It is interesting seeing these two passages side by side- the Pharisees took God’s perfect law and added to it. It is important to remind ourselves to not add to the Word of God!
I agree that Leviticus is hard to not get lost in the lists of things that require ritual sacrifices. I am encouraged though that even before Jesus came God wanted us to not have any barriers between Him and his people. Once again are sin needed dealing with. Not only does he give them a path of atonement but he also in his great mercy allowed for people who had little to have an avenue of atonement. Instead of a lamb they could bring a pigeon or dove. Praise God and his great Love for us!
The numbers in Leviticus 12 are so important- 7 days waiting before circumcising a male on the 8th day; a woman being unclean for 7 days postpartum and for an additional 33 days after birthing a male child; however, this time doubled to 14 and 66 days after birthing a female child.
It’s early for me to get lost in all of the details, but the main takeaway I had was that sacrifices and rituals allowed the Israelites to consecrate themselves before God because He is holy.
for they preach but do not practice. We must remember as Christians it’s not all about trying to get as many people to know that you believe in God but instead to actually live it out where they can see God through you. this will cause the biggest impact in peoples lives whether they choose to follow God or not at least they will know they have seen God and they have to choose if they will believe or not
This is something that I’ve been struggling with lately and reading this word today and your comment filled my heart. We must be beautiful on the inside above all things and swear by Him that sits on the throne ❤️
I realized today that verse 12:8 is a foreshadowing to Mary and Joseph sacrificing two turtledoves following the birth of Jesus. A reminder that while they had very little, they were given the greatest gift.
“First clean the inside and then the outside will also be clean.” Too often we try to fix our outward appearance/actions without looking inside and realizing that what people can’t see is what actually makes us beautiful children of God
We must act in accordance with God’s will for us. To say we believe but only do it for recognition, makes us hypocrites of all we say we believe in. We are called to be humble servants, not saviors.
Gosh, I really don’t understand why if you gave birth to a girl, you would be unclean twice as long… I know God does not show favoritism, so some of these things just make me wonder.
Also, it may have been for time of healing for the mother. In that day, having a male was very much sought after and some have theorized that having a girl may have created immediate pressure to get pregnant with a boy. The time of purification
can someone explain any of the significance behind the food laws? I’ve never really understood why they weren’t allowed to eat animals with divided hooves or insects at walk on 4 legs.
Hi Shelby! Try watching The Bible Project’s Leviticus video on YouTube. I can’t remember how specific into the food laws it gets, but it was extremely helpful to me in understanding the significance of this book and not glossing over it so much!
It’s so incredibly humbling to read Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees then to read his desire to gather Israel under his wings out of love for his people. He gives such undeserved grace to us and even in his righteous response still showed how much he longed for them to turn from their hypocrisy and sin to Him!
Matt 23:27-28. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
The conviction in these verses really hit me today. Whenever I come across verses about the Pharisees, I find myself looking down on them and thinking that they are too attached to the law as opposed to inner character. Naturally, my thought process leads me to think negatively of them. But how often am I the same way? How often do I forget that God is the one who is supposed to mold me, and instead, I focus on sticking to what’s right and wrong, what’s black and white? I pray that the Lord will help mold me from the inside out and allow him to do so, instead of getting stuck in a mindset of working from the outside in. God doesn’t work like that!!!
Matthew 25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
This verse really spoke to me. So many people are worried about how they appear to the world or even others at church rather how they appear before God. I pray that the inside of my cup be clean and I worry less for the outside for God will help me clean that up in time.
I don’t know that anyone will read this because I am playing “catch up.” I just found the app in July and decided that I wanted to read it all anyway! Lol. BUT, I wanted to throw in what I know about the women being unclean after birth and Julie touched on it too but I had it explained that this was actually a blessing from God. Boys were highly prized and as such, women were given a break from cleaning, cooking and so on when they were “unclean.” Their time of bleeding was actually a break from their every day lives. While being “unclean” sounds negative- it had a very positive spin. When women gave birth to girls, who were less valued, God gave them a longer break which has been speculated as God giving them a chance to recover from birth/sex/chances of getting pregnant again (which the husband would be eager to do to get a boy) and have time to bond with their child. So the sixty six days as unclean was not a punishment but rather an incredible blessing. I take it as God showing us, even then, that we, as women have always been special and valuable to Him. :)
I know I’m behind but I had to share this from bible.org:
In one sense then the whole ceremonial law in Leviticus is obsolete for the Christian. We are interested in the sacrifice of Christ, not in animal sacrifice. But in another sense the levitical rituals are still of immense relevance. It was in terms of these sacrifices that Jesus himself and the early church understood his atoning death. Leviticus provided the theological models for their understanding. If we wish to walk in our Lord’s steps and think his thoughts after him, we must attempt to understand the sacrificial system of Leviticus. It was established by the same God who sent his Son to die for us; and in rediscovering the principles of Old Testament worship written there, we may learn something of the way we should approach a holy God.
