Is human thought the highest form of achievement for man?
Thus says the Lord:
"Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, nor the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgement and righteousness in the earth for in these I delight," says the Lord."
I don't hear God saying that we should not seek wisdom, wealth or strength, but that we should not glorify those things. Do we have understanding that while these things are not in and of themselves bad, they are not the answer? God commended Solomon for asking for wisdom rather than riches, and he gave him riches anyway as a kudos, but before we think that any of these things are the pinnacle of what we as humans need to find fulfillment, God says the best we can do is seek to know him and understand him.
Whenever I hear someone extolling the greatness of the achievements of human effort and wisdom, this is the scripture that comes to mind. As much as we extoll ourselves, we are just kind of a fart in the wind, cosmically speaking. Shouldn't we glory more in the God who created us in the first place, who made it possible for our minds to achieve what they have? Take God out of the equation and I don't think we would 1) be here, or 2) if we were here, be more than grunting troglodytes banging rocks together. God breathed his spirit into man and man became a living soul. The word in Hebrew "nephesh" implies the living breathing substance or being, the emotional being, activity of the mind, the person if you will. It seems to me that the man may have been living but God gave him the ability to be self aware, gave him the personality from which our creativity and personhood flow.
So, in this I do glory, that God is, that he loves me and that he made me to be like him, for in that I delight. I may seek wisdom, and I wouldn't mind being rich but what I long for is to know God and understand him.
"Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, nor the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgement and righteousness in the earth for in these I delight," says the Lord."
I don't hear God saying that we should not seek wisdom, wealth or strength, but that we should not glorify those things. Do we have understanding that while these things are not in and of themselves bad, they are not the answer? God commended Solomon for asking for wisdom rather than riches, and he gave him riches anyway as a kudos, but before we think that any of these things are the pinnacle of what we as humans need to find fulfillment, God says the best we can do is seek to know him and understand him.
Whenever I hear someone extolling the greatness of the achievements of human effort and wisdom, this is the scripture that comes to mind. As much as we extoll ourselves, we are just kind of a fart in the wind, cosmically speaking. Shouldn't we glory more in the God who created us in the first place, who made it possible for our minds to achieve what they have? Take God out of the equation and I don't think we would 1) be here, or 2) if we were here, be more than grunting troglodytes banging rocks together. God breathed his spirit into man and man became a living soul. The word in Hebrew "nephesh" implies the living breathing substance or being, the emotional being, activity of the mind, the person if you will. It seems to me that the man may have been living but God gave him the ability to be self aware, gave him the personality from which our creativity and personhood flow.
So, in this I do glory, that God is, that he loves me and that he made me to be like him, for in that I delight. I may seek wisdom, and I wouldn't mind being rich but what I long for is to know God and understand him.
posted by madmom at 10:04 AM
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