Confounding the Wise

1 Corinthians 1:27-29 (ESV)

27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being[a] might boast in the presence of God.

In 1 Corinthians 1:20, 27-29, the apostle Paul provides a very powerful word,

Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? But God has chosen the foolish things of the 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.

We are often enamored with what the world considers wise and mighty, but God isn’t. In fact, He chooses things that are foolish and weak, things the world considers insignificant, and things the world even despises, to put to shame the things that people consider wise.

I like how the King James Version states that God does these things to confound the wise.

We need to understand that sometimes God turns human conventional wisdom on its head. And I believe Scripture shows us three ways in which He does that.

First, there are times that God turns conventional wisdom on its head with the people He chooses for His purposes. Second, He will confound human wisdom with the plans He unfolds. Whether they are for your deliverance, or plans to further His kingdom and expand His work.

And then, third, God will truly confound the wise of this world with the pardon that He provides.

Through people, plans, and pardon, God does confound the wise!

Dear Lord, we thank You that we can trust You to be wise and even when we don’t understand we can rest in the fact that You do. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.