"For the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."
1 Corinthians 1:18-21
Part 2
Yesterday: What do You Think? Is the Cross of Jesus Foolish or Powerful?
“For the preaching of the cross.”
“Is to them that perish.”
“Foolishness.”
“But unto us which are saved.”
“It is the power of God.”
Today: God is Destroying the Wisdom of the Wise
“As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise. I will confuse the understanding of the intelligent” (1 Corinthians 1:19, HSB[1]).
“For it is written.”
When the Bible says “it is written,” it refers to other places within the holy text where these ideas have been presented before. In this case, Paul is speaking of the words of the prophet Isaiah. In chapter 29, Isaiah talks about the spiritual blindness of the people in Jerusalem, David’s dwelling place. These were the Lord’s chosen people; if anyone should be living to please Jehovah, certainly it should be the people of Jerusalem. Unfortunately, they knew how to talk well, but their walk did not back it up.
“Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men” (Isaiah 29:13).
They said all the right things, but they were in trouble with God because they “have removed their heart far from me,” God said. Spiritually, they were far away from the God they said they loved and worship. Their hearts were only open toward men and not to God. They listened to “man’s wisdom” and not to God’s Word. They had no fear of God; they only did what man taught them to do. They followed “man’s precepts,” not God’s. This will never be allowed by the Holy God. [2]
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise.”
When people, in their own wisdom, think that they have spirituality and God figured out, He steps in to destroy that worldly thinking. This is what He told Jerusalem through the prophecy of Isaiah.
“Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid” (Isaiah 29:14).
“The wisdom of their wise men shall perish: Because Jerusalem’s pride had led them into spiritual blindness, sleep, drunkenness, illiteracy, and hypocrisy, God will destroy the wisdom of their wise men. Their wise men promoted the pride that led to all these evils!” [3] (Guzik, EWC).
The wisdom they thought they had will be shown to be worthless next to God’s wisdom.
“For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness” (1st Corinthians 3:19).
“The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them?” (Jeremiah 8:9).
“And will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”
Why? Why will God destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent?[4]
Every time man in his wisdom tries to usurp God’s authority, it is done to lift man up and drag God down to the gutter. Whether it’s at the ancient tower of Babel or in the ungodly plans of the United Nations today, their ultimate goal is to lift up mankind by his bootstraps. They desire to forget about God and let mankind take His place. These goals will not succeed. God yields His throne to no one!
“He disappointeth the devices of the crafty so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong. They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night” (Job 5:13-14).
Sadly, all those who choose man’s wisdom find themselves groping in the darkness. Come back tomorrow as we see how God makes man’s wisdom foolish.
Quote: “The cross divides the human race. The division is between those who are perishing, to whom the cross is foolishness, and those who are being saved, to whom the cross is wisdom and power”[5] (CSB).
“I must needs go home by the way of the cross,
There’s no other way but this;
I shall ne’er get sight of the gates of light,
If the way of the cross I miss.
The way of the cross leads home, (leads home,)
The way of the cross leads home; (leads home;)
It is sweet to know as I onward go,
The way of the cross leads home.” [6]
[1] HSB is the Harvest Study Bible from Harvest Ministries in Guam.
[2] “Paul illustrated his point by an example of Israel who, following humanly wise counsel, formed an alliance with Egypt as a defense against Assyria, when in fact only the miraculous intervention of God was able to save them (cf. Isaiah 29:14; 2 Kings 18:17–19:37). BKC, Lowery, D. K. (1985). 1 Corinthians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 509). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[3] EWC, Guzik’s quote is from the Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword. Isaiah 29:13-16. The emphasis is his.
[4] “Wisdom is the more general; mental excellence in its highest and fullest sense. Prudence is the special application of wisdom; its critical adjustment to particular cases” (Vincent). Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word studies in the New Testament (Vol. 3, pp. 191–193). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.
[5] CSB, Tomlinson, F. A. (2017). 1 Corinthians. In E. A. Blum & T. Wax (Eds.), CSB Study Bible: Notes (pp. 1812–1813). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers. The emphasis is theirs.
[6] “The Way of the Cross Leads Home,” by Jesse Brown Pounds (1906). Tune: [I must needs go home by the way of the cross]. Copyright: Public Domain. This is the first verse and chorus of the song.