I said to the boastful, “Do not deal boastfully,” and to the wicked, “Do not lift up your horn on high; do not speak with a stiff neck.” For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another. (Psalm 75:4-7)
If you are like me, you are convinced that we are fast approaching the appointed time when God causes the existing social order to dissolve and disappear. But until that time comes, men will continue to pursue materialism and display madness. As the psalmist acknowledges, in their excessive pursuit of pleasure, the wicked of this world will push God aside and consider that their own effort is what brings them prosperity. The more they gain, the more they want until God is no longer in their thoughts, hence the warning, “Do not lift up your horn on high; do not speak with a stiff neck.”
They will run from one end of the earth to the other seeking fortune and power. When they imagine that they have reached the heights of knowledge, technology and culture, their grandiose dreams will come crashing down — because God is the Judge. He alone has the final word as to who will prosper and who will fall. One commentator made this observation: the world is like a waterwheel which irrigates a field. It scoops water from a stream and lifts it to the elevated field before descending, empty. Likewise, some are allowed to rise to great heights but, failing to acknowledge God, they descend to incredible lows.
The point is that, whatever our station in life, all that we have and all that we will ever accomplish is due to the will of God. Some kid themselves into thinking that their skill and hard work is what brings accomplishment, but they forget that the skills they boast of were created within them when God breathed life into their being. The opportunities that come our way are not always, if ever, happenstance. God orchestrates events and exchanges in our life in order to bring about His purpose. Therefore, we should not be as the proud and boastful, sticking out our neck in arrogance. We should be humble people, whose head is bowed before our Maker in admiration and appreciation of all that He has done, is doing, and will do on our behalf. Remember, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11).
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
Recent Comments