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| Pennsylvania Scenery |
any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that
he may be wise.
foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
The Delphic Oracle was quite popular with the Corinthian people. This group of Maxims was part of what Paul criticized above in his first epistle. Supposedly given by the god Apollo, some of these principles raise the eyebrows. Others sound very familiar, to our chagrin.
“Know thyself,” came from the Maxims, also “Be yourself.” “Pray for happiness” and “Benefit yourself,” “Gratify without harming.” That’s some sweet wisdom if your life is beaten up; sarcastically speaking. Too bad it was the advice of a “god.” “Be kind to your friends” and “Pray for things possible” and “Listen to everything.” Starting to sound familiar? There are many more of these.
Plato was a bit more interesting and had some real insight. Nevertheless, he called, “Ignorance, the root and stem of every evil.” Also his are; “I’m trying to think, don’t confuse me with facts” and “There are three classes of men; lovers of wisdom, lovers of honor, lovers of gain.” What, No lovers of God? In spite of his truly good advise concerning civic duty etc. Plato seems to have a familiar humanist bent, like so many others.
As we read a group of these “wisdoms” we see a pattern, one which reaches far back in mankind’s history. Friedrich Schiller “extolled the fall of Adam and Eve as the most fortunate event in history because in it human beings learned to decide, opted boldly for freedom, and thus transcended animality.” Schiller makes the results of the fall into a “virtue;” knowledge of good and evil, freedom of decision, etc. Thielicke.
What am I trying to say? Well, in addition to the purely atheistic view of some philosophy, there exists the more clever view which turns backward the sin of Adam, making it a cunningly normal, desired wisdom, to be gained by entering “in” –- a true virtue. Sneakily this “wisdom” doesn’t offend the flesh, by showing it as a part of what is wrong with me, instead it puts me at ease. Most importantly it undermines the real purpose of a man, and the awesome significance of Calvary’s Cross.
As we view the Ten Commandments, we are made to realize the state of lost innocence. We must admit that the commandments have negative emphasis, not positive goals, but references to a given identity. For example, “Thou shalt not kill” implies, “for thou art already a murderer.” Thou shalt not commit adultery implies the identity of an adulterer. Again Thielicke.
“Find fault with no one” and “think as a mortal.” “Control yourself” and control anger.” Yah right! “Honor providence” and “do a favor for a friend” and “watch out for your enemies.” Try these; “foresee the future,” O gods and goddesses, “be fond of fortune” and “live without sorrow” and “grieve no one.” “Rule your wife” and “control the eye.” Hee, hee hee.
Friends, “For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 4:4. Paul was literally saying the opposite of the Delphic-Heads, that I know nothing of myself. God’s ways are past finding out, so how do we think that we can “know thyself, be thyself, benefit thyself, or gratify thyself?” Only to the degree that we “know Him” is the measure we can know something about ourselves.
In closing, please don’t spend every waking hour trying to determine what is wrong with your lack of self-control. Some folks love introspection and hang out in “Know Thyself” mode for hours. The secret is with Paul; “yea, I judge not mine own self. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”
We cannot know what God has purposed to not know. Can we look away? Can we commit the keeping of our soul to Him? Can we believe that He is able to keep that which we have committed to Him, against that day? Can we make the work of the cross our daily reality? Can we just accept it, He took responsibility for your life and still does. Die to trying to keep your own soul friend, you will find love.
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