Wisdom Wednesday: A Wise Man’s Way*
Submitted by Debbie’s Dad
I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself,
Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps. (Jer. 10:23 NASB 95)
Jeremiah chapter 10 is a lengthy message to the people of Israel, warning them of the foolishness of idolatry and extolling the superiority of the Lord. Jeremiah exclaims, “There is none like You, O Lord; You are great, and great is Your name in might. Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations, And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You.” (Jer. 10:6-7)
Besides warning the people of Israel and Judah, Jeremiah switched from their language of Hebrew to the Aramaic language in one single verse of his message, to speak to the pagan nations around them, saying, “The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.” (Jer. 10:11).
Jeremiah then spoke of the captivity of the Hebrew people and the devastation of their home, and the anguish of Jerusalem’s destruction.
In closing, he acknowledged God’s sovereignty and a man’s utter dependence on God. In our key verse above, Jeremiah reminds us that a man’s way is not entirely in his own control (10:23).
This contrasts with the view that we are in charge, we control our own way and our own steps in life, through perseverance and determination. William Ernest Henley wrote the well-known articulation of this view (1849–1903) in his poem “Invictus” where we wrote in conclusion that he had an “unconquerable soul” and was “unafraid” because, he concluded:
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
This, though, was expressed earlier by William Shakespeare in his play, Julius Caesar (Act I, Scene 2) where a nobleman, Cassius, is speaking to Brutus:
Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world,
Like a Colossus, and we petty men Walk under his huge legs and peep about
To find ourselves dishonorable graves.
Men at some time are masters of their fates.
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
The thought here again is that some great men, like Julius Caesar, are master of their fates, but others (like Cassius and Brutus) will not achieve such stature and are not masters of their fate.
Jeremiah would disagree. None of us are masters of our fate, but God’s sovereignty rules over all. The Psalmist affirmed this long before Jeremiah:
The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)
A wise person turns to the sovereign Lord and seeks His guidance, for, “The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way.” Psalm 37:23.
*Editor’s note: I am running behind due to personal issues for those of you looking for a faithful Friday. Your regularly scheduled program (writings) will resume next week. I hope that made you laugh a little. I certainly did