I’m behind also, but really appreciate you posting this. It’s really encouraging for me to have this reminder when some of these parts get tedious and harder to connect with.
So cool that God’s law is both demonstrating holiness and being set apart, but also protecting them from diseases spread by dead animals! (Anything the unclean water touches is unclean and all the food is unclean if it touched the dead animal) Love that God is teaching about bacteria/etc. even though that hasn’t been discovered (by humans) yet!
Also, I think about women in the ancient world and how this rule of uncleanliness could have protected vulnerable women to potentially give them a break from a selfish or unloving husband. I love all that info that Julie posted- so neat that God’s wisdom and kindness is confirmed over and over again! =)
I have concentrated more on the Old Testament portion so far. I read everything related to today’s reading and the correlation of the old & new are just so striking! God started with all the rituals he had for His people, His hope for them, their relationship to Him in by being obedient…then Jesus comes and is calling out His people (quite boldly too), calling them out on their outwardly deception, their wicked hearts, and yet… it still finishes with God’s longing for His people and with hope that one day they will wake up and finally say “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”! How sad and amazing! I am so grateful that I don’t have to wait until Jesus returns, to finally claim what the chosen nation, the Israelites, will be claiming… I am grateful for the every day, daily glimpses, of my Father I am already privileged to…for blessed is He who has already come in the name of the Lord, and will be returning one day soon again…and I can’t wait!!
b. She shall continue in the blood of her purification sixty-six days: The longer period of ceremonial uncleanness for the birth of a daughter should not be understood as a penalty. Instead, it is linked to the idea stated in the previous verses – that the time of impurity is for the symbolic responsibility of bringing other sinners into the world. When giving birth to a female, a mother brings a sinner into the world who will bring still other sinners into the world.
i. Some also suggest the longer period of time in connection with the birth of a girl was because girls are usually smaller at birth, and this would allow more time for the mother’s focused care and attention on the child. As well, since sons were more prized, the longer time at home for a mother with a new born girl would force the family to bond more deeply, over a more extended period of time with the new born girl.
Julie, thanks for taking the time to include all the information for us to observe more easily! I appreciate it very much, as I was wondering why the cleansing period was longer for the girls. Great information!!
I don’t think it’s meant to be as a punishment for having a girl. For example, the waiting until the eighth day to circumsize. With modern medicine we now know that the part of your blood that causes it to clot {I’m obviously no medical professional lol} doesn’t “kick in” until a baby is 8 days old. They had no way of knowing that back then but they didn’t need to. God instructs certain things for a reason and they had to trust that. So I would guess there would be a reason. Maybe hormone related? Or maybe women bleed longer after having a girl? Idk. I have all boys.
Ok I found it better written than me trying to just recall from memory:
For centuries scholars must have been perplexed by God’s law of circumcision which required the procedure to be performed on the 8th day after birth (Gen 17:12, 21:14, Lev 12:3, Luke 2:21). Medical researchers recently discovered that the two main blood clotting factors, Vitamin K and Prothrombim, reach their highest level in life, about 110% of normal, on the 8th day after birth. These blood clotting agents facilitate rapid healing and greatly reduce the chance of infection. You can verify with any Obstetrician that the 8th day of life is the ideal time for a circumcision, and that any circumcision done earlier requires an injection of Vitamin K supplement.
This site gives pretty interesting information. Leviticus and other books give such specific details on what to do that seem silly to us but modern society has discovered they actually had great significance in keeping the Israelites healthy and safe. Here’s the rest of what can be found: http://www.bibleevidences.com/medical.htm
I loved today! Chapter 11 was amazing! I loved reading what God permitted edible and what was unclean. It reminded me of Phil Robertson preaching (I love him btw) also Matthew v 26 “Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.”
I’m in complete awe when Jesus speaks in parables. I know that my heart must be pure and with God entirely, and then his light will shine thru on the outside for everyone to see! Love love loved today!
