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Good morning to everyone. You 
can turn in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 9. While you're turning 
there, happy Mother's Day to all mothers out there. In our 
Protestant freedom, we are beholden to no holy day of observation. 
Sometimes the preacher uses that Protestant liberty to preach 
on mothers and mothership on Mother's Day. And other times 
they exercise that freedom to preach on other things. Well, 
I'm doing the latter. We're going to preach on divine 
judgment against Jerusalem on Mother's Day. So happy Mother's 
Day to everyone. On to more serious things. Jeremiah 
chapter 9. In Jeremiah 9, we're going to 
pick up reading, begin reading at verse 11. Jeremiah 9 verse 
11. This is the word of the living 
and true God. I will make Jerusalem a heap 
of ruins, a den of jackals. I will make the cities of Judah 
desolate without an inhabitant. Who is the wise man who may understand 
this and who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord has spoken 
that he may declare it? Why does the land perish and 
burn up like a wilderness so that no one can pass through? 
And the Lord said, because they have forsaken my law which I 
set before them and have not obeyed my voice. nor walked according 
to it, but they have walked according to the dictates of their own 
hearts and after the bales which their fathers taught them. Therefore, 
thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, behold, I 
will feed them, this people, with wormwood and give them water 
of gall to drink. I will scatter them also among 
the Gentiles whom neither they nor their fathers have known, 
and I will send a sword after them until I have consumed them. 
Thus says the Lord of hosts, consider and call for the mourning 
women, that they may come, and send for skillful whaling women, 
that they may come. Let them make haste and take 
up a whaling for us, that our eyes may run with tears, and 
our eyelids gush with water. For a voice of whaling is heard 
from Zion, how we are plundered, we are greatly ashamed, because 
we have forsaken the land, because we have been cast out of our 
dwellings. Yet hear the word of the Lord, 
O women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, Teach 
your daughters wailing, and everyone let neighbor... Excuse me, and 
everyone hurt neighbor a lamentation. For death has come through our 
windows, has entered our palaces to kill off the children no longer 
to be outside, and the young men no longer on the streets. Speak thus says the Lord, even 
the carcasses of men shall fall as refuse on the open field, 
like cuttings after the harvester, and no one shall gather them. 
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, but let him who glories glory in 
this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, 
exercising loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. 
For in these I delight, says the Lord. Behold, the days are 
coming, says the Lord, that I will punish all who are circumcised 
with the uncircumcised. Egypt, Judah, Edom, the people 
of Ammon, Moab, and all who are in the farthest corners who dwell 
in the wilderness. For all these nations are uncircumcised, 
and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart. Amen. Well, let us again go to the 
Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, we rejoice in this Lord's Day. 
We thank you for this, the reading of your scriptures. We thank 
you now for this, the preaching of your word. Thank you that 
we can do so in freedom, unhindered by outsiders and unmolested by 
the government, that we can gather freely with full Bibles to worship 
the triune God and to engage in this act of worship, the preaching 
of your word. We do pray that you would help 
the preacher to preach well the things from your scriptures. 
We pray that it would be the preacher diminished in the pulpit 
and God exalted and Christ exalted upon the praises of his people. 
And we do pray that the people having gathered here would leave 
having been instructed by God for your glory's sake and for 
their good. And we do pray, God, that you 
would be active by amazing grace unto the salvation of sinners 
this morning, that many who have entered enemies of God would 
leave as the friends of Christ, singing the praises of salvation 
by amazing grace and singing the praises of our God. We do 
pray that you'd be with us now. Again, that this exercise of 
worship would be unto the praise of your most high name. And it's 
in Christ's name that we pray. Amen. Well, our focus this morning 
is going to be on Jeremiah 9, 23 and 24. This is a passage 
that is frequently stolen away from its context and used as 
sort of a general proverb. It's used proverbially, completely 
devoid of anything Christian or anything godly. We have other 
examples of these in the scriptures. John 8, 32, the truth. shall 
set you free, very often used Christless to apply to, you know, 
our discoveries of UFOs and aliens. Once we get past the government 
conspiracies to hide up aliens or to hide aliens, we can, you 
know, be free and liberated from our bondage to government impositions, 
some nonsense like that. We have other texts as well. 
Luke 11, 9, ask and it will be given to you. The shucksters 
out there who fly the banner of Christ and the banner of Christianity, 
you know, ask and it will be given to you. Whatever you want, 
as long as your faith is strong, it will be given to you by God. 
