I was reading in the book of James, and in chapter 4, the earthly brother of our Lord Jesus quotes this verse:
“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Peter also quotes the very same verse in 1 Peter 5:5. This verse originates in the book of Proverbs, written by the great King Solomon (chapter 3 verse 34, to be precise). So this specific teaching is said 3 times! I take this to mean it's a pretty important concept... But I think there is also something else that we can learn, if we look at this proverb in it's original context handed down from the Spirit through Solomon.
Here are the verses preceding and following this famous proverb:
Before:
The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked,
But He blesses the home of the just. (Proverbs 3:33)
After:
The wise shall inherit glory,
But shame shall be the legacy of fools. (Proverbs 3:35)
The wicked, the proud, and the fool are all grouped together, as are the just, the humble, and the wise. Do you think this is a coincidence? Yeah, not likely!
It’s important to remember that when God uses words like “wise” and “fool”, He is referring to wisdom and foolishness by His standards. For He says through Isaiah:
For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden. (Isa 29:14)
And through Jeremiah:
The wise men are ashamed, They are dismayed and taken. Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord; So what wisdom do they have? (Jer 8:9)
And again through His servant Paul:
I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? (1 Cor 1:19-20)
And finally through Paul once more, God said:
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness (1 Cor 3:19)
So when God is talking about the fool, and lumping them in with the proud and wicked – or conversely when He speaks of the wise, along with the humble and just – He is referring to “the fool who says there is no God”, and the wisdom of His Kingdom and His Truth.
Only a fool would be proud in himself, when all good things come from God; or wicked, when we are told so clearly to love all.
In the same way, it is the wise man of God who sees himself for who he truly is – a helpless sheep, who yet through the grace of God “can do all things through God who gives me strength”. And the wise man of God who can be just in such an unjust world.
Please – don’t be wise as this world counts wisdom, but be foolish in worldly things that only destroy and turn you away from the Truth! Instead, embrace the foolishness of the cross, and know Godly humility, justice, and true wisdom!
For the best part is the three blessings he bestows on those who follow His Wisdom - if you read those three verses from Proverbs again you will see that God promises:
- Blessing to the Just
- Grace to the Humble
- Glory to the Wise
Don’t miss out on the good things of God for the temporary and unsatisfying things of this foolish world.