Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight!

Isaiah 5:21

As a fallen people, we can sure make ourselves feel that we have “arrived.” Maybe we excel in sports, business, or some other endeavor. Perhaps, we have accomplished things that others only dream of achieving. Whatever it is, a life lived apart from Christ, rooted in the idea of chasing our own dreams and desires, void of even asking God about what He desires, is a life that is built on a faulty foundation (Matthew 7:26-27). We hear it all of the time, someone who “came from nothing” is revered for “really doing well for himself.” These expressions usually, if not always, point to an early life where money was hard to come by, only to be followed by a successful career in which the person has made a lot of money. The important point is that money seems to be the measure by which the person is declared “successful.” This is misleading at best. “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight!” The goal of this life is to worship, serve, and enjoy God. When we make earthly accomplishments the litmus test for determining success without even the slightest consideration for a person’s spiritual standing, we deceive ourselves (Matthew 6:24, 1 Timothy 6:9). 

Today’s passage is another of God’s pronouncements of “woe.” And who is this declaration describing? “Those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight!” is the description. And if we’re honest, this is a philosophy that is so easy to fall into yet it is completely contrary to God’s Word. Consider the following:

Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.

        Jeremiah 9:23-24

Is wisdom something in which we are to boast? No. Is physical strength something in which we are to boast? No. Is material wealth something in which we are to boast? No. These are all worldly accomplishments and while they have the ability to bring us some satisfaction, we are not to boast about any of them. So what does a person really have to boast about that is truly worthy of mention? “Let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” Understanding and knowing (personally) God through faith in Jesus Christ is something to truly boast about. All of the earthly accomplishments that we can pursue pale in comparison to knowing and understanding Almighty God. If we are really interested in understanding the depths of concepts such as “lovingkindness,” “justice,” and “righteousness,” we have to first, know and understand God. And this knowledge is more than mere “book study” rather it comes from entering into a personal relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, effectively surrendering our lives to Him. 

How often we tend to revere people who are not really worthy of that level of recognition. They have achieved, made money, won championships, and serve as “idols” for some to follow. But what about their spiritual standing with God? Do they know God? Do they understand Him? Does their life promote others to come and meet the Savior or are they simply pointing people to their own accomplishments? These are important questions for anyone to ask when placing a human being on a pedestal. We are not here for our own self-gratification. God didn’t give us life so that we can do as we please and pursue what we want apart form His will for our lives. This is a distorted view of the gospel and however popular it may be for modern ears, it simply is not the truth. Consider the following: 

And He (Jesus) was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?”

      Luke 9:23-25

What the Christian life is all about, and perhaps this is why so many are uninterested, is “denying” ourselves. Self-promotion, designed to advance only ourselves in this world, is completely contrary to the will of God for our lives. Rather than self-promotion, we are to be denying ourselves, being willing to take up our cross, which means that we are willing to endure persecution for following Christ. And when it comes to “following,” it’s not our hearts, our dreams, or our desires that should occupy that space. When it comes to the issue of following, we are to be following Christ. That means He is the leader, not ourselves. So how observable is all of this self-promotion, “being wise in our own eyes”? It is the heartbeat of this world. It is the dominating philosophy of worldly pursuits. It is the mantra of the masses. “You deserve better.” “You should listen to your heart and do what you think is right.” “Be true to yourself.” Sound familiar? Notice the focus of each of those statements. “You,” “your heart,” “what you think is right,” and “be true to yourself.” Is the focus on God? Hardly. The focus of these statements is ourselves. We become the gods of our own lives. Rather than pursue God’s will, we make life about us, what we want, and “being clever in our own sight.” This is a fatal mistake.

Jesus reminds us that if we want to keep our lives, we will end up losing them in the end. If temporal pursuits and world achievement is the end goal, we are not successful rather we will lose everything in the end. However, for those who lose their lives for the sake of Christ (and this is not talking only of martyrdom), these are the ones who will be successful, will win, and will see life in the end. Quite the contrary to the world’s understanding of success. “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself (his own soul)?” This is a question worth exploring. Of course it’s rhetorical. The answer is that this kind of life would profit us “nothing!” 

Trading a vibrant life with Christ for the pursuit of alcohol (see Pt 1), confusing good and evil (see Pt 2), and falling into the deception that earthly success is the same thing as spiritual salvation and security, these are all things on which the Lord declares, “Woe!” And tragically, these are also three observable realities that we see at play in our world today.

Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

        Matthew 10:32-33