S) "16 'As for the terror of you,
The arrogance of your heart has deceived you,
O you who live in the clefts of the rock,
Who occupy the height of the hill.
Though you make your nest as high as an eagle's,
I will bring you down from there,' declares the LORD."
Jeremiah 49:16 (NASB)
O) This prophecy against Edom (who was Esau), comes in a line of prophecies against neighboring nations of Judah, who were guilty of various against Judah (not to mention their sins against the LORD, directly). In the case of Edom, their history is long and storied against their ancient brother, and it's still not over. At this time, they were still feeling quite secure in their hill country, because it had always been easy to defend, making it difficult to conquer. But, in this case, God was rebuking them because they misunderstood the source of their security.
A) The line, "the arrogance of your heart has deceived you," really, really stood out to me. I have lived in that kind of arrogance. When I have been under that kind of delusion (which is what that type of arrogance brings), the most typical way I was confronted about it was through forced recognition. For example, when I realized I was not, in fact, very good at chess. I joined the chess club full of arrogance, and I was immediately struck down, easily and quickly, by a very good player. This made me quite angry, but in all the wrong ways. I was angry at the player. I was angry at the very game of chess. I was angry in just about every wrong way. I never considered for even a moment, that the real reason for my anger, was that my arrogance had deceived me into thinking I was better than I was. As I really submitted myself to Christ, and deliberately chose to humble myself before Him, I began to see all of the destructive ways my arrogance had deceived me. Now I know, that I cannot rely on myself to know when I am being arrogant. Sin is deceitful anyway, and arrogance is certainly both a sin and deceitful. So, the solution is to make it my default posture, to be humble. Then, I must first submit myself to the corrective authority of Scripture. I also need honest and vulnerable relationships with people who can rebuke me when I am being arrogant about something. That starts with my wife, but it certainly does not end there. I need brothers who can come alongside me and boldly show me my errors.
P) Father, You are holy. Your wisdom and understanding are incomprehensible. At the same time, Your compassion and lovingkindness are unsearchable. The way You have balanced mercy and justice is simply amazing. Your perfect purity is too much for me to understand. When I see myself clearly, which is only possible because of the grace at work in me, I realize more and more how much I have needed that grace. You have brought me far in my spiritual growth and maturity, but I know I am far from finished. When I look back, remembering how foolishly arrogant I was, it is a wonder that it didn't cost me more. That is, I acknowledge, another facet of the grace I have received. Even now, I know that arrogance is something that can rear its ugly head. It is, perhaps, the sneakiest of sins. So Lord, I pray that You keep my eyes open. Help me to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit convicting me, when my heart has been exalting myself. I know that I will be deceived, if I am left alone to detect that arrogance. So, I pray that You continue to convict me by the Holy Spirit within me, by the Scripture that I read, and even through the relationships I have. Let me always be teachable, correctable, willing to be humbled, even if it takes humiliation or embarrassment. I don't care how, Lord, just keep me humble. All of this is to glorify You, honor You, and exalt You. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
A) The line, "the arrogance of your heart has deceived you," really, really stood out to me. I have lived in that kind of arrogance. When I have been under that kind of delusion (which is what that type of arrogance brings), the most typical way I was confronted about it was through forced recognition. For example, when I realized I was not, in fact, very good at chess. I joined the chess club full of arrogance, and I was immediately struck down, easily and quickly, by a very good player. This made me quite angry, but in all the wrong ways. I was angry at the player. I was angry at the very game of chess. I was angry in just about every wrong way. I never considered for even a moment, that the real reason for my anger, was that my arrogance had deceived me into thinking I was better than I was. As I really submitted myself to Christ, and deliberately chose to humble myself before Him, I began to see all of the destructive ways my arrogance had deceived me. Now I know, that I cannot rely on myself to know when I am being arrogant. Sin is deceitful anyway, and arrogance is certainly both a sin and deceitful. So, the solution is to make it my default posture, to be humble. Then, I must first submit myself to the corrective authority of Scripture. I also need honest and vulnerable relationships with people who can rebuke me when I am being arrogant about something. That starts with my wife, but it certainly does not end there. I need brothers who can come alongside me and boldly show me my errors.
P) Father, You are holy. Your wisdom and understanding are incomprehensible. At the same time, Your compassion and lovingkindness are unsearchable. The way You have balanced mercy and justice is simply amazing. Your perfect purity is too much for me to understand. When I see myself clearly, which is only possible because of the grace at work in me, I realize more and more how much I have needed that grace. You have brought me far in my spiritual growth and maturity, but I know I am far from finished. When I look back, remembering how foolishly arrogant I was, it is a wonder that it didn't cost me more. That is, I acknowledge, another facet of the grace I have received. Even now, I know that arrogance is something that can rear its ugly head. It is, perhaps, the sneakiest of sins. So Lord, I pray that You keep my eyes open. Help me to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit convicting me, when my heart has been exalting myself. I know that I will be deceived, if I am left alone to detect that arrogance. So, I pray that You continue to convict me by the Holy Spirit within me, by the Scripture that I read, and even through the relationships I have. Let me always be teachable, correctable, willing to be humbled, even if it takes humiliation or embarrassment. I don't care how, Lord, just keep me humble. All of this is to glorify You, honor You, and exalt You. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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