What do you have that you did not receive?

This morning my monthly prayer journey through the Psalms brought me to Psalm 44:3 “Not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm give them victory; but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your countenance.” That reminded me of these other passages that express this central biblical but profoundly counter-cultural principle.

Deuteronomy 8:17-18

Do not say to yourself, “My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth.

1 Corinthians 4:7

What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?

That theme is reflected in a number of Psalms and woven through the entire biblical narrative.

Psalm 20:7 “Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God.”

Psalm 33:16-17 “A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save.”

Psalm 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”

Psalm 146:3,5,7 “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. … Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, … who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry.” 

Zechariah 4:6 “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”