Jeremiah 9:23–24 cuts straight across the way the world measures worth, success, and identity:
“This is what the LORD says:
‘Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches,
but let the one who boasts boast about this:
that they have the understanding to know Me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,’
declares the LORD.”
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In a culture where people advertise themselves by what they know, what they can do, or what they own, the LORD speaks a different word. He does not deny that wisdom, strength, and resources have value. But He refuses to let them be the center of our boast. Real boasting, He says, belongs in one place alone:
“…that they have the understanding to know Me.”
This is not a shallow, casual knowing. The Hebrew idea is deep, relational knowledge — knowing Him personally, trusting His character, walking with Him. The true treasure is not being impressive before people; it is knowing the LORD who delights in steadfast love, justice, and righteousness.
The verse names three common foundations of human pride:
- Wisdom — intelligence, education, the ability to analyze and solve.
- Strength — power, influence, physical ability, capacity to achieve.
- Riches — wealth, security, access, options.
These are the things we tend to display, post about, or quietly lean on for identity. Jeremiah does not say they are evil; he says they are unfit as ultimate boasts. They are fragile, temporary, and easily misused.
By contrast, the LORD calls us to boast in something profoundly different:
- Not: “Look at what I have,”
- But: “Look at the God I know.”
He describes Himself as the One who “exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth.” His kindness (steadfast love) means He is not cold or indifferent; He is faithful and covenant-keeping. His justice means He does not ignore evil or trample the oppressed. His righteousness means everything He does is morally straight and pure.
And then comes a stunning line:
“…for in these I delight,” declares the LORD.
The LORD is not reluctantly loving, accidentally just, or occasionally righteous. He delights in these things. They are not only what He does; they are who He is. To know Him truly is to discover a God whose heart is steady love, real justice, and perfect righteousness.
Jeremiah 9:23–24 gently but firmly asks: What am I really boasting in? Where do I quietly rest my identity? What, if lost, would make me feel like I no longer matter?
The verse does not merely tell us to feel guilty about our achievements. It invites us to shift the center of our glory — from ourselves to the LORD. ✨
Knowing God in the Bigger Story of Redemption
Jeremiah spoke these words into a nation drunk on false security. Judah took pride in its temple, its wisdom, its alliances, and its religious heritage, even while turning from the LORD’s ways. Outwardly, they still carried God’s Name. Inwardly, they chased idols, exploited the vulnerable, and trusted human power.
In that context, Jeremiah 9:23–24 lands as both a rebuke and a mercy:
- A rebuke because the people boasted in everything but the LORD Himself.
- A mercy because God was still calling them back to what was real.
God had warned them through prophets, called them to repent, and exposed the emptiness of their idols. Now He goes deeper than behavior and touches the core question of glory: What do you celebrate? Where is your boast?
Throughout the Old Testament, the LORD keeps drawing a line between human boasting and holy boasting:
- “Let the one who boasts boast in the LORD” becomes a pattern thought.
- The proud nations boast in chariots, horses, kings, and idols — and fall.
- The faithful remnant learns to say, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the Name of the LORD our God.”
You can see the contrast in this kind of pattern:
| Human Boast in Jeremiah’s Day | The LORD’s Call in Jeremiah 9:23–24 |
|---|---|
| “We are wise; we have the law.” | Do not boast in wisdom. |
| “We are strong; we have armies.” | Do not boast in strength. |
| “We are rich; we have wealth and trade.” | Do not boast in riches. |
| “We belong to the covenant God.” (but with hard hearts) | Boast in truly knowing Me and My character. |
Jeremiah 9 anticipates something the New Testament will make even clearer: human boasting must die so grace can be seen for what it is.
The apostle Paul picks up this very language. In 1 Corinthians 1, he says that God chose the weak, foolish, and lowly things so that “no one may boast before Him.” Then he quotes the older pattern:
“Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
And in Philippians 3, Paul lists his own impressive spiritual résumé — heritage, zeal, law-keeping — and then calls it loss compared with knowing Christ. His boast shifts: from “what I have done for God” to “whom I know, and what He has done for me.”
In Christ, Jeremiah 9:23–24 is fulfilled and deepened:
- The kindness (steadfast love) of the LORD is embodied in Jesus laying down His life for sinners.
- The justice of the LORD is revealed at the cross, where sin is truly judged.
- The righteousness of the LORD is given to believers as a gift, not earned by law-keeping.
Because of Jesus, knowing God is no longer a vague spiritual aim. Eternal life is defined like this:
“…that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.”
The ultimate boast becomes:
- Not “I have kept the law,” but “I am known and loved by the LORD through Christ.”
- Not “I built my life on my wisdom, strength, and riches,” but “I found my life in knowing Him who delights in steadfast love, justice, and righteousness.”
At the end of the story, in Revelation, the songs of Heaven are not about human achievements. They are about the Lamb who was slain, who ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. All boasting gathers around Him.
Jeremiah 9:23–24, then, is not just an Old Testament morality warning. It is a signpost pointing forward to the Christ-centered boast that will last forever:
“Let the one who boasts boast in the LORD.” 🙌
Learning to Boast in the LORD in Everyday Life
In the life of a believer, Jeremiah 9:23–24 presses right into how we see ourselves, talk about ourselves, and measure our lives.
