Musing – Who doesn’t like to boast?!

Hebraic Musing – Who doesn’t like to boast?!

Seems we all have a tendency to want to brag, boast, compete and then argue because it is so hard to be humble.  My children taught me this song many years ago. 

♫   Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble, When you're perfect in every way.  Each morning I look in the mirror.  I’m getting better lookin' every day.  To know me is to love me, I must be a heck of a man.  Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble, But I'm doin' the best that I can!  ♫

The Apostle Paul dealt with that fleshly nature in 1 Corinthians 1:10 by exposing divisions in the Corinthian church – “I appeal to you, … that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. NIV   Then Paul detailed the childish examples of boasting and concluded with a simple statement in verse 31 – “Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.’”   He simply paraphrased the prophet Jeremiah’s message which the Jews readily recognized.  What had Jeremiah said that the Lord declared?

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches,  but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” Jeremiah 9:23-24

So when Paul said “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” the Jews had heard and knew these key points in Jeremiah’s message telling us what we are not to boast about, and what to boast about. 

Don’t boast about your (a) wisdom; (b) strength; or (c) riches. 

But if you must boast, boast about this – “understanding to know me, that I am the Lord” and it is the Lord who (a)“exercises kindness, (b) justice and (c) righteousness on earth” and those are the attributes that bring delight to the Lord.

When can we boast?   “One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off.” 1 Kings 20:11   And when do we finally take our armor off?

 Points to ponder

Since all kindness, justice and righteousness come from the Lord,
is there anything left that I have right to brag/boast about?

Who made us?   “For we are God’s handiwork,
created  in Christ Jesus to do good works, 
which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

♫   Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble…  ♫ 

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                      March 6, 2018

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)”   Weekly “Hebraic Musings”