Completely ripped from the context there, just like John 8, 32. Well, this passage, Jeremiah 
9, 23 and 24, is likewise the victim of such stealing away 
unto misuse and misapplication. Many would just see it as a simple 
proverb, 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. Almost this idea like you need to break away from 
the shackles of your preoccupations and, you know, go bungee jumping 
or play Monopoly with your kids or walk barefoot through fields 
of lavender or, you know, find some hippie stranger who's free 
spirited and go backpacking in Thailand. Be not preoccupied. 
by these things, the madness and the folly of stealing these 
things away from their biblical context. What we find in Jeremiah 
9, 23 and 24 is we find a warning given by the prophet in the midst 
of the inevitability of divine judgment and yet an admonition 
to own the living and true God, to know Him and to rest upon 
the verities of His mercy and His righteous government. And 
so we're going to look at this passage this morning under three 
headings, very simply, the vainglory, the virtue, and the verity. But before we get there, notice 
God is judging apostate Israel. Notice verse 11, I will make 
Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a den of jackals. I will make the cities 
of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant. It's bookended at 
the end of Jeremiah 9 with these words, Behold, the days are coming, 
says the Lord, that I will punish all who are circumcised with 
the uncircumcised. Egypt, Judah, Edom, the people 
of Ammon, Moab, and all who are in the farthest corners, who 
dwell in the wilderness. For all these nations are uncircumcised, 
and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart. The 
book of Jeremiah begins with this. After the call of Jeremiah, 
if you have your fingers at the ready on your Bibles, you can 
turn to Jeremiah 1, because notice what we find there, the certainty 
of judgment. After the call of Jeremiah, we 
read in verse 14, Then the Lord said to me, Out of the north 
calamity shall break forth on all the inhabitants of the land. 
For behold, I am calling all the families of the kingdoms 
of the north, says the Lord. They shall come and each one 
set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem against 
all its walls all around and against all cities of Judah. 
I will utter my judgments against them concerning all their wickedness 
because they have forsaken me, burned incense to other gods 
and worship the works of their hands. You see, judgment is coming 
and it is not arbitrary. It is not God being capricious 
and just haphazardly outpouring his wrath upon an undeserving 
nation, but rather these judgments come from on high in accordance 
with his promise because of their wicked disobedience. Just as 
we continue to introduce this, turn with me to Deuteronomy. 
to understand the background. You see, God had called Israel, 
God had redeemed Israel from out of bondage and slavery in 
Egypt. He had put them into the promised 
land after their wilderness wanderings. He had given them graciously 
a law to observe and religion to follow in order to reflect 
the holiness of God and in order to bear witness to the nations 
around them. But you see, in so doing, the 
Lord God gave this covenant, ratified this covenant, and gave 
blessings and cursings, blessings for obedience and cursings for 
disobedience. And so the background, much of 
the background to Jeremiah 9 and the book of Jeremiah is Deuteronomy 
28. In Deuteronomy 28, What we find is the promise that 
God would judge disobedient Israel if they do not follow after his 
statutes and if they do not follow after his precepts. Notice what we find in Deuteronomy 
28 at verse 15. But it shall come to pass if 
you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God to observe 
carefully all his commandments. and his statutes, which I command 
you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake 
you. Cursed shall you be in the city 
and cursed shall you be in the country. Cursed shall be your 
basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit of 
your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your 
cattle and the offspring of your flocks." Notice verse 25, the 
Lord will cause you to be defeated. before your enemies, you shall 
go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them, 
and you shall become troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth. And then finally, verses 47 to 
49, because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and 
gladness of heart for the abundance of everything, therefore you 
shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you 
in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything. And 
he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed 
you. The Lord will bring a nation 
against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as 
the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand. 
So now we fast forward to the prophet Jeremiah, and we see 
that this prophet comes as a divinely sanctioned and a divinely commissioned 
prosecutor. to bring to bear the curses of 
that covenant that God promised He would bring upon them if disobedient. Jeremiah comes and he speaks 
with regards to the fact that having been disobedient, having 
disobeyed, having fallen away unto wickedness, God is now doing 
that which He has promised. Notice in Jeremiah 2, the reasons 
for this judgment. Again, we hadn't caught it in 
that reading of Jeremiah 1, God is not capricious. He is not 
arbitrary. He is not simply haphazardly 
meeting out judgment upon them, but rather it is for a righteous 
and for a holy and for a just reason. Notice Jeremiah 2 verse 
12. Be astonished, O heavens, at 
this and be horribly afraid. Be very desolate, says the Lord, 
for my people have committed two evils. They have forsaken 
me, the fountain of living waters. and hewn themselves cisterns, 
broken cisterns that can hold no water. Verse 17, have you 
not brought this on yourself, in that you have forsaken the 
Lord your God? Verse 19, in the middle, know 
therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing, that 
you have forsaken the Lord your God, and the fear of me is not 
in you, says the Lord God of hosts. And finally, verse 24 
of Old, I have broken your yoke and burst your bonds and you 
said I will not transgress when on every high hill and under 
every green tree you lay down playing the harlot. Yet I had 
planted you a noble vine, a seed of highest quality. How then 
have you turned before me into the degenerate plant of an alien 
vine? You see here the promise of God. This is the thing that we have 
with our God, the promises of God. are seen both in the fact 
that He exercises judgment in accordance with His holiness, 
and He exercises mercy in accordance with His covenantal and condescending 
love. Here we see that most certainly 
God is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His holiness 
as He is carrying out, as He will carry out that which He 
promised to carry out. They had not heeded the word 
of the Lord, Jeremiah 9, 13, because they have forsaken my 
law, which I have set before them, and have not obeyed my 
voice, nor walked according to it, but they have walked according 
to the dictates of their own hearts and after the bales, which 
their fathers have taught them. And so judgment is coming. Now 
again, as we find our way back now to Jeremiah 9, 23 and 24, 
the focus of our study this morning, just see three things The text 
is broken up here, and then we'll get to the subject matter of 
our meditation this morning. Notice in verse 23, we have a 
prohibitive warning issued. 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. A prohibitive 
warning. What not to do? God's judgment 
is most certainly coming. There is no getting away from 
it. There is no stopping it. It is 
irreversible. The Lord is faithful to his promise. This is coming. And so a what 
not to do warning, a prohibitive warning is issued upon the heels 
of that. Secondly, a prescriptive counsel 
is given what to do. But let him who glories glory 
in this, that he understands and knows me. What not to do, 
verse 23, what you are to do, verse 24. And then thirdly, some 
attendant truths expressed in so doing what you are to do. 