This was a really really good contrast for me to read. Throughout Leviticus, I’ve been juggling questions like “why does God have all of these rules?” And “why was God so hard to experience back then?” And also just struggling with the application (or lack their of?) of these Old Testament Laws in a New Testament time. But today….such a stark contrast is set up for us. We see all the rules God laid out. We see the step by step instructions that so many people got caught up in trying to follow. The Pharisees followed every law to the tee. But they forgot why they were doing it. In all of their religion, they lost God. I think that is why Jesus was so controversial, and why they hated him so much. He reminded them of their insufficiencies. I think that God laid out all of these laws for the Israelites so that His presence would saturate their entire livelihood, but, like all of us, they messed up. Jesus came, and he reminded us all of the true purpose, the true nature of God. He just wants us to be in a relationship with him. He wants us to come willingly and sacrificially. He could care less about the state of your hair, jeans, tattoos, food choices. God just wants a heart completely focused on Him!
Great points Ashley…the last sentence you noted is dead on!! God has showed me so much in the past years, how to stop judging on the outside, but focus on the inside…
Verse 39 in Matthew refers to psalm 118..I found it to be very interesting to read that psalm and then connect that to Him using that verse to close his point. It’s like he is warning them that they are about to miss the same glory of the Lord that they have been anticipating..
I’m finding myself reading a lot of this and thinking, “Oh I’m good. Yep my heart is right. I’m totally confident of that,” and instead, thinking of others who I feel certain passages relate to (v. 26 that Lydia mentioned). My prayer today is that I would have my own sin revealed to me so that I could take the plank out of my own eye, repent of that sin, and stop thinking that I know the hearts of others. I do know that I genuinely have a heart for the Lord but I want to quit focusing on the outward holiness/inward ugliness of certain others in my life–that’s God’s job to judge, not mine.
This is my challenge too. Reminds me of the Pharisee in the temple who was glad he wasn’t like the tax collector, and the tax collector who asked for mercy. So easy for us to fall into the trap of Pharisaism and miss the plank in our own eye. I know I take it to the point of thinking of other people I know and thinking those are ‘their’ Pharisee problems, rather than examining my own heart. Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.
Matthew 23:5 “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments”. All of their religion was external. They did what was expected of men in their position. They were so determined to fully meet the requirements of the law. To prove their worthiness to God. But the Gospel had not touched their hearts. They knew nothing of the true purpose of the law. They knew nothing of the true nature of God. How often do I do the same thing? I want to “keep the rules”. I try. And then I get so frustrated when I fail. Over and over again. But have I been truly changed by the Gospel? Or is it all a show? What is “expected of me”.
I like this verse because it contrasts with the Old Testament versus about sacrifice. It is not the act of sacrifice that saves, but the meaning behind the sacrifice
When the Pharisees show up in the Scriptures, I always tend to have a heart-check. I have been a part of so many circumstances and have made so many choices that echo theirs. Oh the blood of Jesus! He is the healer of our hearts!
I love verse 26 in connection with the Law — the Law that spoke of touching an unclean thing and becoming unclean, has made its fulfillment in Christ. He is the one who gives living water that purifies the inside of the cup; the same one who invites us to touch unclean things now, pour out His living water, and watch them become honorable vessels by His death and resurrection.
26 ‘You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.
Even in the middle of all of Jesus’ words of judgment, he still shows his heart of love for Israel. “How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” I don’t want to be so stubborn that the Lord can’t gather me under His wings. I need that kind of love and care.
It’s great to see all the rules the Pharisees are supposed to follow and are not
❤️❤️yes! These verses resonated with me also.
It is interesting seeing these two passages side by side- the Pharisees took God’s perfect law and added to it. It is important to remind ourselves to not add to the Word of God!
I agree that Leviticus is hard to not get lost in the lists of things that require ritual sacrifices. I am encouraged though that even before Jesus came God wanted us to not have any barriers between Him and his people. Once again are sin needed dealing with. Not only does he give them a path of atonement but he also in his great mercy allowed for people who had little to have an avenue of atonement. Instead of a lamb they could bring a pigeon or dove. Praise God and his great Love for us!
❤️
The numbers in Leviticus 12 are so important- 7 days waiting before circumcising a male on the 8th day; a woman being unclean for 7 days postpartum and for an additional 33 days after birthing a male child; however, this time doubled to 14 and 66 days after birthing a female child.
