Glory in the Lord

“He who glories let him glory in the Lord.” (I Corinthians 1:31).  This verse addresses one of the main problems that all humans seem to face at one time or another.  We get too full of ourselves.  We become enchanted with our accomplishments without recognizing the real source of our power.

Saul, the first king of Israel, had this problem (I Samuel 13).  The Philistines gathered their army to fight against Saul and Israel because he had dared to attack one of their garrisons.  The people were so afraid that they hid themselves.  Saul called them into action.  He also called Samuel to come and bless them.  Samuel promised to meet him in 7 days to honor the Lord with a sacrifice as He led them in the battle.

Samuel delayed his coming.  Saul was not patient.  He decided to offer the sacrifice himself.  He must have thought pretty highly of himself to do such a deed!  Whether he improperly took the place of a priest in offering the sacrifice or simply ignored the command of Samuel to wait, he was too full of himself to wait on the Lord.

Jeroboam also had this same problem (I Kings 12).  He led 10 of the 12 tribes away from the kingship of Rehoboam.  Jeroboam had approached Rehoboam to lower the people’s taxes.  Instead, he decided to raise the taxes to show how powerful he was.  This division led to 2 separate kingdoms:  Israel and Judah. 

Jeroboam’s first act as king showed his attitude.  He changed the worship instructions that God had given to the people.  He erected 2 golden calves and told the people to worship there and not go all the way to Jerusalem.  He was too full of himself thinking he could do that!

To contrast these two men, consider the mighty men of King David’s army (II Samuel 23).  They are introduced to us telling us about their soldier accomplishments.  However, the text implies the real source of their might, “The Lord brought a great victory.” (verse 10).  These men were not mighty primarily because of their physical strength.  Their power came from God and they honored that.  Therefore, God gave them their great victories.

We better learn from these men!  If we think too highly of ourselves in our accomplishments, God will eventually show us that we are not all that!  He gives us our strength, our talents, and our opportunities.  Therefore, glory in the Lord!

— Mike Johnsin