What are the specific considerations? What are the specific contemplations? They are to understand and know 
that God is the Lord exercising loving kindness, judgment and 
righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight, says 
the Lord. So now getting to what our subject 
matter will be this morning and this evening, Jeremiah 9, 23 
and 24, the vainglory, the virtue and the verity. First, the vainglory, 
and this will be our focus this morning. What is the vainglory? 
Well, that's verse 23. And what does vainglory mean? 
There's a word for you, kids and adults. Vainglory. Well, it really takes the two 
meanings of vanity and puts it into one word, vainglory. It simply, it means excessive 
arrogance and pride or confidence in empty or hollow things. We 
take the definition of vanity and it could be twofold, excessive 
pride and arrogance in self, self-confidence, and then also 
a hollow or an emptiness, a hollowness or an emptiness. Well, here we 
have Those two things wrapped up in the vain glory of verse 
23. 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. This prohibitive warning issued, 
the vain glory of these things listed. And we'll look at this 
under three things. The first is this, the general 
folly of boasting in wisdom, might, and riches, the general 
folly of boasting in wisdom and might and riches. And it's simply 
seen in the fact that it is the Lord who gives these things in 
the first place. Wisdom, strength or might and 
riches, do these not all come from the Lord? We are not to 
glory in things to the exclusion of and to sacrifice glorying 
in the one Who has given us these things? Even if in some of these 
things, especially the wisdom, is not a good, a holy, or a righteous 
wisdom. But wisdom in and of itself is 
a good thing when it finds as its foundation the word, the 
revelation of the living and true God. Riches in and of themselves 
are not inherently wicked. It is good to have riches if 
held and acquired righteously. And, of course, strength is okay. 
We ought not to, as men, be wimps. We ought to, as much as we are 
able, exercise a measure of bodily health and have a measure of 
strength. It is what men are to be marked 
by, among other things. Women as well. This touches upon 
all men before God, all men and women, boys and girls. But the 
idea here is, in the vain glory, the vanity, the hollowness, the 
emptiness of these things, In the first place, any of these 
things given, it is the Lord who gives them to us. In Psalm 
68, you can turn there with me because we need to see that the 
vanity, the general folly of boasting in wisdom and might 
and riches, is seen in the fact that the Lord gives these things 
to us in the first place. Psalm 68. Be a little bit of 
Bible flipping today, hopefully, so that you can see these things. 
Jeremiah 9, touching upon the other parts, other addresses 
of Holy Scripture. Notice in Psalm 68 at the end, 
verse 32, what do we find there? A song to God or an exhortation 
to do so, to sing to God. Sing to God, verse 32, you kingdoms 
of the earth. Oh, sing praises to the Lord, 
Selah, to him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which were 
of old. Indeed, he sends out his voice, 
a mighty voice, a scribe's strength to God. His excellence is over 
Israel, and His strength is in the clouds. O God, You are most 
awesome than Your holy places. The God of Israel is He who gives 
strength and power to His people. Blessed be God. You see, if we 
are to glory in anything, as the text in Jeremiah 9 says, 
we're to glory in the Lord because it is He who gives strength and 
power to His people. And you see the flow of this 
text here First, ascribe strength to God, verse 34. His excellence 
is over Israel. So the ascription of might by 
the mighty men, the ascriptions are to be unto God. Ascribe strength 
to God. And then we have this, verse 
35. The God of Israel is he who gives 
strength and power to his people. So the vanity of glorying and 
strength and power and wisdom enriches his It is seen in the 
fact that God himself is the author and the provider of these 
things. It is he who is to be gloried 
in alone. Acts 17. What do we find there? That our life, our breath, that 
the all things that we enjoy are not a result of natural things, 
natural causes or gifts given to us by men, but of course gifts 
given to us from on high. from a gracious and a loving 
God. Notice what we find there in Acts 17 at verse 25, beginning 
at the end of verse 23 there. Therefore the one whom you worship 
without knowing, him I proclaim to you, God, who made the world 
and everything in it, since he is Lord of heaven and earth, 
does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is he worshipped 
with men's hands as though he needed anything, since he gives 
to all life, breath, and all things." You see, God is the 
originator of our gifts. God is the originator of any 
wisdom, of any strength, of any might, of any riches. And so 
it is an absolute falling to glory in wisdom, might, and enriches. Notice the lesson given by Daniel 
in Daniel 5. This is after the Nebuchadnezzar 
event. If you turn with me to Daniel 
5, or if you just like to listen as I read it, in Daniel 5, we 
have a lesson given to the son of Nebuchadnezzar. It speaks 
to the fact that God is the giver. Notice what we read in Daniel 
5, beginning in verse 18. O king, The Most High God gave 
Nebuchadnezzar, your father, a kingdom and majesty, glory 
and honor. And because of the majesty that 
he gave him, all peoples, nations and languages trembled and feared 
before him. Whomever he wished, he executed. 