It’s early for me to get lost in all of the details, but the main takeaway I had was that sacrifices and rituals allowed the Israelites to consecrate themselves before God because He is holy.
❤️
God is concerned with the things of the heart
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for they preach but do not practice. We must remember as Christians it’s not all about trying to get as many people to know that you believe in God but instead to actually live it out where they can see God through you. this will cause the biggest impact in peoples lives whether they choose to follow God or not at least they will know they have seen God and they have to choose if they will believe or not
This is something that I’ve been struggling with lately and reading this word today and your comment filled my heart. We must be beautiful on the inside above all things and swear by Him that sits on the throne ❤️
39For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
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✅
✔️
❤️
I realized today that verse 12:8 is a foreshadowing to Mary and Joseph sacrificing two turtledoves following the birth of Jesus. A reminder that while they had very little, they were given the greatest gift.
Yes! This point was brought out in the Bible Recap podcast. I highly recommend it!
❤️ I’ve been listening to the Bible Recap. It’s helping so much with the laws and my understanding of the Bible.
“First clean the inside and then the outside will also be clean.” Too often we try to fix our outward appearance/actions without looking inside and realizing that what people can’t see is what actually makes us beautiful children of God
We must act in accordance with God’s will for us. To say we believe but only do it for recognition, makes us hypocrites of all we say we believe in. We are called to be humble servants, not saviors.
“And the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.” -ellie
Praise God for such mercy that extends compassion even to Jerusalem as she continuously hated God’s messengers.
Oh lord, clean my heart. We look out at outside and compare ourselves to others. Wash me inside and make me new
Gosh, I really don’t understand why if you gave birth to a girl, you would be unclean twice as long… I know God does not show favoritism, so some of these things just make me wonder.
I’m struggling to understand that, too!
Did you notice that the boys were unclean for 33 days.. Jesus was 33 when he died at the cross… and was our sacrifice for our sin…
I don’t know but maybe it shadows that?
Cool!
Woah! I’ve been studying the Bible a long time and never noticed thAt!!
Also, it may have been for time of healing for the mother. In that day, having a male was very much sought after and some have theorized that having a girl may have created immediate pressure to get pregnant with a boy. The time of purification
Love all the detail on the clean/unclean animals. If God is in all of those details, how much MORE is He in the details of our lives!
can someone explain any of the significance behind the food laws? I’ve never really understood why they weren’t allowed to eat animals with divided hooves or insects at walk on 4 legs.
Hi Shelby! Try watching The Bible Project’s Leviticus video on YouTube. I can’t remember how specific into the food laws it gets, but it was extremely helpful to me in understanding the significance of this book and not glossing over it so much!
thanks so much stephanie! I’ll totally check it out!:)
Yeah I found it helpful too!
Me, too! Thank you.
It’s so incredibly humbling to read Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees then to read his desire to gather Israel under his wings out of love for his people. He gives such undeserved grace to us and even in his righteous response still showed how much he longed for them to turn from their hypocrisy and sin to Him!
Matt 23:27-28. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
The conviction in these verses really hit me today. Whenever I come across verses about the Pharisees, I find myself looking down on them and thinking that they are too attached to the law as opposed to inner character. Naturally, my thought process leads me to think negatively of them. But how often am I the same way? How often do I forget that God is the one who is supposed to mold me, and instead, I focus on sticking to what’s right and wrong, what’s black and white? I pray that the Lord will help mold me from the inside out and allow him to do so, instead of getting stuck in a mindset of working from the outside in. God doesn’t work like that!!!
Matthew 25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
This verse really spoke to me. So many people are worried about how they appear to the world or even others at church rather how they appear before God. I pray that the inside of my cup be clean and I worry less for the outside for God will help me clean that up in time.
The “inside of my cup” has been a bit murky lately, full of anxiety & doubt. I’ll be with you praying for our cups to be clean from the inside – out!
Amen! Me too Angie…
I don’t know that anyone will read this because I am playing “catch up.” I just found the app in July and decided that I wanted to read it all anyway! Lol. BUT, I wanted to throw in what I know about the women being unclean after birth and Julie touched on it too but I had it explained that this was actually a blessing from God. Boys were highly prized and as such, women were given a break from cleaning, cooking and so on when they were “unclean.” Their time of bleeding was actually a break from their every day lives. While being “unclean” sounds negative- it had a very positive spin. When women gave birth to girls, who were less valued, God gave them a longer break which has been speculated as God giving them a chance to recover from birth/sex/chances of getting pregnant again (which the husband would be eager to do to get a boy) and have time to bond with their child. So the sixty six days as unclean was not a punishment but rather an incredible blessing. I take it as God showing us, even then, that we, as women have always been special and valuable to Him. :)
I am behind as well☺️ Thanks for posting this, I had never thought of it this way!
