Hidden Wisdom
"And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God" (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)
.
Paul was honest. He admitted to the Corinthians that he had been nervous when he spoke to them. He felt inadequate for the job God had given Him to share the testimony and truth of Jesus Christ. Paul had never been trained for motivational speaking, but God didn't mind. God needed the people to put their faith in Him and not a man. Paul was the perfect candidate.
In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul held fast to his inadequacy as a speaker yet remained unashamed of what he knew. "Even though I am untrained in speech, yet I am not in knowledge..." (2 Corinthians 11:6). In other words, Paul was letting them know without a doubt he knew what he was talking about. He did not lack knowledge, even if some questioned his communication skills. But that's what I love about Paul's honesty. He knew God would never defer His glory to a human. Paul was glad to be an ordinary vessel God worked through. In another place, Paul said, "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us" (2 Corinthians 4:7).
Other translations describe the earthen vessel Paul spoke of as "...unadorned, fragile, clay pots of earth..." The idea is that there is nothing fancy or fantastic about the vessel God chooses to use - the outside doesn't matter - it's what's on the INSIDE that makes the difference. You may remember the words of Jesus when he reprimanded those who thought it was about appearance only. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness" (Matthew 23:27). I think the message is clear -- it's not the outside packaging that matters.
Going back to Paul's letter to the Corinthians, he said his message was not with human wisdom. "However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Corinthians 2:6-8). Out of the treasure within (earthen vessels), Paul had wisdom from God. From this wisdom he said God had purposely kept things mysterious and hidden so the "rulers of this age" would be surprised.
Who are the "rulers of this age" Paul is referring to? He was not speaking of the human governing authorities in existence at that time. The "rulers of this age" are the dethroned powers who rule this world. In simple terms, these are the powers of darkness under Satan's rule. Paul said his wisdom was for the mature, "...not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing..." By the Holy Spirit, God gave Paul insight to the end of all things. Paul understood that Satan would be destroyed and come to nothing. And in almost mockery, Paul said if Satan and his cohorts had known God's plan they would NEVER have crucified Jesus! Why? Because His death became our life and salvation!
No wonder Paul said, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things wich God has prepared for those who love Him" (2 Corinthians 2:9). None of us could have imagined the plan God had to redeem mankind and retrieve the authority stolen by Satan in the Garden of Eden. But at the right time, through the right vessel, God decided it was time to reveal His plan! Paul said, "But God has revealed {these things} to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God" (2 Corinthians 2:10). Hallelujah! God has not left His children in the dark - not spiritually speaking or naturally speaking!
"So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the worlds brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in His wisdom saw to it that the world would never know Him through human wisdom, He has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say its all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and Gods weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength" (1 Corinthians 1:20-25, New Living Translation).
The world is looking for wisdom but they are wrong to think it is only dressed in fancy clothes with excellent speech and a Masters Degree. The dress, the speech, and the degrees can add to the excellence of the Message, but in and of themselves, they are nothing but human wisdom and adornment without the treasure within.
Therefore, I am glad to be an "...unadorned, fragile, clay pot of earth..." filled with life and wisdom from heaven that God may be glorified through the message in me.
No comments:
Post a Comment