Whomever he wished, he kept alive. Whomever he wished, he set up. 
And whomever he wished, he put down. But when his heart was 
lifted up and his spirit was hardened in pride, He was deposed 
from His kingly throne, and they took His glory from Him. Then 
He was driven from the sons of men. His heart was made like 
the beasts, and His dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They 
fed Him with grass like oxen, and His body was wet with the 
dew of heaven, till He knew that the Most High God rules in the 
kingdom of men and appoints over it whomever He chooses. But you, His son, Belshazzar, 
have not humbled your hearts, although you knew all this. You 
see, against better wisdom, against the story of his own father, 
who thought himself to be the originator of his power, his 
wisdom, his strength, against all that, Belshazzar rejected 
the fact of verse 18, that the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar, 
your father, a kingdom and majesty and glory. and honor. The general 
folly of boasting in wisdom, might, and riches is seen in 
the fact that it is the Lord who gives these things in the 
first place. It's seen secondly in the fact that glorying is 
to be in the Lord only. So misplaced boasting steals 
from the glory that is due to him alone. You see the vainglory 
and boasting in the wisdom and boasting in the strength and 
the might, boasting in the riches is that we steal from where the 
boast is to be directed. And it steals from the object, 
the true object of boasting and glorying, which is the Lord God 
Almighty. A very interesting text that 
touches very strongly upon this one this morning is Revelation 
5, specifically beginning in verse 11. Hopefully, you know, 
and you can turn there. What's going on in Revelation 
5 is we have no one. No one is able to open the scroll. The one seated upon the throne. 
John is lamenting over the fact that no one is able to do so. 
And yet hope comes upon the heels of that lamentation delivered 
by God because there is one strong enough to open the scrolls. And 
it is the Lord God. It is the Lord Jesus Christ, 
the one who has been victorious over death and hell and the devil. 
Notice in Revelation 5 in verse 11, then I looked and I heard 
the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures 
and the elders, and the number of them was 10,000 times 10,000 
and thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice, worthy is 
the lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and 
strength and honor and glory and blessing. You see what happens 
when we glory and when we boast in wisdom and strength and riches, 
we steal away from the glory that is to be rendered unto God, 
that is to be offered to God, that is God's alone. Worthy is 
the lamb who was slain to receive what? The very things that these 
people were boasting and glorying in. Power, riches, wisdom, strength, 
and honor, and glory, and blessing. when the general folly of boasting 
in wisdom and might and riches is seen, in that glorying is 
to be in the Lord only." Notice in 1 Corinthians 1.31, yes, a 
lot of Bible turning, but hopefully no one rails against that because 
our Bibles are the revelation of God Most High, and it's good 
to know where things are. 1 Corinthians 1, you know what 
the Apostle Paul does here is he quotes Jeremiah 9. In 1 Corinthians 
1, in quoting Jeremiah 9, he brings to bear the very thing 
that we are talking about this morning. Notice in 1 Corinthians 
1 at verse 26, for you see your calling, brethren, that not many 
wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble 
are called. But God has chosen the foolish 
things of this world to put to shame the wise. And God has chosen 
the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which 
are mighty, and the base things of the world, and the things 
which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, 
to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should 
glory in his presence. But of him you are in Christ 
Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness, 
and sanctification, and redemption, that as it is written, he who 
glories, let him glory in the Lord. You see the way that God 
works here. He resists the proud, but gives 
grace to the humble, doesn't he? You see the mighty, the noble, 
and the wise are brought to the fore here. And the author is 
saying that God's glory does not rest upon these who boast 
in their wisdom and in their strength and in their power. A very interesting thing is in 
Acts chapter 2. on this very thing, on this very 
topic. It's very interesting because 
of this. You see, the Jews of this time, 
the Jewish leaders of this time, the pious Jews of this time, 
would have thought and would have seriously, with great strength, 
understood in the folly of their own minds that the glory of God 
rests upon the wise and the mighty. and the rich. But what do we 
find in Peter's sermon is that he quotes Joel. And what happens 
on the day of Pentecost? Do the cloven tongues of flame 
rest upon the Jewish leaders? They rest upon the prominent 
men of Jerusalem? No. We read this in verse 16. But this is what was spoken by 
the prophet Joel. And it shall come to pass in 
the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on 
all flesh, your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your 
young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams, 
and on my menservants and on my maidservants I will pour out 
my Spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy." Who is 
it that has the Spirit of the Lord poured out upon them? Is 
it not the menservants and maidservants, the fishermen, tax collectors? 
