Boasting before God

 Jeremiah 9:17-26

The skillful women are the professional mourners, and they are the ones whose dirges would start the mourning process for the nation.  Verses 17-22, is a rhyme about death and death personified as an intruder who sneaks in through the window at night.  But they are the words of the Lord and are much more than a poem, “Human corpses will fall like manure on the surface of the field, like newly cut grain after the reaper with no one to gather it.”

As you read verses 23-24, 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.”  Two very contrasting ways, I’ve often seen both men, but I’m fearful that the men who boast in their knowledge and riches are in the majority.  The first bring no joy to the heart of God, in that, they are foolish believing they had something to do with both their knowledge and wealth and God spells that out for us in 1 Timothy 6:6-10, it was all a gift.  But the man who boast in his relationship with the Father and that it is God who has given His Son to redeem mankind so that we understand these truths; The Lord is who allows us to understand He practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth, that man has the Fathers delight.

In verse 25, we see the term the circumcised yet uncircumcised, the circumcision of the flesh was an outward symbol, and yet that was not what God was looking for; they needed their heart to be circumcised in God’s ways.  As you look at verse 26 it is clear that God has numbered the people of the house of Israel with other nations such as Egypt, Judah, Edom, and the sons of Ammon who dwell in the desert and cut the corners of their hair and they did this in their temples to honor Bacchus, the pagan god of wine.  This brings up a question, what are we doing that brings honor to the little gods of this culture?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice