Tuesday, 8 December 2015
Seeing that many boast according to the flesh, I also will boast. 2 Corinthians 11:18
Paul is showing the irony of the situation. In verse 12, he noted the boasting of the false apostles. Those at Corinth had been swayed by them in this boasting; a boasting of the flesh. Now Paul says that if the flesh is what impresses them, he too has the ability to impress based on the flesh, and so he will boast in it.
Before he does, he will give a few more notes of irony concerning their relationship with the false apostles, and he will show how he is contrasted to them. After that, he will provide a detailed and hearty list of his qualifications and his efforts on behalf of the gospel. If boasting in the flesh is what impresses them, then he would give them what they desired.
Paul’s boasting in the flesh provides us with an exacting description of who he is and the things he had done. From this list we have a record to refer to in order to know him on a much more intimate level. His coming words have become a most important aspect of Christian theology and doctrine. From this mere “boasting” of Paul we can find out how to conduct our own lives and where to turn in our own distresses.
What seems uninspired on the surface is actually a most important part of learning to deal with life and our relationship with the Lord. The hand of God’s inspiration is all over it.
Life application: The Lord reveals things to us in the most marvelous of ways. As you read the Bible and come to some passage which is seemingly irrelevant, stop and reconsider it. In the end, if it is from God, it must be of great importance. The Bible is a book about the same size as many others, and yet it took centuries to write as God methodically choose real moments in time and in human experience to reveal His heart to us.
Heavenly Father, as we contemplate Your word, help us to remember that it is something that You spent many centuries compiling for us. You used real circumstances, in the lives of real people, to slowly reveal to us Your very heart. Every single passage must then have the highest importance for us to consider and apply to our lives and to our doctrine. Help us to consider this precious gift for what it is – a letter of love from You to us. Thank You for your precious and superior word! Amen.