A gathering not of wise men in the eyes of the national apostates, 
not resting upon the powerful, the strong, or the rich, but 
rather it comes upon, as 1 Corinthians 1 says, the base things, the 
low things, the things that scandalize the human mind. It is the general 
folly of boasting and wisdom and might and riches as seen 
Again, first, in that it is the Lord who gives us these things 
in the first place, and that glorying is to be in the Lord 
only. This lands upon, this terminates 
upon a Christological truth in the New Covenant, doesn't it? 
God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. You see, if boasting in wisdom 
and boasting in strength and boasting in riches steals away 
from the glory of God, that is all the more punctuated in its 
wickedness because it steals away from the cross of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. We are to glory in God alone. 
We are to glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. So 
first off, the vain glory again is seen in the general folly 
of boasting and wisdom might enriches now the specific error 
of boasting. in wisdom and might and riches, 
turning back to Jeremiah 9. The specific error of boasting 
in wisdom, might and riches, you see, because we cannot tear 
this away from the context and what is going on in the prophet 
Jeremiah's foreboding warning against the nation of Israel. 
The specific error of boasting in wisdom, might and riches, 
we want to note first off that wisdom, might and riches will 
not help them in the face of irreversible calamity. Why are 
they not to boast in wisdom and might and riches? Because there 
is an irreversible calamity coming. Your wisdom, your riches and 
your strength will not help you against the whirlwind of divine 
justice. You see, it would have been the 
case that you see the prominent rich men in the nation of Israel 
may have thought, well, you see, we'll bring our gold. And we'll 
bring our silver and we'll bring all of the bejeweled trinkets 
that we have as a nation, present them before Nebuchadnezzar, the 
king of Babylon and his invading armies. And we can buy them away 
from this coming calamity. But you see what they didn't 
understand, why God follows this up with what let him who glories 
glory in this, that he understands and knows me what they didn't 
understand. that God had put it into the 
heart of Nebuchadnezzar, that God had put it into the hearts 
of the conquerors of Babylon to destroy his apostate and chosen 
people. There is no escape from the coming 
calamity. You have forsaken me. You have 
brought before your eyes the bales. You have heaped before 
you all manner of things to help you abominate my law, to blaspheme 
me, and to break my statutes. This judgment is most certainly 
coming. Your wisdom, your might, your 
riches will not help you in the face of irreversible calamity. This is what Matthew Henry says. 
Notice the text first in Jeremiah 9, 21. For death has come through 
our windows, has entered our palaces to kill off the children 
no longer to be outside and the young men no longer on the streets. 
Henry. Death shall ride in triumph, 
and there shall be no escaping his arrests when he comes with 
commission, neither within doors nor without, not within doors, 
for let the doors be shut ever so fast, let them be ever so 
firmly locked and bolted. Death comes up into our windows 
like a thief in the night, it steals upon us ere we are aware. Nor does it thus boldly attack 
the cottages only, but it has entered into our palaces, the 
palaces of our princes and great men, though ever so stately, 
ever so strongly built and guarded." Note, no palaces can keep out 
death. You see, the riches of Israel 
will not help them. They can shut their doors and 
think with some sort of misplaced confidence that the doors will 
stop death coming. but it's going to creep through 
the windows. They can erect, and they had already had no doubt 
erected their palaces, but you see as strong and mighty as they 
were, nothing can stop again the whirlwind of divine and infinite 
justice. The specific error of boasting 
and wisdom and might and riches is seen again, and that these 
things will not help them in the face of irreversible calamity. The wise cannot by political 
machinations maneuver Israel out of harm's way. Oh, you see 
this Judgment we have heard is coming, but perhaps we can have 
a sit-down discussion with Nebuchadnezzar and his cronies Sit down around 
the table in one of our palaces and have a discussion about polity 
and perhaps we can issue a tribute to him the rich men We glory 
and can provide them with a tribute to to buy off to stay this execution 
But remember no one understand me. God says this is in this 
isn't a perfect fulfillment of the promise that I would judge 
you and visit you with the curses of the covenant if you go a whoring 
from me. You break my laws, you break 
my statutes, you depart from me, you forsake me. This is in 
fulfillment. I have put these things in the 
heart of Nebuchadnezzar and his cronies to judge you in accordance 
with infinite, eternal, and unchanging divine justice. Secondly, under 
the specific error of boasting and wisdom might and riches, 
wisdom, might and riches, all these things will be taken away. 
What is it? What is the good in grasping, 
latching onto to the exclusion of glorying in the living and 
true God? What is good in latching onto these things? When when 
death comes, they will all be taken away from you. Wisdom, 
might and riches, all these things will be taken away. You see, 
2 Kings provides a commentary on the events that we're reading 
about and preaching about right now. You can turn there with 
me to 2 Kings to see that the specific error of boasting in 
wisdom and might and riches is seen and that all these things 
will be taken away. In 2 Kings chapter 24, notice 
what we find there. 2 Kings 24, beginning in verse 
1. In his days, Nebuchadnezzar, 
king of Babylon, came up, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for 
three years. Then he turned and rebelled against 
him, and the Lord sent against him raiding bands of Chaldeans, 
bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon." 