By default, our hearts drift toward the old boasts:
- Wisdom — “I am valuable because I am smart, insightful, or educated.”
- Strength — “I matter because I can produce results, lead, or perform.”
- Riches — “I am secure because I have savings, income, or status.”
These things can become quiet idols — not necessarily in what we say out loud, but in what we feel when they are threatened or removed. When the grade drops, the job changes, the influence shrinks, or the finances tighten, we suddenly feel exposed. Our boast has been touched.
Jeremiah 9:23–24 does not tell you to despise learning, diligence, or provision. It tells you to relocate your boast.
Instead of living from:
- “Look at what I can do,”
- “Look at what I know,”
- “Look at what I own,”
you begin to live from:
- “Look at the LORD I know — the One who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth.”
Practically, boasting in the LORD looks like:
- Quietly thanking Him rather than silently congratulating yourself.
- Speaking more often about His faithfulness than about your own achievements.
- Letting your peace rest in His character when your abilities feel small.
- Holding your strengths and resources as stewardships, not identities.
In daily life, you may notice things like this:
| Old Boast Pattern | New Boast in the LORD |
|---|---|
| “If people see my success, I’m okay.” | “If the LORD knows me and I know Him, I’m secure.” |
| “Losing this role would ruin me.” | “Losing roles hurts, but it cannot remove His love.” |
| “I feel superior because I understand more.” | “Any insight I have is a gift from the LORD.” |
| “My worth rises and falls with performance.” | “My worth rests in being loved and known by Him.” |
This shift is not instant. The LORD, in His kindness, often uses loss, weakness, and limits to loosen our grip on lesser boasts and move us into something freer.
- When wisdom is not enough to fix a situation, you discover the God whose understanding has no limit.
- When your strength runs out, you learn that His power is made perfect in weakness.
- When riches prove unstable, you discover the treasure of knowing Christ that cannot be taken.
Jeremiah 9:23–24 also shapes how you share your story with others. Instead of using testimony as a way to subtly highlight yourself, you begin to highlight Him:
- “He held me when I had no answers.”
- “He provided when I could not see a way forward.”
- “He corrected me and rescued me from my own pride.”
- “He showed me that His steadfast love is better than life.”
Over time, this produces a different kind of presence in the world. You may still work hard, study deeply, build wisely, and handle resources well. But the shine is not on you; it is on the LORD. People encounter in you a kind of settled humility — not self-hatred, but a gladness that the story is not centered on your greatness.
And there is deep rest here. When your boast is in the LORD, you are free from the exhausting need to continually prove yourself. You can admit weakness, ask for help, and grow, because your identity is not hanging on always being the strongest, the smartest, or the most successful.
For the believer wrestling with envy — “Why do they have more? Why are they noticed and I am not?” — Jeremiah 9:23–24 offers a gentle but powerful reorientation: what you have in knowing the LORD is infinitely greater than what you lack in human comparison.
For the believer haunted by failure — “I ruined my chance to matter; I have nothing to show” — this verse says: Your deepest boast is not in a clean track record, but in a gracious God who delights in steadfast love, justice, and righteousness — and who has drawn you to know Him.
One day, when you stand in the presence of the LORD, you will not wish you had boasted more in your wisdom, strength, or riches. You will see clearly that the real treasure all along was this: that you were given “the understanding to know” Him — the LORD who delights to do good, who judges rightly, and who covers you in the righteousness of His Son.
Resting in the God Who Becomes Our Only Boast
Keep Exploring God’s Word on This Theme
If this verse spoke to you, these related passages will help you keep going deeper into who Christ is and what it means to trust Him.
• John 3:16 Meaning — For God So Loved the World
(https://goodchristiannetwork.com/2025/12/10/john-316-meaning-for-god-so-loved-the-world/)
• Romans 8:28 Meaning — All Things Work Together for Good
(https://goodchristiannetwork.com/2025/12/10/romans-828-meaning-all-things-work-together-for-good/)
• Psalm 23:1 Meaning — “The LORD Is My Shepherd”
(https://goodchristiannetwork.com/2025/12/10/psalm-231-meaning-the-lord-is-my-shepherd/)
When you need encouragement to keep trusting and resting in the LORD:
• Proverbs 3:5–6 Meaning — “Trust in the LORD With All Your Heart”
(https://goodchristiannetwork.com/2025/12/12/proverbs-35-6-meaning-trust-in-the-lord-with-all-your-heart/)
• Matthew 11:28 Meaning — “Come to Me, All Who Are Weary”
(https://goodchristiannetwork.com/2025/12/17/matthew-1128-meaning-come-to-me-all-who-are-weary/)
And for a closely connected passage that keeps your eyes on grace, not works:
• Galatians 2:16 Meaning — Justified by Faith, Not by Works of the Law
(https://goodchristiannetwork.com/2025/12/21/galatians-216-meaning-justified-by-faith-not-by-works-of-the-law/)
Books by Drew Higgins
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