Boast in the Lord

Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD." ESV Jeremiah 9:23-24

The Bible is the most fascinating piece of literature ever to grace creation. It is sufficiently simple so that anyone with basic reading skills can glean knowledge of God Himself; even by hearing the word spoken for that matter. At the same time the Bible is intricate enough (and sometimes seemingly paradoxical) to provide more than a lifetime of learning to even the most discerning and educated among us. Let’s look at just a couple of seemingly paradoxical examples found in Scripture.

On the one hand, the Proverbs (written mainly by Solomon, the richest and wisest man of the day) clearly teach that wisdom is to be desired more than gold and that knowledge of God is the beginning of wisdom. And the Psalms, many of which are attributed to David (the mighty lad who slew Goliath with a stone), resound with a humility before God that cannot be found anywhere else. Do you see the paradox here? The rich showing disdain for treasure and the mighty bathed in humility. Both are counter cultural in our day.

Imagine for a moment that Solomon and David were living in modern day America. How would our culture portray these two? Would Solomon grace the cover of Forbes magazine? Would we make movies of David’s heroic exploits and battles? Would media frenzies erupt at their every move? Yes, because we are a society that celebrates individual accomplishment above all. We are proud and boastful too. Our motto could be, ‘It’s all about me.’

But David and Solomon acted quiet differently. Far from being self-centered, they both seemingly understood and lived the principles that are taught in our text today. The actions of David and Solomon both testify to the fact that they knew it wasn’t ‘all about them.’ No, they knew that their riches and might were gifts from God to be used for His honor and glory. And they both honored God by not boasting in their personal accomplishments, but in God and God’s work.

An even greater paradox is that God became man so that you and I could be reconciled to Him. Theologians call it a voluntary condescension. In human terms, it makes no sense at all. Yet that is exactly what happened in Christ. Christ came as your redeemer; the perfect for the imperfect.

What are you most proud of in your life? Is it your family? Is it physical strength, athletic ability, your education, or career? It doesn’t matter. We must put those things