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Boasting - Matthew 26
Boasting - Matthew 26
In reading Matthew 26, I was reminded of an old favorite verse of mine: "And the king of Israel answered, “Tell him, ‘Let not him who straps on his armor boast himself as he who takes it off” (1 Kings 20:11). The Syrian King Ben-hadad had threatened to utterly destroy Israel. King Ahab responded with this statement. When the war took place, Ben-hadad was defeated. Boasting is easy, winning is difficult. Proverbs states: Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips” (Prov. 27:1).
When Jesus proclaimed that all the disciples would abandon him and flee, Peter responded: “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away”. Jesus specifically responded by telling Peter that he would indeed deny him not once but three times. Peter then proclaimed: “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” (Matt. 26:33).
Peter wasn’t alone in this, for it states that “… all the disciples said the same” (vs. 35). They should have remembered Ahab’s advice. Boasting is easy but many find the ‘doing’ difficult. They all fled and Peter denied the Lord three times.
There is a common expression today that is quite similar: “Talk is cheap”. Promises are easily made and often difficult or impossible to keep.
The other side to this is that with the Lord there is mercy. Such failure as demonstrated in the apostles need not define us or dictate our future actions. They were restored and went on to be faithful servants of the Lord. John later wrote: "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1John 2:1).
Let us not boast about tomorrow, let us not fret about yesterday, but let us arise and serve the Lord today. Sufficient for the day is the evil there of…
Hugh DeLong
