Saturday, 29 March 2014
Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 1 Corinthians 1:25
This verse needs to be considered from the perspective of man rather than the reality found in God. It is speaking of perception, not in actual terms. In other words, “Because the foolishness of God” is a perception of what God has done, is doing, or will do rather than the actuality of those things.
God’s plan is anything but foolish, but when man sees it (meaning “man” in general) he finds it foolish.
“Taking thousands of years to save the world? What about all those who died in the flood? How stupid!”
“Picking a bunch of tent dwellers to reveal His plans to the world… How stupid!”
“Hanging someone hang on a tree to save someone else… how stupid!”
“Going away after being ‘resurrected’ from the dead? And still being gone 2000 years later? How stupid!”
Unregenerate man sees these things as “foolishness.” Picking up the Bible and turning to any page will reveal more “foolishness” to them because they simply cannot grasp the enormity of the plan, the perfection behind it, and the wisdom that is involved. To the logical statistician, the numbers don’t add up. To the scientist, the data seems to suggest chaos rather than order. To the philosopher, there is always the question of how evil fits into the picture and how unjust God must be to send so many people to hell.
All of these seemingly foolish things have purpose, they have order, they have sure and just resolutions, but the individual man cannot see beyond his particular shortcomings. In this “foolishness,” as perceived by man, the one who understands the gravity of the situation and the perfection of the cross will find that truly “God is wiser than man.”
Again, in the second half of the verse Paul speaks of perception rather than actuality. “The weakness of God” is how man sees this plan.
“How could God use someone like Jacob who supposedly saw Him on several occasions, wrestled with the Him in the night, was carried along all his days, and yet was so weak in his faith as to worry about losing his son Benjamin? What kind of God would use him?”
“In the line of the ‘Messiah’ are prostitutes, fornicators, murderers, adulterers, and on and on. What kind of plan is that? A bunch a weak and useless sorts leading to someone great… I think not!”
“The ‘Messiah of the world’ hung on a cross! You must be kidding. If He is so great, why didn’t He actually call down the angels He claimed He had available? Why doesn’t He write His name in the sky so that we can all see it? What a weak God….!”
Again, to the one who hasn’t seen sin for what it is; to the unregenerate man; to the one looking for external displays of power and might – to all of these the plan seems filled with weakness. But the perceived weakness of God is actually stronger than men. What He has done is of such a magnitude of power more than any person could conceive that it is simply astonishing. Every drop of rain in the upper Nile was calculated into what would become a famine in the middle-east so that Israel would need to travel to Egypt.
Every grain of grass is monitored to ensure that all things work out as they should. Every galaxy and star in the heavens has an exact place to keep the universe properly balanced for the life on earth. What man fails to consider is held tightly under control by the God who knows all things, sees all things, and directs all things according to His wisdom and might.
Life application: When Paul says in Romans 8:28 that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose,” we can be 100% sure this is true. The wisdom of God and the power of God are so far beyond our comprehension that we cannot come close to perceiving it. Rest in the knowledge that God is God and He will take care of you according to His promise.
Lord God, I know that every drop of water that filled the earth during the Flood of Noah was controlled by You. If You were aware of the exact amount of water that would execute Your plan, even down to the last ounce, then why should I worry about the ten zillion things I have no control over? I believe Your word which tells me that You have it all under control. I will rest in that knowledge. Amen.