Something to Glory In

Jeremiah 9:23-24
(23)  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:
(24)  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 prophet Jeremiah lived in a very precarious time in the history of Judah. He would live to see the city of Jerusalem overthrown by foreign armies and many of the Jews carried away captive into Babylon. While other prophets were bolstering the faith of the Jewish people to resist the invaders, Jeremiah prophesied that they should submit, for it was the sovereign will of God that the Jews should endure a 70 year captivity.

The contemporary prophets were leading the unrepentant populace of Judah to put their faith in things that they saw as tokens of the favor of God--things such as the temple and its sacrifices. Jeremiah saw this as their attempt to glory in things that could not help save them if they didn't repent. In our text, Jeremiah warned them against trusting in their wisdom, might, or their riches.

Jeremiah substituted the word glory in place of the idea for trust.  In his mind, to put their trust in wisdom, might, or riches was equivalent to ascribing glory to those things.

I believe there is another reason the Holy Spirit, through His prophet substituted the word glory for trust. Jeremiah 9:24 appears to be related to the story of Moses' face being transfigured on Mt. Sinai when God revealed Himself to his servant. This was when God placed Moses on a rock, covered him with His own hand and passed by, while He proclaimed the divine nature to Moses.

Exodus 34:5-7
(5)  And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.
(6)  And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
(7)  Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

Exodus 34:29
(29)  And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.

 This was the revelation that physically transfigured Moses so that his face literally glowed with the divine glory. Thereafter, Moses was forced to wear a covering over his face when speaking to the children of Israel, because they could not bear to see the divine glory that was reflecting on his face!

What was the glory about? It was that after this experience, he knew and understood the Almighty God. Specifically, it was that he was made to understand how grace and justice coexist and interact in God's dealings with mankind. How can God be merciful, yet maintain His own righteousness?

God revealed Himself as overwhelming merciful and longsuffering toward broken, sinful men. He keeps mercy--meaning that he does not quickly remove his mercy when fallen men take it for granted. His mercy calls men to repentance and gives them the opportunity to come to him for forgiveness and restoration.

But God will not let the guilty go unpunished. God's mercy grants opportunity for men to repent. But those who are obstinate and unrepentant over time toward that mercy thereby store up for themselves His accumulated wrath and judgment. A day of reckoning will come--make no mistake about it. For those of us who have repented and put our trust in Jesus Christ, that day of reckoning fell on Christ when he hung on the cross at Calvary. But God will not be mocked. To reject God's grace is to build up the measure of guilt and punishment that a person will eventually receive. Those who have been given the most grace, but have continued in their sinful state without repentance, will find the day of reckoning most unpleasant.

Those who teach that the grace of God frees us from the responsibility of repentance, as long as we say the sinner's prayer and profess to believe in Christ--these do not truly know God. The glory of God is that His grace leads us to repentance and conversion. We can then submit to His work in our lives as He begins the process of making us into the image of Jesus Christ.

Titus 2:11-14
(11)  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
(12)  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
(13)  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
(14)  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.