Post by ambassador on Aug 1, 2009 23:13:40 GMT -5
“The Foolishness of God”
I want you to first read 1 Corinthians 1:25 KJV, and then we can begin our lesson: “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” The context of the verse is the preaching of the cross (back up to verse 18). The lost world thinks the Gospel is foolishness. But, God’s response is this, in so many words: “even on your best day, you could never outsmart Me!” The human mind is very powerful, but it is no match for God’s intelligence. Albert Einstein was said to have had an IQ of 160, but he was a dummy in light of all that God knows! As 1 Corinthians 1:25 says, even God’s weakness is stronger than we are! He is that powerful!
Now, continue reading in verse 26, ending at verse 29 (still in 1 Corinthians chapter 1): “26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.”
Basically, this passage explains to us that God often uses the weak people, the lowly people, to accomplish His will. Usually, God does not use the rich and famous, but the people of average incomes, or even people with very little to no income. He often uses shepherds such as Moses, tentmakers such as Paul, and fishermen such as Peter to accomplish His will. Remember little boy David? Puny as David was, the Lord wanted HIM to defeat that 9 foot, 9 inch giant taunting Israel! God did not beckon a valiant brave warrior because He wanted that shepherd boy, little David, to slay Goliath! God chose us to serve Him because we are “nobodies,” common people; most Christians are not millionaires, and most do not have PhD’s. Whatever we have accomplished as Christians, it was God’s work that accomplished it! We were just the vessels; we cannot brag or boast! Our education and our status on the social totem pole are irrelevant.
Everything of the intellectual community, the philosophical community, and the academic community is all foolishness when compared with God. And one day, it will all be brought “to nought,” to nothing, as the Scriptures just said. The high and mighty self-righteous egotists will be brought low, and God will exalt the people who society calls “worthless” or “useless.” No one will boast in God’s presence.
Now, let me give you two examples of what we think is foolish and silly. Turn to Mark’s Gospel, chapter 7, and start in verse 31. Jesus has just healed a girl who was demonically possessed, casting out the devil from the girl. Next, they bring to Him a man who can neither hear nor speak.
(Mark 7:31-37 KJV) “31 And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. 32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. 33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 35 And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. 36 And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; 37 And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.”
Now, as I just commented, they bring to Christ a man whose deafness prevents him from hearing his own words, so he cannot speak properly. What does Jesus do in order to heal the man? It seems foolish to us, but the Lord puts His fingers in the man’s ears. Christ spits on the man’s tongue. THEN Christ says, “Ephphatha” (be opened), and immediately the man can hear and he can speak! God can do whatever He wants, answering to no one: instead of simply saying “be opened,” Christ chose to be personal with the man, touching his ears and spitting on his tongue. We find that a bit silly, but who are we to call God silly? Look how pitiful and foolish we humans are!
Here is another example of God doing something contrary to what we would think of doing. Read Deuteronomy 7:6-8 KJV (Moses speaking to Israel):
“6 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. 7 The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: 8 But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”
Why did God choose the Nation Israel? Were they the best nation? The largest nation? Because they were the SMALLEST NATION! As verse 7 said, Israel was the “fewest of all people.” God chose this little Nation Israel to be the people through which the Messiah would come. Israel’s Savior, Jesus Christ, is now offering salvation to everyone, too! It is because of the Jew that humanity has a Redeemer, Savior, and Messiah.
God did all sorts of other things that we might deem as “silly.” He promised a son to Abraham and Sarah: two poor people well beyond the years of child-bearing. The same with Zacharias and Elisabeth. He saved His enemy, Saul of Tarsus, and made Paul His apostle to the Gentiles! He told the Israelites to walk around Jericho, and no matter how silly it seemed, they did, and God honored their faith by defeating Jericho for them! He told Naaman to go bathe in the nasty Jordan River to be healed of leprosy. As the Israelites were trapped between the Red Sea and the approaching Egyptian armies, God told them to “stand still” and do nothing!
But again, God is so much greater than we are. We are no match for Him. He is so far ahead of us that His “ignorance” is BRILLIANT!!!! If He could look into the nothingness that was, and speak creation into existence, His power cannot be overridden. If He wants to do things “in mysterious ways,” HE CAN because He has every right!
