One of the paradoxes that seems to come out in the Bible is the contrast between the blessing that God has given to Israel and the rejection of God that seems to permeate Israel.
God promised to Abraham that He would bless the world through his people.
(Gen 12:2 KJV) And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:This could be interpreted many ways. God can present His standards for civilization through the law. I think the ultimate blessing of course is the Messiah to come from the house of David. That is certainly a blessing for the world. I think there’s also the blessing that the Jewish people have given the world and the gifts of their genius, creativity, and productivity. So many blessings.
(Gen 12:3 KJV) And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
But I notice, while Abraham will be blessed, there is no statement that his descendants will be blessed. We assume that. Maybe we should but it makes me wonder.
While they were blessing the world, they seem to be committed to a priority of defying God and going the opposite direction that He has commanded them to go. Much of the Old Testament documents this rebellious attitude. And Jeremiah is told to search Jerusalem to try and find one righteous person, and he cannot do it. It is incredible.
In this there is a lesson.
Those who come loaded with gifts tend to be overcome by hubris. That is a great word that says so much. It speaks of being filled with your own importance. It speaks of being aware of how gifted you are, and how other people should be grateful for your presence. It makes you so obnoxious that no one is grateful for your presence even though you bring great benefits through your skills and contributions. I’m talking here of our “scholars”. I’m talking about the great scientist who have made major breakthroughs. I’m talking about political leaders who seem to be able to get things done. There are many people who are incredibly gifted and they know it.
Education tends to confuse people in their self-worth. They think that had knowledge makes them better than people who have not had their opportunities or who do not have their abilities. Well, great coordination may make you a better athlete, it does not make you a better human being. Great ability tends to drag people down. We see this everywhere.
There’s not much we can do for people who think too highly of themselves. All we can really do is examine our own hearts and minds. All we can do is submit to the authority of Almighty God, who certainly is smarter and more gifted than we are. I guess part of the problem is that some people whether through education, or just a natural ability to inflate their egos, think of themselves as superior to God. That is the tendency that Satan played upon when dealing with Eve in the garden. It’s something which we have to deal with every day as he tries to get us to think we are more blessed than others. Along with that is the thought that we deserve it.
Be a blessing. Make sure that as you are a blessing to the world and not a curse to yourself. As the song and scripture say,
(Jas 4:10 KJV) Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.homo unius libri
Amen! Our honesty, He can deal with. It’s our pretending that is a problem.
ReplyDeleteWe tend to make God mechanical instead of a unique person who deals with us as unique persons. We also forget, or suppress, that He can see right through us.
DeleteGrace and peace