Bird's-eye view
In this brief but potent passage, the prophet Jeremiah, speaking for Yahweh, cuts to the very heart of all human pretension and pride. The world offers three main platforms for self-congratulation: intellectual prowess, physical strength or influence, and financial success. These are the three great pillars of the city of man. But God, through His prophet, systematically demolishes each one. He declares them to be utterly worthless as a basis for boasting. True glory, true honor, is found in one thing and one thing only: a deep, personal, and experiential knowledge of God Himself. This is not a call to anti-intellectualism, weakness, or poverty, but rather a radical reorientation of our ultimate confidence. The only legitimate boast is in the character of God, who delights in covenant loyalty, justice, and righteousness.
This passage functions as a divine corrective to our fallen human tendency to build our identities on sinking sand. It redirects our gaze from the created things we can achieve or accumulate to the uncreated God who is the source of all good things. Paul picks up this very theme in his letters to the Corinthians, making it clear that the cross of Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of this principle. We are to boast not in ourselves, but in the Lord, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Thus, what Jeremiah declared under the Old Covenant finds its ultimate meaning and power in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Outline
- 1. The Triad of False Boasts (Jer 9:23)
- a. The Prohibition Against Boasting in Wisdom (v. 23a)
- b. The Prohibition Against Boasting in Might (v. 23b)
- c. The Prohibition Against Boasting in Riches (v. 23c)
- 2. The One True Boast (Jer 9:24)
- a. The Ground of True Glory: Knowing God (v. 24a)
- b. The Content of that Knowledge: God's Character (v. 24b)
- c. The Divine Delight: God's Pleasure in His Own Ways (v. 24c)
The Folly of All Other Boasting
The apostle Paul quotes this passage from Jeremiah in his first letter to the Corinthians, right after he has spent a chapter dismantling the worldly wisdom of the Greeks and the sign-seeking of the Jews. He concludes by saying, "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'" (1 Cor. 1:29-31). This is the apostolic application of Jeremiah's prophecy. All human attempts at self-justification, whether through intellect, power, or wealth, are rendered null and void by the cross. The cross is God's great act of turning the tables on human pride. Therefore, the only thing left for a redeemed sinner to do is to boast in the one who did all the work.
Jeremiah is living in a time of profound national crisis. Judah is on the brink of collapse, and the people are tempted to trust in their political savvy, their military alliances, or their remaining wealth. God speaks into this desperate situation to tell them that their only hope is not in these broken reeds, but in Him alone. This is a timeless message. In every generation, men are tempted to build their towers of Babel, to make a name for themselves based on their own accomplishments. And in every generation, God reminds them that the only name that matters is His.
Verse by Verse Commentary
Jeremiah 9:23
Thus says Yahweh, “Let not a wise man boast in his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast in his might; let not a rich man boast in his riches,
The verse begins with the authoritative formula, "Thus says Yahweh." This is not Jeremiah's opinion or a piece of folk wisdom. This is a direct word from the sovereign God. He immediately lays out a series of three prohibitions, a triad of vanities that men are prone to trust in.
First, "Let not a wise man boast in his wisdom." In the ancient world, as today, wisdom was highly prized. This could refer to intellectual acuity, political shrewdness, or practical skill. But God says this is no foundation for ultimate confidence. Why? Because human wisdom is finite, flawed, and frequently foolish in God's eyes. The wisdom of the world is foolishness with God (1 Cor. 3:19). The brightest human mind is but a flickering candle compared to the blazing sun of God's omniscience. To boast in your own intellect is like a puddle boasting of its depth while the ocean looks on.
Second, "and let not the mighty man boast in his might." Might refers to physical strength, military power, or political influence. It is the ability to impose one's will on the world. But this too is a fleeting thing. The strongest warrior can be laid low by a tiny virus. The most powerful empire can crumble into dust. As Psalm 33 says, "A king is not saved by the size of his army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength." To trust in human might is to lean on a staff that will inevitably break and pierce your hand.
Third, "let not a rich man boast in his riches." Wealth is the great enabler. It provides security, buys influence, and creates the illusion of self-sufficiency. But riches are notoriously unreliable. Jesus warned about the deceitfulness of wealth. Markets crash, thieves break in and steal, and moths and rust destroy. And ultimately, as the parable of the rich fool illustrates, your soul can be required of you this very night, and then whose will those things be which you have provided? Boasting in riches is like building your house on an iceberg.
Jeremiah 9:24
but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am Yahweh who shows lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares Yahweh.
After tearing down the false grounds for boasting, God establishes the one true ground. The structure is a sharp contrast: "not this... but this." The shift is total and absolute. If you are going to glory, if you are going to have a central confidence that defines your life, let it be this one thing.
"that he understands and knows Me." This is the heart of the matter. The only valid boast is a relational one. It's not about what you have, but who you know. And this is not a mere intellectual acquaintance. The Hebrew word for "know" (yada) implies a deep, personal, intimate, and experiential knowledge. It is the kind of knowledge a husband has of his wife. It is a knowledge that transforms the knower. To understand and know God is the chief end of man, the very definition of eternal life (John 17:3).
And what is it that we are to know about Him? God Himself defines the curriculum. "that I am Yahweh who shows lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth." This is the character of the God we are to know and boast in. First, lovingkindness (hesed). This is His covenant faithfulness, His steadfast, loyal, undeserved love. It is grace. Second, justice (mishpat). This refers to His judgments, His right rulings, His commitment to making things right. It is His fairness. Third, righteousness (tsedeqah). This is His own intrinsic rightness, the moral perfection of His character and actions. It is His goodness. Notice that He exercises these things "on earth." Our God is not a distant, abstract deity. He is actively involved in the affairs of men, displaying His character in real time and space.
The passage concludes with God's own motivation: "for I delight in these things," declares Yahweh. God is not commanding us to value something that He Himself is indifferent to. He is inviting us into His own joy. He delights in His own character. He takes pleasure in displaying His grace, justice, and goodness. Therefore, when we boast in these things, we are aligning our hearts with God's own heart. We are finding our delight where He finds His. This is the essence of true worship.