As the old saying goes, “little is much when God is in it.”
I want you to first read 1 Corinthians 1:25 KJV, and then we can begin our lesson: “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” The context of the verse is the preaching of the cross (back up to verse 18). The lost world thinks the Gospel is foolishness. But, God’s response is this, in so many words: “even on your best day, you could never outsmart Me!” The human mind is very powerful, but it is no match for God’s intelligence. Albert Einstein was said to have had an IQ of 160, but he was a dummy in light of all that God knows! As 1 Corinthians 1:25 says, even God’s weakness is stronger than we are! He is that powerful!
Now, continue reading in verse 26, ending at verse 29 (still in 1 Corinthians chapter 1): “26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.”
Basically, this passage explains to us that God often uses the weak people, the lowly people, to accomplish His will. Usually, God does not use the rich and famous, but the people of average incomes, or even people with very little to no income. He often uses shepherds such as Moses, tentmakers such as Paul, and fishermen such as Peter to accomplish His will. Remember little boy David? Puny as David was, the Lord wanted HIM to defeat that 9 foot, 9 inch giant taunting Israel! God did not beckon a valiant brave warrior because He wanted that shepherd boy, little David, to slay Goliath! God chose us to serve Him because we are “nobodies,” common people; most Christians are not millionaires, and most do not have PhD’s. Whatever we have accomplished as Christians, it was God’s work that accomplished it! We were just the vessels; we cannot brag or boast! Our education and our status on the social totem pole are irrelevant.
Everything of the intellectual community, the philosophical community, and the academic community is all foolishness when compared with God. And one day, it will all be brought “to nought,” to nothing, as the Scriptures just said. The high and mighty self-righteous egotists will be brought low, and God will exalt the people who society calls “worthless” or “useless.” No one will boast in God’s presence.
Now, let me give you two examples of what we think is foolish and silly. Turn to Mark’s Gospel, chapter 7, and start in verse 31. Jesus has just healed a girl who was demonically possessed, casting out the devil from the girl. Next, they bring to Him a man who can neither hear nor speak.
(Mark 7:31-37 KJV) “31 And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. 32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. 33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 35 And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. 36 And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; 37 And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.”
Now, as I just commented, they bring to Christ a man whose deafness prevents him from hearing his own words, so he cannot speak properly. What does Jesus do in order to heal the man? It seems foolish to us, but the Lord puts His fingers in the man’s ears. Christ spits on the man’s tongue. THEN Christ says, “Ephphatha” (be opened), and immediately the man can hear and he can speak! God can do whatever He wants, answering to no one: instead of simply saying “be opened,” Christ chose to be personal with the man, touching his ears and spitting on his tongue. We find that a bit silly, but who are we to call God silly? Look how pitiful and foolish we humans are!
Here is another example of God doing something contrary to what we would think of doing. Read Deuteronomy 7:6-8 KJV (Moses speaking to Israel):
“6 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. 7 The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: 8 But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”
Why did God choose the Nation Israel? Were they the best nation? The largest nation? Because they were the SMALLEST NATION! As verse 7 said, Israel was the “fewest of all people.” God chose this little Nation Israel to be the people through which the Messiah would come. Israel’s Savior, Jesus Christ, is now offering salvation to everyone, too! It is because of the Jew that humanity has a Redeemer, Savior, and Messiah.
God did all sorts of other things that we might deem as “silly.” He promised a son to Abraham and Sarah: two poor people well beyond the years of child-bearing. The same with Zacharias and Elisabeth. He saved His enemy, Saul of Tarsus, and made Paul His apostle to the Gentiles! He told the Israelites to walk around Jericho, and no matter how silly it seemed, they did, and God honored their faith by defeating Jericho for them! He told Naaman to go bathe in the nasty Jordan River to be healed of leprosy. As the Israelites were trapped between the Red Sea and the approaching Egyptian armies, God told them to “stand still” and do nothing!
But again, God is so much greater than we are. We are no match for Him. He is so far ahead of us that His “ignorance” is BRILLIANT!!!! If He could look into the nothingness that was, and speak creation into existence, His power cannot be overridden. If He wants to do things “in mysterious ways,” HE CAN because He has every right!
As the old saying goes, “little is much when God is in it.”
