“Do not be over-righteous, neither be overwise” (Ecclesiastes 7:16).
This is not a protest against wisdom and righteousness. It is telling
us that, in our wisdom and righteousness, we must not become proud like
the Pharisees. “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1).
Without love, everything else is nothing. We must never forget this.
“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Psalm 95:7-8).
Where our wisdom (or knowledge) and righteousness become centred on
ourselves - ‘How wise and righteous I have become’, we have closed our
hearts to God. Listen to God. Learn from Him. Live for Him. Real wisdom
has nothing to do with self-centredness. It’s all about learning to be
Christ-centred. Real wisdom leads to true righteousness. It’s about
learning to become like Jesus. We look to Him and we learn to live for
Him.
What God did for His people, Israel, was very great. There is a striking contrast between their slavery in Egypt and their abundance in the promised land. God had multiplied His blessing upon them, just as Jesus did when He turned water into wine (John 2:1-11). If the blessing is to be maintained and increased, we must honour the Lord. We must cry to Him for blessing: "Hear my prayer, O God, listen to the words of my mouth." We must call upon Him with faith: "Surely God is my help; the Lord is the One who sustains me" (Psalm 54:2,4).
Comments
Post a Comment