissolution of Israel itself (1 Kings 11:4; 12:16-24).

Solomon’s feet were caught in a snare when he had the world at his feet. He slipped away from God when he was on the mountaintop. And we are most prone to falling at the mountainous heights of our successes, too. The mountaintop can be a dangerous place if you forget how you got there and if you think nothing can knock you down. That is why Paul cautioned, “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12).

Solomon was the wisest person in the world apart from Jesus, and yet he fell from the mountain of success because he thought falling was impossible. And we are delusory if we believe we are invincible on the mountaintop, no matter how wise we claim to be. Ironically, it was Solomon who wrote, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18). We are ripe for destruction if we treat our accomplishments as an impenetrable fortress and our prosperity as safer than an eagle’s nest. As God warned, “You live in a rock fortress and control the mountain heights. But even if you make your nest among the peaks with the eagles, I will bring you crashing down,” says the LORD”” (Jer. 49:16b).

Therefore, we must remain humble, even if God has providentially led us up to a mountain peak. If we have enjoyed great successes, we must give thanks to the Lord without thinking that we are insulated from danger. For if we inflate ourselves with pride like Solomon, the Lord may pop our balloon. We can either stay low and receive honor from the Lord, or we can soar high in pride and risk incurring His scorn. As Jesus said, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matt. 23:12).

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky. 

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).

For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word: