“For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.”” (1 Corinthians 3:19, NLT)
Many people today consider those from centuries ago as “uncultured”, “uncivilized”, or "backward". They look back at history as if they are more wise than people of the past. How often have humans not learned from the past? How often have they repeated the same mistakes as those before them? Sadly, human beings have often thought of themselves as superior. Sometimes, humans even think they are more intelligent than God. It’s a pride thing. It’s a stupid thing.
On a Saturday morning, Ted decided he would tackle a problem that had long bothered him. His car had a slow leak in the gas tank. He figured it was due to the age of his car, which was an antique over twenty-five years old. He loved that car. It was his pride and joy. One day he would rebuild that car, a 1969 GTO. Today, however, was not that day. He had other things to do. The rebuild would come when he had saved enough money.
Ted put the car up on ramps in his driveway, backing onto the ramps. That way the rear end was far enough off the ground that he could see where the leak was coming from. Once he had chocked the front tires so the car wouldn’t roll, he climbed under the car to find the leak. It was a slow leak, so he had a hard time finding the hole. He saw an area of the tank that had darkened rust, so he figured it was near there. He searched in vain. He couldn’t find the leak. It was frustrating him. After searching for fifteen minutes, he felt a small dimple on the side of the tank near the rear tire. It looked like a small stone had been thrown up by the rear right tire and had punctured the tank. Not wanting to get up and grab his shop light to see better, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his butane lighter. He flicked it to flame, without thinking, and put it up near the side of the tank so he could see better. That’s when the gas fumes exploded.
You don’t use a flame of any sort to check for gas leaks, even in an emergency! It’s a stupid idea. Ted knew better but didn’t think in that moment. He paid a price for his thoughtless action.
A wise person can make a stupid mistake. The smartest person in a room can fail to see something obvious. If a mother has a blind spot in her heart for a son, it can make her prone to overlooking what is self-evident to another. A teacher who is highly educated can make a financial blunder. I’ve met people who thought their alcoholism would not hurt them. A friend whose father died of lung cancer smokes two packs of cigarettes a week. Some people don’t learn lessons from the past. Some people think that human reason is the pinnacle of wisdom. There are many people who think they know what is best for them, when they do not. Worldly wisdom can fail you. God’s wisdom will not. As the scripture from up above states: “the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God” (1 Corinthians 3:19).
The scripture for today does not insinuate that worldly wisdom is always wrong or prone to failure. However, when it goes against God’s wisdom, it may be foolish. Twenty years ago, I met a man who thought that it was not wrong to have an affair if he and his wife were above board about it. He said he loved his wife, but that he had urges that needed to be quenched. He talked his wife into letting him fool around, as long as it was done discreetly. He had it all reasoned out. What could go wrong? After his third affair, he got a venereal disease. To keep his wife from getting the disease, he stopped having sex with her. She no longer felt loved. Two years later, they divorced.
There may come a time in your life when your reason will come up against God’s wisdom. You might try to justify a sin or rationalize away something that is wrong. You might convince yourself that some small sin isn’t such a bad thing. You might reason that if nobody knows about a sin, it won’t hurt to do it. Your own “cleverness” might ensnare you in a sin that could overtake you (1 Corinthians 3:19).
Worldly wisdom in modern times often projects itself as superior to godly wisdom. Don’t fall into that trap. Since the beginning of time, people have thought their sins wouldn’t amount to anything. Eve thought that eating only one small fruit from a tree in the Garden of Eden couldn’t hurt anything. She was so very wrong. King David thought that staring at the naked wife of Uriah wouldn’t amount to a real sin. It amounted to murder! Pontius Pilate thought that washing his hands of the whole “Jesus trial” would make him innocent to future generations. In doing so, he conspired to the murder of an innocent man. Worldly wisdom can so easily get you in hot water when it goes against God’s wisdom.
Are there foolish thoughts that are eating away at your peace? Is there a part of your life where worldliness is creeping in? Don’t let flawed human reasoning cloud your judgment. It can snare even the wisest of us all.
On a Saturday morning, Ted decided he would tackle a problem that had long bothered him. His car had a slow leak in the gas tank. He figured it was due to the age of his car, which was an antique over twenty-five years old. He loved that car. It was his pride and joy. One day he would rebuild that car, a 1969 GTO. Today, however, was not that day. He had other things to do. The rebuild would come when he had saved enough money.
Ted put the car up on ramps in his driveway, backing onto the ramps. That way the rear end was far enough off the ground that he could see where the leak was coming from. Once he had chocked the front tires so the car wouldn’t roll, he climbed under the car to find the leak. It was a slow leak, so he had a hard time finding the hole. He saw an area of the tank that had darkened rust, so he figured it was near there. He searched in vain. He couldn’t find the leak. It was frustrating him. After searching for fifteen minutes, he felt a small dimple on the side of the tank near the rear tire. It looked like a small stone had been thrown up by the rear right tire and had punctured the tank. Not wanting to get up and grab his shop light to see better, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his butane lighter. He flicked it to flame, without thinking, and put it up near the side of the tank so he could see better. That’s when the gas fumes exploded.
You don’t use a flame of any sort to check for gas leaks, even in an emergency! It’s a stupid idea. Ted knew better but didn’t think in that moment. He paid a price for his thoughtless action.
A wise person can make a stupid mistake. The smartest person in a room can fail to see something obvious. If a mother has a blind spot in her heart for a son, it can make her prone to overlooking what is self-evident to another. A teacher who is highly educated can make a financial blunder. I’ve met people who thought their alcoholism would not hurt them. A friend whose father died of lung cancer smokes two packs of cigarettes a week. Some people don’t learn lessons from the past. Some people think that human reason is the pinnacle of wisdom. There are many people who think they know what is best for them, when they do not. Worldly wisdom can fail you. God’s wisdom will not. As the scripture from up above states: “the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God” (1 Corinthians 3:19).
The scripture for today does not insinuate that worldly wisdom is always wrong or prone to failure. However, when it goes against God’s wisdom, it may be foolish. Twenty years ago, I met a man who thought that it was not wrong to have an affair if he and his wife were above board about it. He said he loved his wife, but that he had urges that needed to be quenched. He talked his wife into letting him fool around, as long as it was done discreetly. He had it all reasoned out. What could go wrong? After his third affair, he got a venereal disease. To keep his wife from getting the disease, he stopped having sex with her. She no longer felt loved. Two years later, they divorced.
There may come a time in your life when your reason will come up against God’s wisdom. You might try to justify a sin or rationalize away something that is wrong. You might convince yourself that some small sin isn’t such a bad thing. You might reason that if nobody knows about a sin, it won’t hurt to do it. Your own “cleverness” might ensnare you in a sin that could overtake you (1 Corinthians 3:19).
Worldly wisdom in modern times often projects itself as superior to godly wisdom. Don’t fall into that trap. Since the beginning of time, people have thought their sins wouldn’t amount to anything. Eve thought that eating only one small fruit from a tree in the Garden of Eden couldn’t hurt anything. She was so very wrong. King David thought that staring at the naked wife of Uriah wouldn’t amount to a real sin. It amounted to murder! Pontius Pilate thought that washing his hands of the whole “Jesus trial” would make him innocent to future generations. In doing so, he conspired to the murder of an innocent man. Worldly wisdom can so easily get you in hot water when it goes against God’s wisdom.
Are there foolish thoughts that are eating away at your peace? Is there a part of your life where worldliness is creeping in? Don’t let flawed human reasoning cloud your judgment. It can snare even the wisest of us all.
