The Evil of Presumptuous Boasting

Saturday, August 5, 2017

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.”

James 4:13–16

In June of 1812, Napoleon launched his invasion of Russia. With nearly 700,000 soldiers under his command, the French leader was confident of victory. It is said that before the war he boasted so strongly of his coming triumph that one hearer cautioned him, “Remember, Sire, man proposes but God disposes.” Napoleon responded that he did both. Yet six months later as the French retreated in disarray through the harsh Russian winter, fewer than 30,000 of Napoleon’s troops were still able to fight. Not even a powerful emperor was immune to weather or the hand of God in human events.

The illusion that we are in charge and have things under control may be an attractive and comforting one, but it is far from reality. The truth is that despite all our plans and goals, we have no way to know what even the next day will bring, let alone what may happen further into the future. “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1).

The sin of presumption is the sin of self-reliance and self-focus. Rather than submitting to God’s will, boasting about what we plan to do reveals that our goals are set on the wrong things. Instead of thinking we are in control, we should rest in the certain knowledge that God is, and that we can always trust Him.

Today's Growth Principle
Rather than boasting of our plans and ambition, we should humbly trust God for the future.

Old Testament Reading

Psalm 70-71

PSALM 70

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance.

¹ Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O LORD. ² Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt. ³ Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha, aha. ⁴ Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified. ⁵ But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying.

PSALM 71

¹ In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion. ² Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me. ³ Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress. ⁴ Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. ⁵ For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth. ⁶ By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee. ⁷ I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge. ⁸ Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day. ⁹ Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth. ¹⁰ For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together, ¹¹ Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him. ¹² O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help. ¹³ Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt.

¹⁴ But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more. ¹⁵ My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof. ¹⁶ I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only. ¹⁷ O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. ¹⁸ Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come. ¹⁹ Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee! ²⁰ Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. ²¹ Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side. ²² I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel. ²³ My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed. ²⁴ My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.

New Testament Reading

Romans 8:22-39

²² For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. ²³ And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. ²⁴ For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? ²⁵ But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

²⁶ Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. ²⁷ And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. ²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

²⁹ For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰ Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

³¹ What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? ³² He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? ³³ Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. ³⁴ Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. ³⁷ Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹ Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Proverbs Reading

Proverbs 6

¹ My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, ² Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. ³ Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend. ⁴ Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. ⁵ Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler. ⁶ Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: ⁷ Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, ⁸ Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. ⁹ How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? ¹⁰ Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: ¹¹ So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. ¹² A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth. ¹³ He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; ¹⁴ Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. ¹⁵ Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy. ¹⁶ These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: ¹⁷ A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, ¹⁸ An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, ¹⁹ A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. ²⁰ My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: ²¹ Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. ²² When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. ²³ For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: ²⁴ To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. ²⁵ Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. ²⁶ For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. ²⁷ Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? ²⁸ Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? ²⁹ So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. ³⁰ Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; ³¹ But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house. ³² But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. ³³ A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. ³⁴ For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. ³⁵ He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.