Now, just pause there for a moment. This is something that you could 
read alongside Jeremiah to see what Jeremiah prophesied 2 Kings 
is now rehearsing by way of narrative. He sent them against Judah to 
destroy it according to the word of the Lord which he had spoken 
by his servants the prophets. Surely at the commandment of 
the Lord this came upon Judah to remove them from his sight 
because of the sins of Manasseh according to all that he had 
done and also because of the innocent blood that he had shed 
for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood which the Lord 
would not pardon. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim 
and all that he did Are they not written in the book of the 
Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? So Jehoiakim rested with his 
fathers. Then Jehoiakim, his son, reigned 
in his place. And the king of Egypt did not 
come out of his land anymore. For the king of Babylon had taken 
all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the brook of Egypt 
to the river Euphrates. Jehoiakim was 18 years old when 
he became king. Then he reigned in Jerusalem 
three months. His mother's name was Nehushtah. the daughter of 
Elnathan at Jerusalem. And he did evil in the sight 
of the Lord, according to all that his father had done. At 
that time, the servants of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came up against 
Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. And Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, 
came against the city, as his servants were besieging it. Then 
Jehoiakim, king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his princes, 
and his officers, went out to the king of Babylon, and the 
king of Babylon in the eighth year of his reign, took him prisoner. 
And he carried out from there all the treasures of the house 
of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's house. And he cut 
in pieces all the articles of gold which Solomon, king of Israel, 
had made in the temple of the Lord, as the Lord had said. Also 
he carried into captivity all Jerusalem, all the captains, 
and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all 
the craftsmen and smiths. None remained except the poorest 
of the land. You see here, why the prophet 
says, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty 
man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches, 
because Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon are taking all of these things 
away. These things are not everlasting. You are not to put your glorying, 
your boasting, and to rest your confidence in these things. know 
me to understand that I am the Lord exercising mercy and perfect 
government in the land. You see, all of these things 
would be taken away. So the specific error of boasting 
and wisdom might in riches is seen in the fact that those things 
will be taken away. We see this in the New Testament 
scriptures as well. If you're still with me, you 
can turn to Revelation six. Notice what we find there with 
regards to wisdom and strength and riches, because It is the 
same thing that we find. Revelation 6, beginning in verse 
12. I looked when he opened the sixth 
seal and behold, there was a great earthquake and the sun became 
black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became like blood. The 
stars of heaven fell to the earth as a fig tree drops its late 
figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as 
a scroll when it is rolled up and every mountain and island 
was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the 
great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every 
slave and every free man hid themselves in the caves and in 
the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and rocks, 
fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne 
and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of his wrath 
has come and who is able to stand? You see, this was the same in 
Jeremiah's day. The wrath of God is coming upon 
apostate Israel and the kings of the earth, the great men, 
the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men. These are calling 
upon the rocks and the trees to hide them from the wrath of 
infinite, eternal, and unchangeable divine justice. These things 
will be taken away. This is what Gill says on this 
particular point. John Gill commenting, in fact, 
on a different passage, but it touches upon the weight of what 
we're discussing here. Speaking of the rich, the wise, 
the mighty, who on account of their noble birth, large possessions 
and high attainments in knowledge and learning, thought themselves 
something, all which will one day be abolished and will stand 
them in no stead with regard to future happiness and glory. 
The Jews have a saying quite contrary to all this, that the 
Shekinah, or presence of God, does not dwell on any but upon 
a wise man, a mighty man and a rich man. You see, God is coming 
with infinite justice, railing against these distorted and perverted 
proverbs that the Jews had in their traditions, that the Shekinah 
glory rests upon the wise and the mighty and the rich. God 
says that my glory rests upon my people, who I have caused 
to know and to understand me. to love my mercy, to know my 
justice, and to know my judgment. And to know that I delight in 
these things. You see them, the specific error 
of boasting in wisdom, might, and riches is most certainly 
seen in the fact that all these things will be taken away. Think of the madness and the 
folly of some other religions. Send the The Greco-Roman religion, 
and as far as I know, they still do this in some places in the 
Mediterranean today. They put coins upon the eyes 
of the, you know, the people that they bury so that they can 
pay their way across the River Styx into the land of Hades or 
whoever that nonsense goes. Those things will be taken away. 
There is no taking of coins left upon the eyes of dead bodies 
into another world. Buried with treasure, the pharaohs 
of Egypt, They entered into an eternity of hell and torment, 
taking no trinkets, taking no bejeweled cups, taking no gold 
and silver with them. These things will be taken away, 
is the knowledge of God and the understanding of the Triune God 
that is most necessary. And thirdly, under the specific 
error of boasting in wisdom and might and riches, notice that, 
thirdly, boasting in these things is set against the knowledge 
of God and heeding his word. So you see, what is the remedy? What is the contrary? What is 
the opposite to boasting in these things? Well, it is verse 24. Let him who glories glory in 
this, that he understands and knows me. Notice Jeremiah 8 and 
verse 9. The wise men are ashamed. They 
are dismayed and taken. Behold, they have rejected the 
word of the Lord. So what wisdom do they have? 
