I’m delighted to share the following article from our Email Newsletter editor, Kim Chimene. Kim has been a tremendous blessing to the Seeking Scripture Team and I know you will enjoy the wisdom she has written about below.  -CJ

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, 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.” -Jeremiah 9:23-24.

Reading this passage from Jeremiah, I’m struck both the heartache and glory in these  two verses. I want to begin with the heartache.

Heartache  

Pride is one of the sins the Father hates (Proverbs 6:16-17). Scripture tells us, repeatedly, that He will repay the one who acts in pride (Psalm 31:23 is just one example). Even more heart-wrenching is that He will keep His distance from those  filled with pride (Psalm 138:6). For those seeking a deeper, more intimate relationship  with our Father, these words cut to the core.  

Pride often means misplaced trust — in ourselves, other people or worldly things. This  is a slippery slope to idol worship. Yikes! Jeremiah 9:23 warns us not to boast in our wisdom, our might and our riches. These things may be blessings from our Father, but  when we lose sight of where they come from and instead think we obtain them on our  own merit, we become prideful. We start to trust in how smart we are, or in our  strength, or in our money. We may even think we earned it or deserve it, all the while  ignoring the fact that they are gifts from our Father (which, by the way, He can take  away in the blink of an eye – please refer back to Psalm 31:23).  

So let’s go a little deeper. “Boast” comes from the Hebrew word “halal” which means  to praise, to shine, or to glory. These are all positive actions when they are directed to  the Father who provides all things. But they immediately become negative when we  shift those actions to ourselves — when we place our trust in worldly things rather than  in the One who provided them. Wisdom, strength and riches may be gifted to us, but  they are not ours. They are His and we would do well to use these blessings to point  people back to Him and not put the spotlight (or praise in this case) on ourselves.

Glory  

Moving on to the glory portion of these verses, Jeremiah 9:24 clearly tells us where we  should place our trust and our confidence — and, spoiler alert, it’s not in our efforts or  the things we have. The verse tells us to give praise (boast) that we understand and  know YHWH. How do we know Him? By reading His Word everyday so He can constantly reveal more of Himself to us every time we do. We glorify Him because we  know He shows steadfast love, justice and righteousness. He “delights” in these  things! The Hebrew word for “delights” is “chaphets.” The Biblical context of this  word “…reflects a relational aspect, whether it is God’s delight in His people, or an  individual’s delight in God’s law,” (Berean Strong’s Lexicon). Ultimately, when we know and understand Him, we move toward the deeper, more intimate relationship we are  seeking with our Father.  

I don’t know about you, but I have more prideful moments than I want to admit. Thankfully, I also see a pattern of finding out pretty quickly that my pride isn’t warranted (again, see Psalm 31:23). Every time that happens, it strengthens me in the knowledge that my trust in myself is misplaced. I’m grateful for that correction from our Father because it turns my eyes back to where my trust and my heart should be. 

What a loving Father He is that He has given us His Word to show us how to live and to  glorify Him!

Kim Chimene
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