God has chosen the foolish things

Paul, the brilliant Jewish intellectual who studied under one of the great rabbis and who also wrote much of the New Testament in the Christian Bible, wrote something quite profound in his letter to the Messiah-followers living in Corinth.

Here's what he said in modern language:

The statement about Messiah's sacrificial death is foolishness and silliness to the folks dying of ignorance or unbelief, those folks hellbent on doing it their own way. But to us, that statement makes perfect sense; it's the most powerful work God's ever done on our behalf.

You know the world thinks lowly of us. We're the dumb ones, the unintelligent ones who believe foolish rubbish, they'll tell you. It's ironic that this is exactly what God planned - remember when he spoke hundreds of years ago to Israel,

I'll destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the intelligence of the intelligent I will bring to nothing.

God has indeed chosen the foolish things of this world in order to confound and confuse those who think so highly of themselves. It's no wonder it's always the lowly and the broken-hearted folks who turn to God! Rarely do we see those who think themselves intelligent and higher than others turn to God. No, only after God breaks something in the core of their being and brings them to a humble place do we ever see them turn back to God.

In this masterful plan, God's made the wisdom and intelligence of the world into true foolishness, and folded man's supposed foolishness into his plan.

In this so-called enlightened day and age, is there really wisdom? Where is it? Is there really anyone truly intelligent? I considered myself such a man once, having studied under the great Rabbi Gamaliel and learned man's latest doctrines; an intellectual by all means.

Yet God exposed man's intelligence -- even my own! -- as pretentious nonsense. The world in all its wisdom and knowledge remains clueless when it comes to knowing God. God's delighted in choosing what the world considers foolish -- preaching, of all things! -- in order that the high and mighty be laid low, and the low and humble be made righteous and upstanding before God. Thus, the world does not understand God.

The world will call you weak, unintelligent, and foolish for following God. Don't worry about them. God's picked the foolish things in order to put the world's wisdom to shame.

We often think that this age is the most enlightened, the most scientific, reason-based society, ever. And we think this is a new phenomenon. But we see from Paul's letters, society has often thought so highly of itself! Even 2000 years ago, then-modern society called itself wise and enlightened, looking down on anyone who chose the "foolishness" of God. So it remains today.

Hallel l'Yah - Hebrew for "Praise to Yahweh" - His wisdom blows away the intelligence of this downward-spiraling, backwards culture.