He didn't give enough credit to God, it is argued, and that's why God wouldn't let him into the Promised Land. Leaders in the church often get above themselves. One of the chief functions of congregations is to keep their pastors humble. Maybe that's one way to read this text. Maybe it is a warning to all of us not to get too big for our britches.
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
The Human Genome Project, for instance, offers tremendous potential for avoiding disease and suffering. Scientists hope that when all the genomes of the human genetic code are mapped, they will be able to treat diseases and imperfections in children while they're still in their mother's wombs. Parents will be able to find out what their unborn children are likely to look like, and whether they will have any abnormalities. Then parents will be able to decide whether to end the pregnancy or take a chance on having a child that's less than perfect. Now that we can see it from here, I'm not so sure we should be going there.