The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” Psalm 14:1a and 53:1a
Who do you regard as the most intelligent people who have ever lived? What is the benchmark you use to decide? Numerous measuring sticks exist to make such a determination.
For example, money might be a good measure to use. After all, self-made multi-billionaires must be incredibly smart to generate so much wealth. Reading a Who’s Who of the richest people in the United States shows that atheists and agnostics dominate the list. The bottom line is no one will carry a single penny into the next life.
How about philosophers, the great thinkers of history? Many of them fall into the same unbeliever category. When one’s brain quits functioning and is dead as a doornail, how many great thoughts will they have? Will it mean anything then?
Inventors, musicians, writers, etc. show a larger percentage of Christians than the other categories, but there are a number of them who don’t believe in God or acknowledge Him. The most vocal are the ones who have a sense of self-importance and love to publicize their opinions on politics and moral issues. The grave will end their influence.
Now reconsider the original question in light of today’s Bible verse. The extremely wealthy, great philosophers, inventors, musicians, writers, etc. who do not accept the existence of God, they show the exact opposite of intelligence. I submit they are the dumbest people on the planet, because they exchange a temporary (and short!) existence for a permanent (and infinite!) existence separate from God.
Who are the intelligent people? The vast majority are unknowns–the poor Haitian farmer who devotes himself to God, the Syrian Christian who hides to worship under threat of death, the young Ukrainian family that turns to God despite political turmoil, etc. You get the picture. These folks don’t meet the world’s definition of intelligence, but they accept God’s grace for eternal life. They are the smart ones!
Who do you regard as intelligent? Are they really?
Prayer: Teach us, dear God, to think and realize what values and beliefs are truly important. Amen