Thank you for sharing Kristen! And Julie!
That is an excellent point – I have been struggling with understanding why there was such a difference between having a boy vs having a girl.
Beautiful insight-thank you Kristen
Thank you for sharing! I was definitely wondering about this!
I never thought of that perspective. Thanks for sharingsharing
Love this!!
I know I’m behind but I had to share this from bible.org:
In one sense then the whole ceremonial law in Leviticus is obsolete for the Christian. We are interested in the sacrifice of Christ, not in animal sacrifice. But in another sense the levitical rituals are still of immense relevance. It was in terms of these sacrifices that Jesus himself and the early church understood his atoning death. Leviticus provided the theological models for their understanding. If we wish to walk in our Lord’s steps and think his thoughts after him, we must attempt to understand the sacrificial system of Leviticus. It was established by the same God who sent his Son to die for us; and in rediscovering the principles of Old Testament worship written there, we may learn something of the way we should approach a holy God.
I’m behind also, but really appreciate you posting this. It’s really encouraging for me to have this reminder when some of these parts get tedious and harder to connect with.
So cool that God’s law is both demonstrating holiness and being set apart, but also protecting them from diseases spread by dead animals! (Anything the unclean water touches is unclean and all the food is unclean if it touched the dead animal) Love that God is teaching about bacteria/etc. even though that hasn’t been discovered (by humans) yet!
Also, I think about women in the ancient world and how this rule of uncleanliness could have protected vulnerable women to potentially give them a break from a selfish or unloving husband. I love all that info that Julie posted- so neat that God’s wisdom and kindness is confirmed over and over again! =)
I have concentrated more on the Old Testament portion so far. I read everything related to today’s reading and the correlation of the old & new are just so striking! God started with all the rituals he had for His people, His hope for them, their relationship to Him in by being obedient…then Jesus comes and is calling out His people (quite boldly too), calling them out on their outwardly deception, their wicked hearts, and yet… it still finishes with God’s longing for His people and with hope that one day they will wake up and finally say “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”! How sad and amazing! I am so grateful that I don’t have to wait until Jesus returns, to finally claim what the chosen nation, the Israelites, will be claiming… I am grateful for the every day, daily glimpses, of my Father I am already privileged to…for blessed is He who has already come in the name of the Lord, and will be returning one day soon again…and I can’t wait!!
Here’s something else I found:
b. She shall continue in the blood of her purification sixty-six days: The longer period of ceremonial uncleanness for the birth of a daughter should not be understood as a penalty. Instead, it is linked to the idea stated in the previous verses – that the time of impurity is for the symbolic responsibility of bringing other sinners into the world. When giving birth to a female, a mother brings a sinner into the world who will bring still other sinners into the world.
i. Some also suggest the longer period of time in connection with the birth of a girl was because girls are usually smaller at birth, and this would allow more time for the mother’s focused care and attention on the child. As well, since sons were more prized, the longer time at home for a mother with a new born girl would force the family to bond more deeply, over a more extended period of time with the new born girl.
Julie, thanks for taking the time to include all the information for us to observe more easily! I appreciate it very much, as I was wondering why the cleansing period was longer for the girls. Great information!!
My pleasure :) i wish it were a more definitive answer, but I guess we’ll just add it to the list of questions we have for when we get to heaven!
Julie this is all so helpful..thank you!!
Thank you for posting this, I was wondering the same exact thing!
Thanks for that research Julie!
I don’t think it’s meant to be as a punishment for having a girl. For example, the waiting until the eighth day to circumsize. With modern medicine we now know that the part of your blood that causes it to clot {I’m obviously no medical professional lol} doesn’t “kick in” until a baby is 8 days old. They had no way of knowing that back then but they didn’t need to. God instructs certain things for a reason and they had to trust that. So I would guess there would be a reason. Maybe hormone related? Or maybe women bleed longer after having a girl? Idk. I have all boys.
