Today we studied Jeremiah a sermon by Dr. Timothy Keller on Jeremiah 9:21-26. It is an amazing passage, as all are if you stop and actively read with a careful eye and thoughtful mind and heart. It’s a “Sunday School” passage you may have perhaps memorized, but most people skip the verses on either ends that are written to go together. Decontextualization is a dangerous practice, so I’ll reproduce the passage the Dr. Keller spoke on in its entirety because I think both 21-22 and 25-26 serve to illuminate the message of 23-24:
21 For death has come up into our windows;
it has entered our palaces,
cutting off the children from the streets
and the young men from the squares.
22 Speak, “Thus declares the Lord:
‘The dead bodies of men shall fall
like dung upon the open field,
like sheaves after the reaper,
and none shall gather them.’”
23 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”
25 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will punish all those who are circumcised merely in the flesh— 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and all who dwell in the desert who cut the corners of their hair, for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.” (ESV)
Big idea of the beginning: our culture is in ruins. The human heart and the pride of man has left the land devastated and bodies piling up without enough living to bury them. We enter the prophet’s words with a very negative tone.
The word for boast is the Hebrew word “hallelu” which means ‘praise.’ My readers might recognize that as the root of “hallelujah” which means praise to YHWH. Here the accurate translation of the text might be “don’t try to get praise from your [wisdom, wealth, etc..]” which really brings this text to life as we consider where we find our identity. We all try to get praise from others and ourselves through wealth, wisdom, power, relationships, and so on. Here the text is saying that these do not bring the praise we need! We all desire applause and accolade, but the loudest standing ovation by men cannot satiate our hunger for approval. What are you trying to gain your identity through? What would leave you empty if it were pulled from under you?
We always look into the mirror and get pride or disappointment. Both results mean that something is wrong. The answer is not self esteem, nor is it the esteem of others. Let’s look at what the text says solves this problem of the human heart.
It says ‘Let him who praises boast only in this: that he knows God.’ That’s it; it’s all about Him. Now, instead of a list of rules, God just praises himself for his justice and righteousness, all attributes that find their ultimate manifestation in God alone.
But look at the first word he chooses: “steadfast love.” This is the Hebrew ‘Hesed’ which is God’s unconditional, covenantal love. Understanding this in the larger context of a redemptive-historical reading of the Scripture points directly to Christ. Christ is the locus of this passage just like the Bible itself. Consider the Apostle Paul who quotes this passage in Galatians 6 but through the lens of the cross:
14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (ESV)
The last verses seem bit blunt, but only fortify the Gospel. It’s not about outward signs; it’s about a transformed heart. It’s not about devotion to rituals; it’s about devotion to our creator. It’s not about what we do; it’s about what Christ has done.
Finally, my mind goes immediately to Augustine in his famous words of the Confessions, Book I, Chapter 1:
“Man is one of your creatures, Lord, and his instinct is to praise you. He bears about him the mark of death, the sign of his own sin, to remind him that you thwart the proud. But still, since he is a part of your creation, he wishes to praise you. The thought of you stirs him so deeply that he cannot be content unless he praises you, because you made us for yourself and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you. ”
(Trans, Pine-Coffin)
This is Jeremiah 9! We start in death, but find our true purpose not in receiving praise but in giving it out to our creator.