Boasting in these things is set against the knowledge of God 
and heeding his word. And thirdly and lastly, under 
the vain glory, we have some case studies in the vanity of 
glorying in wisdom and might and riches. If we consider our 
Bibles, do we have any case studies in glorying in wisdom and might 
and riches that we can sort of depart from this text for a moment, 
but then find our way back? where we find those first, glorying 
in wisdom or wisdom so-called. You can turn with me to Romans, 
the book of Romans in Romans chapter one, and the taught mind 
will perhaps know where I'm going with the case study and glorying 
in wisdom. And here it's wisdom so-called, 
which is really foolishness, which is really falling. Notice 
what we see here, beginning in Romans 1 at verse 18. For the wrath of God is revealed 
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who 
suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Because what may be known of 
God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For 
since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes are 
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, 
even his eternal power and Godhead. so that they are without excuse. 
Because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, 
nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and 
their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became 
fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an 
image made like corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals 
and creeping things." You see, when one is set against the knowledge 
of God and heeding His Word, His wisdom as revealed by Him 
alone, then we have this result, professing to be wise, they became 
fools. We see this today, I think, in 
many examples, but wouldn't we see this today in the atheist 
who says in his so-called wisdom that there is no God? It is a 
fool that says in his heart, there is no God. But you see, 
they boast, don't they, in that wisdom. They glory in that wisdom. They have, some of them, to be 
sure, an excessive pride and arrogance in that so-called wisdom 
to the exclusion and rejection of the knowledge of God. And 
this is against the clear testimony, the clear word of God. Psalm 
19, what do we read there? The heavens declare the glory 
of God. The firmament shows his handiwork. 
Day after day utter speech, night after night reveals knowledge. 
It is the biggest fool. I think we can, I can back this 
up. There may be bigger ones in fact, but it is a big fool 
who can, as Spurgeon says, look up to the stars and then write 
himself down an atheist. Because these things declare 
the glory of God. They declare his righteousness. 
The atheist looks up to the stars, writes himself down an atheist, 
and a Spurgeon says at the same time, brands himself either a 
liar or an idiot. Not to be insulting, but to use 
idiot in a wholesomely severe manner. The one who can look 
up to the stars and say, no, God, is a fool. They boast in wisdom if they 
call it wisdom to reject God and say that everything exploded 
and nothing exploded created everything. I love what Spurgeon 
says after that, and you've heard me quote this a number of times, 
but he goes on to say that, in the expanse above us, God flies 
as it were his starry flag, Psalm 19, right? The heavens declare 
the glory of God, the firmament shows his handiwork. In the expanse 
above us, God flies as it were his starry flag to do what? To 
show the king is at home. And he hangs out his coat of 
arms bearing shield, to show the atheist how much he despises 
their denunciations of him. The fool is seen in rejecting 
the revelation of God in creation, to be sure, but all the more 
when he reveals himself to us in his holy word, discloses his 
mercy, his justice and his judgment, all of his his perfections that 
Christ that he sends to bring salvation to guilty sinners. 
What a fool. boasting in their wisdom, so-called, 
and rejecting the living and true God. We see a case study 
in the vanity of glory and might, I think, don't we, in a pagan 
example in that Philistine giant, Goliath. What goes on there but 
a rejection of the living and true God and a boasting of self-confidence 
in one's own strength? What do we read in that account 
with regards to David and Goliath, but one who to his folly and 
to his shame, glories in his own strength. In 1 Samuel 17, 
we read in verse 44, and the Philistine said to David, come 
to me and I will give you your flesh to the birds of the air. I will give your flesh to the 
birds of the air and the beasts of the field. You see what the 
giant is doing there. And we didn't read what came 
before, but he puffed up in his own giant strength is saying 
that he in his own strength, will give the flesh of David 
to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field. But then 
you see, rightly responding, David says to the giant, you 
come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. 
But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God 
of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Hopefully you 
see the connection there. The giant is boasting in his 
strength. The giant is boasting in his sword, his spear, and 
his javelin. Where does the true and only 
boast and glorying lie though? In the Lord of hosts, the God 
of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. And notice that 
David doesn't say by his own strength what he's going to do, 
but rather verse 46, this day the Lord will deliver you into 
my hand and I will strike you and take your head from you. 
And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the 
Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the 
earth. that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 
You see, the giant wanted to know that there is strength in 
Philistine military might and in training. But you see, God 
demonstrated that day that the one who glories in the Lord is 
the one who is safe, the one who is favored, the one upon 
whom the glory and the blessing of God rests. Where do we see, 
lastly, the vanity, a case study in the vanity of glorying and 
riches. Well, hopefully one might come 
to mind, and that is one that had already been spoken of. That's 
Nebuchadnezzar in the book of Daniel. What do we see there? 
Notice Daniel's boast and notice, excuse me, notice Nebuchadnezzar's 
boasting and his false glory in Daniel chapter 4. We see in 
verse 29 the falling. Case study of boasting in riches. Notice what we find there. All 
this, in verse 28, all this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar at the 
end of the 12 months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. 
