God has made some things in this world crooked. God makes bad times as well as good times, so that we cannot know what the future holds; most baffling of all, the righteous and the wicked sometimes experience the opposite of what they seem to deserve.
Neither wisdom nor righteousness have guaranteed outcomes in this life. It is God who is sovereign over all that happens, whether good or bad, not us.
Further, even the quest for righteousness and wisdom may lead us astray. Do not be over-righteous, neither be over-wise. At first sight this seems astonishing thing to say - can we be too righteous or wise? But on reflection, perhaps yes, if our motives are wrong. Some, for example, seek wisdom and righteousness in order to boast about their achievement, or in order to gain power over others.
So, we must not seek wisdom and righteousness with the wrong motive. Nor (obviously) should we go in the opposite direction and indulge in wicked and foolish behavior that is to invite God's judgment. We should avoid both these wrong paths and live our lives in the fear of God - reverently, acknowledging how limited we are in power, knowledge and goodness compared to our creator.
No comments:
Post a Comment