Thus saith the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his
wisdom,
&c.] Not in his natural wisdom, or knowledge of natural
things: this is often but an appearance of wisdom, and is science
falsely so called; and whatever is real of this kind is of God;
and the best falls short of leading men to a true and saving
knowledge of God; the foolishness of God is wiser than it; and it
is made foolish, destroyed, and brought to nought by him: nor in
evangelical wisdom and knowledge; not in that which is less
common, or what fits men for public usefulness, as ministerial
gifts; for such are received from above; are more for the use of
others than a man's self; there is something better than these,
which a man may not have, and yet have these, which is grace;
those may fade, or be taken away; and a man have them, and be
lost eternally: nor in that which is more general, speculative
knowledge of Gospel truths; for if it is attended with conceit,
it is little or nothing that a man knows; if he is proud of it,
his knowledge is not sanctified; and it is no other than what the
devils themselves have: nor in that which is more special; wisdom
in the inward part, or a spiritual and saving knowledge of God in
Christ; this a man has wholly of free grace, and should give the
praise and glory of it to God, and not attribute it to himself:
neither let the mighty man glory in his might;
not in his natural might or strength; this is of God, and is
greater in some of the brutes than in men; and is what God can
take away, and does often weaken it in the way by diseases, and
at last destroys it by death; nor in moral strength, or in the
power of free will; which is very weak and insufficient to do
anything that is spiritually good: nor even in spiritual
strength; this is from Christ; it is only through him
strengthening his people that they do what they do; and all
supplies and increase of it are from him; and therefore no room
for glorying: let not the rich man glory in his
riches;
these come of the hand of God, and are what he can take away at
pleasure; they are very uncertain and precarious things; there is
a better and more enduring substance; these cannot profit in a
day of wrath, nor deliver from death, corporeal, spiritual, or
eternal. And the intention of the words here is to show, that
neither the wise man with all his art and cunning, nor the mighty
man by his strength, nor the rich man through his riches, could
save themselves from the destruction before prophesied of. The
Targum paraphrases them thus,
``thus saith the Lord, let not Solomon the son of David the wise man praise (or please himself) in his wisdom; nor let Samson the son of Manoah the mighty man please himself in his might; nor let Ahab the son of Omri the rich man please himself in his riches.''