The king spoke saying, is not this great Babylon that I have 
built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power for the honor 
of my majesty? You see a case study there in 
boasting in riches. Is this not great Babylon that 
I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the 
honor of my majesty? But you see, God brings lessons, 
doesn't he, to those who would be wrapped up in self-boasting. While the word was still in the 
king's mouth, verse 31, a voice fell from heaven. King Nebuchadnezzar, 
to you it is spoken, the kingdom has departed from you. And they 
shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the 
beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass 
like oxen, and seven times shall pass over you, until you know 
that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it 
to whomever He chooses." At that very hour, the word was fulfilled 
concerning Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from men and ate 
grass like oxen. His body was wet with the dew 
of heaven, till his hair had grown like eagles' feathers, 
and his nails like bird's claws. Now you might be saying, you 
know, these are examples of pagan and heathen folly. What does 
this have to do with the nation of Israel? Well, like the heathens 
who were puffed up in their own wisdom, rejecting the God of 
general and special revelation, the people of Israel, his own 
chosen, the ones who had the adoption, the promises, the oracles, 
the law, the word of God, They reject the living and true God, 
and they would receive the judgment, just like those pagans who think 
themselves wise, heaping to themselves idols. What about Goliath? Well, you see, just like that 
Philistine giant, they were boasting in their own strength, weren't 
they? They weren't giving glory to God. They weren't doing and 
operating and functioning for the glory of the Lord of hosts, 
the God of the armies of Israel. They were caught up. glorying, 
boasting in their own strength. And it would be, as Jeremiah 
warns with foreboding, that they would like Goliath lose their 
head for the honor and for the glory of God. What about Nebuchadnezzar? Well, like Nebuchadnezzar, like 
the very pagan king who would conquer them, they gloried in 
their own riches and in the works of their own hands. And so God 
rightly brings judgment upon them, doesn't he? Hopefully we 
see the folly of glorying in anything and everything save 
for the living and true God. You know, if you're here this 
morning, kids, and your days are preoccupied by everything 
other than God, you're here, adults, and your days are preoccupied 
by everything except for God, how do you think that you're 
going to deserve any better lot than the apostate Jews of this 
time. I will make Jerusalem a heap 
of ruins, a den of jackals. I will make the cities of Judah 
desolate without an inhabitant. Even the carcasses of men shall 
fall as refuse on the open field like cuttings after the harvester, 
and no one shall gather them. You see, these that were treating 
the knowledge of God as dung would fall on the fields as refuse, 
as dung. You see, if you're neglecting 
the living and true God, and you think you're doing it out 
of some sort of indifference, I just don't have time for that, 
or I'm putting that off for another day, or openly rejecting and 
blaspheming the living and true God, you need to place yourself 
upon the pages of Jeremiah 9 and see your lot is just like these. 
under the right judgment of a God, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable 
in His holiness and in His justice. But you see, the help, the remedy, 
the glorious admonition comes to you. Let him who glories glory 
in this, that he understands and knows me. You see, the God 
of consuming fire and hot and wholesome severity and justice 
is also the God that says, I am the Lord exercising lovingkindness. We'll see that tonight, but right 
now, if you're opposed to this God, if you're glorying in your 
wisdom, if you're glorying in your strength, if you're glorying 
in your riches, and this is all to the absolute and horrible 
and wicked exclusion of glorying in the living and true God, you 
need to know your own heart. You need to know your own sinfulness. 
You need to know that day upon day, you have sinned and you 
have fallen short of the glory of God. And there is one escape. There is one place to be found. free of condemnation and judgment, 
and that is safely in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says 
so simply and so clearly, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and 
you shall be saved. He was bruised for the iniquities 
of his people. He was chastised for the peace 
of his people. He bore in his own sins, or in 
his own body, excuse me, Christ was sinless, holy, harmless, 
and undefiled. Preacher's misstep. He bore in 
his own body Our sins, His people's sins. Find yourself under the 
judgment and condemnation of God because of your sin, but 
quickly fly to the Savior. Kids, perhaps your eyes are going 
over here somewhere, going over there. Perhaps you're looking 
at me, but you're really not because you're looking forward 
to a mac and cheese or you're looking forward to doing whatever 
you're going to do when you can finally dart from these doors 
and not listen to this bald-headed guy anymore. Listen to the word 
of the living and true God. All have sinned and have fallen 
short of the glory of God. He is infinite, eternal, and 
unchanging in His justice. He cannot look upon one who does 
not glory in Him favorably. He can't just close His eyes 
or look away and not consider. He must, according to His holy 
character, judge. But you see, Christ Jesus came 
into this world, sinners to save. Believe on Him and you shall 
enjoy and you shall have everlasting life. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, 
we pray that you would go with each and every one of us now, 
that your people would have been strengthened, a measure by your 
preached word, that you would come by your spirit to continue 
to strengthen them on this, your Lord's Day, this day of rest, 
this day of worship. We pray that you would encourage 
the hearts of your saints here this morning to go out into this 
world in this upcoming week, to live for your glory's sake, 
to know you, to understand you, and to delight in those things 
that you delight in, mercy, justice, and judgment. We pray that you'd 
be with any and all here right now, Lord God, who are outside 
of Christ in unbelief, that you would come upon the wings of 
amazing grace, and by the word preached and by the power of 
your spirit, you would cause them to turn from wickedness, 
to turn from glorying in anything save for you, that they might 
glory you, that by your grace you would cause them to know 
you, to glory in you, and to glory in the Christ whom you 
have sent. and we pray in his precious name, amen.