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Jeremiah 9.23, 24 (NIV)
This is what the
Lord says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of
his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast
about this: that he understands and
knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness
on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.
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| Self-importance is always distasteful to the Lord.* |
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If
a man is truly wise, strong, or rich, his boasting is not hollow or false. So
what would be wrong with boasting about these things? If we can’t boast about
our wealth, wisdom, or power, what can we brag about?
The
people Jeremiah was addressing felt secure in their wealth. Human wisdom,
strength, and wealth, separately or combined, can only protect us until someone
smarter, bigger, richer comes along.
Trusting in God does not guarantee that our earthly kingdoms won’t
crumble but it does assure us of our eternal security. No power on earth is wiser,
stronger, or wealthier than God.
God
says in these verses that it’s okay to boast that we understand and know him. What
do we know and understand about God? We know that he exercises kindness,
justice, and righteousness, and he delights in these qualities. It seems that we
might have his permission to brag if we possess them but you don’t find
kindness, justice, and righteousness in the average braggart. Perhaps we lose
our desire to brag when we are trusting in the power of God. All that’s left to
us is the desire to glorify him!
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| God has always called us to faithfulness over success.* |
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