As I was meditating on a Bible passage this morning, I was reminded of my school days. I remembered, especially two teachers.

One of them wrote the text, gave it to the class, explained the theme and pointed out all the subjects on the whiteboard. Afterwards, he gave a test on top of what he had just taught. However, the answers to the questions, that the students had to answer, were all on the board. They just had to look at the board and copy the answers.

Another teacher did the same thing, only using another method, which she called an open-book test. She gave the questions and the students could look up the answers in the book.

I thought that was so unfair. Because, modesty aside, I was always a very diligent student, who paid attention in class, sat at the front of the class, and did my homework, and everything so that I could do well on the test. So when the teacher gave a test like this, it insulted my effort and intelligence.

Why did I remember this, this morning? Look what is written in Isaiah 42:25:

Therefore He has poured on him the fury of His anger and the strength of battle; it has set him on fire all around, yet he did not know; and it burned him, yet he did not take it to heart.

The people were experiencing Divine wrath, they were literally in the midst of the fire.

Despite all the events around them, they weren’t paying attention to what it all meant. They needed God to write on the board, for God to show without them using intelligence or reasoning, what all those signs meant to them:

“You are ignoring My voice, My advice, you are following the advice of your own heart, following other advice, but not Mine, so you are suffering. Hey, wake up! Wake up!”

That’s what God was talking about. But in the midst of all that they didn’t pay attention to that.

This speaks to an indifferent, blind attitude toward the signs God gives to speak to us. God doesn’t insult our intelligence, He created us as intelligent beings.

So what does He expect us to do with this brain He’s given us? What does He expect us to do with this machine so powerful and intelligent as no other? At the very least, let us use this intelligence.

If you cheat on your wife, what do you think will happen to your marriage and your family? Do you need to write on the board what will happen if you continue down this path? Does it need to insult your intelligence because you don’t pay attention to the things that are happening around you and don’t see what God is trying to tell you?

Jesus used to say, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear…”

Everyone has ears, but not everyone hears. Many have hearing senses but not ears to hear. Many have eyes but no vision.

In the previous message, we said that God calls us to consider our past. In other words, using intelligence. “What I’ve been doing? ” “Where have I been, has it had the effect I want?” “Am I getting where I want to go or is this taking me further away from where I want to go?”

It is this intelligence that God expects from us. The intelligence to say: “I don’t need to make a mistake twice, the first time is enough”. Or even better: “I don’t need to make mistakes to learn, I can look at who has already made mistakes. I don’t need to repeat that person’s mistake because I already know what’s going to happen.”

I always thought young people don’t need to go out into the world making the same mistakes as other young people to find out that the world is not worth it, these young people are smarter than average. I have always admired these young people. Because there are many, even raised in the church, in a good family, with good principles, who reach adolescence and say to their parents: “I want to make my mistakes”, “I want to live my life”, “Let me make a mistake so I know”. It is the height of stupidity.

Then go! Let life draw for you on the whiteboard. But life is not going to be the same as a good teacher in my school days! Life will teach you with a blow under the belt. And if you survive, maybe you’ll learn your lesson.