In Jeremiah 9:23-24, Jeremiah relays a message from God that applies very well today.

“Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.”

The word “glory” means simply “to boast.” Notice there are three things we are told not to boast in and then are told what we are to boast in.

What Not To Glory In, vs. 23. God issues a solemn warning to guide men away from 3 human ambitions that claim to be sources of success: human wisdom, might, and riches.

Do not glory in Wisdom: application of knowledge. What is our wisdom compared to God’s? (1 Corinthians 1:20). Wisdom can be a good thing. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction., Proverbs 1:7. However, wisdom is wrong when we boast in it.

Do not glory in Might: physical strength, i.e. valor, bravery, mighty deeds. It is not wrong to be powerful. David and Abraham were mighty men. Might becomes wrong when we boast in it.  Nebuchadnezzar was a man who boasted in his might (Daniel 4:30); and he was humbled by the God of heaven (Daniel 4:31f).

Do not glory in Riches: material wealth. It is not wrong to be wealthy. Job was wealthy, David was wealthy. Wealth is wrong when we boast in it (Luke 12:16-21) and we are not generous in our giving to the Lord (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Wisdom, might, and wealth are not inherently evil, however, when men boast and glory in them they lead to spiritual death rather than success. We must remember “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall”, Proverbs 16:18.

Things To Glory In, vs. 24. This verse moves from man’s folly to how the wise man may gain God’s favor.

Understanding God. This means to comprehend, to gain insight into. This takes a great deal of work (2 Timothy 2:15), however, we can understand God’s word. (John 8:32).

Knowing God. We can know that we know God (1 John 2:3-5). We know that we know him if we keep his commandments. By keeping his commandments, we can have fellowship with him (1 John 1:7). The things we are to know, God describes Himself:

He exercises loving kindness. Christ shows all the qualities of the Father. Cf. Colossians 2:9; John 14:8-9.

He exercises judgment. What a comfort this is to us. The wicked will not go unpunished and the righteous will not go unrewarded. Cf. Psalm 62:12; 2 Corinthians 5:10.

He exercises righteousness. Righteousness – rectitude, just, upright. This is the principle that underlies God’s rule over His people and His judgments against the wicked. God is righteous and has given man the Gospel, the means by which God makes man righteous. (Romans 1:16-17).

God is asking Judah: “What is really important?” Not wisdom, Not riches, Not might. What is truly important is knowing God. Having a right relationship with God. The Lord says, “for in these things I delight.” Vs. 24.

By example God is asking you (Romans 15:4) “What is really important?” Not wisdom, Not riches, Not might. What is truly important is knowing God. Having a right relationship with God. God had given Judah His message that they might be in a right relationship with Him.

God has given us the Gospel, His message, by which we can have a right relationship with Him. “For in these things I delight, saith the Lord.”

–Jerry D. Sturgill

“Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” 1 Peter 1:22-23

The inspired apostle Peter disclosed the fact that Christians have purified their souls in obeying the truth (1 Peter 1:22).  This implies that their souls at a previous time were not pure, but at the point of obeying the truth had been purified.

Among the false teachings of the first-century Gnostics who troubled the church, was the concept that sins in the body do not affect the soul.  The truth, however, is that man’s soul is involved in sin and becomes defiled.  When my inward man decides to go against the law of God, then I sin (1 John 3:4).  It is not merely the body that is involved in sin, but the soul as well.  For instance, when a person commits the sin of fornication, it begins in the heart (Matthew 15:19), it involves the body (1 Corinthians 6:15-18), and repentance is required so that the “spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Corinthians 5:5).  While certainly the body is involved in sins, the soul can sin (Ezekiel 18:20).  That the word “soul” is sometimes used as a synecdoche in the Scriptures to refer to the whole person does not remove the fact that the part of man known as the soul is involved when sin is committed. Consider this question in the book of James: “Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?” (James 4:5).  Sin defiles the soul.

How, then, did Christians purify their souls which had been defiled by sin?  The answer in 1 Peter 1:22 is, “in obeying the truth through the Spirit.”  Truth must first be known if it is to be of any benefit.  In John 8:32, Jesus said, “and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  This freedom is freedom from the bondage of sin (John 8:34-36).  Jesus later prayed for His disciples to be set apart from the bondage of this sinful world when He petitioned the Father in John 17:17, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” Purification does not come to those who merely acknowledge truth without acting on it; it comes to those who obey the truth.  It is obedience of the truth that is the means of purification.

The Christians to whom Peter wrote obeyed the truth through the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is the revealer of God’s truth, who gave the words of truth to the first-century apostles and prophets (John 14:26; 16:13-15); these words of truth are preserved for us in the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 2:13; 14:37; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).  This is the incorruptible seed, the ever-living word of God, mentioned in the next verse (1 Peter 1:23).  Jesus said in John 6:63, “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”  The word of God is living and able to pierce the depths of our souls (Hebrews 4:12).

Will you allow the word of God to enter your heart and move you to obey the truth so that your soul may be purified?

-Mark Day