Something Really Worth Crowing About!
Somewhere along the way the word “crowing” came to mean boasting or gloating or bragging. I’m not sure how this word came to be used this way. From what research I was able to do…and no, I didn’t spend a lot of time on this…the word seems to get its meaning from the idea of a rooster showing off when crowing in the morning or at another time of the day. I guess a rooster doesn’t really know how low he is on the totem pole of God’s creatures…and maybe that’s part of the meaning of the word I’m thinking about today.
In Jeremiah chapter 9, Jeremiah is lamenting the condition of the people of Israel. God is also pronouncing judgment. Things, as far as God is concerned, are not worth “crowing about”. Then God says this little nugget of truth that jumps off the page:
Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; 24 But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.
The words “wise”, “mighty” and “rich” pretty much sum up the accomplishments of man don’t they? Just about every accomplishment of man can fall under wisdom, might or wealth. This is pretty much all that man has to offer. But is it really worth “crowing” about? Not according to God. Man crowing about his wisdom, might or wealth is a little bit like the rooster crowing about his accomplishments and status. This same rooster who thinks he has much to crow about will likely end up as an entree’ some day! Not much real power there!
But if we are not careful, we end up sounding a little bit like the rooster. What can we really glory in or crow about? According to God it is the simple fact that we know God and that God is full of lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness. This is really what is worth crowing about. The richest man or the strongest man, without the knowledge of God, has nothing to crow about. Yet, the poorest, weakest man who knows God has everything to crow about. So, if you’re not the strongest or wisest or richest, that’s OK. You can still have more to crow about than any of them…because you know God. That’s pretty cool!