Ok I found it better written than me trying to just recall from memory:
For centuries scholars must have been perplexed by God’s law of circumcision which required the procedure to be performed on the 8th day after birth (Gen 17:12, 21:14, Lev 12:3, Luke 2:21). Medical researchers recently discovered that the two main blood clotting factors, Vitamin K and Prothrombim, reach their highest level in life, about 110% of normal, on the 8th day after birth. These blood clotting agents facilitate rapid healing and greatly reduce the chance of infection. You can verify with any Obstetrician that the 8th day of life is the ideal time for a circumcision, and that any circumcision done earlier requires an injection of Vitamin K supplement.
This site gives pretty interesting information. Leviticus and other books give such specific details on what to do that seem silly to us but modern society has discovered they actually had great significance in keeping the Israelites healthy and safe. Here’s the rest of what can be found: http://www.bibleevidences.com/medical.htm
Does anyone have any insight on why women seemed to be reprimanded for having girls?!? It almost seems like child birth is a sin!
I posted my little bit of insight below :)
I loved today! Chapter 11 was amazing! I loved reading what God permitted edible and what was unclean. It reminded me of Phil Robertson preaching (I love him btw) also Matthew v 26 “Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.”
I’m in complete awe when Jesus speaks in parables. I know that my heart must be pure and with God entirely, and then his light will shine thru on the outside for everyone to see! Love love loved today!
Parables are indeed amazing! I love how one parable can have multiple things to ponder on, applying differently for every person…
Does anyone of you Ladies know, why the birth of a girl is “punished” harder than that of a boy? I just don’t understand where the difference is?!
I posted below a few things I found :)
Thank you so much, Julie!
This was a really really good contrast for me to read. Throughout Leviticus, I’ve been juggling questions like “why does God have all of these rules?” And “why was God so hard to experience back then?” And also just struggling with the application (or lack their of?) of these Old Testament Laws in a New Testament time. But today….such a stark contrast is set up for us. We see all the rules God laid out. We see the step by step instructions that so many people got caught up in trying to follow. The Pharisees followed every law to the tee. But they forgot why they were doing it. In all of their religion, they lost God. I think that is why Jesus was so controversial, and why they hated him so much. He reminded them of their insufficiencies. I think that God laid out all of these laws for the Israelites so that His presence would saturate their entire livelihood, but, like all of us, they messed up. Jesus came, and he reminded us all of the true purpose, the true nature of God. He just wants us to be in a relationship with him. He wants us to come willingly and sacrificially. He could care less about the state of your hair, jeans, tattoos, food choices. God just wants a heart completely focused on Him!
Great points Ashley…the last sentence you noted is dead on!! God has showed me so much in the past years, how to stop judging on the outside, but focus on the inside…
Wow! So insightful
Verse 39 in Matthew refers to psalm 118..I found it to be very interesting to read that psalm and then connect that to Him using that verse to close his point. It’s like he is warning them that they are about to miss the same glory of the Lord that they have been anticipating..
I’m finding myself reading a lot of this and thinking, “Oh I’m good. Yep my heart is right. I’m totally confident of that,” and instead, thinking of others who I feel certain passages relate to (v. 26 that Lydia mentioned). My prayer today is that I would have my own sin revealed to me so that I could take the plank out of my own eye, repent of that sin, and stop thinking that I know the hearts of others. I do know that I genuinely have a heart for the Lord but I want to quit focusing on the outward holiness/inward ugliness of certain others in my life–that’s God’s job to judge, not mine.
This is my challenge too. Reminds me of the Pharisee in the temple who was glad he wasn’t like the tax collector, and the tax collector who asked for mercy. So easy for us to fall into the trap of Pharisaism and miss the plank in our own eye. I know I take it to the point of thinking of other people I know and thinking those are ‘their’ Pharisee problems, rather than examining my own heart. Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.
Matthew 23:5 “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments”. All of their religion was external. They did what was expected of men in their position. They were so determined to fully meet the requirements of the law. To prove their worthiness to God. But the Gospel had not touched their hearts. They knew nothing of the true purpose of the law. They knew nothing of the true nature of God. How often do I do the same thing? I want to “keep the rules”. I try. And then I get so frustrated when I fail. Over and over again. But have I been truly changed by the Gospel? Or is it all a show? What is “expected of me”.
I struggle with this too. Oh Lord help us to surrender all to you. To know you and be known by you. Amen
I like this verse because it contrasts with the Old Testament versus about sacrifice. It is not the act of sacrifice that saves, but the meaning behind the sacrifice
amen!!
This is exactly what I was thinking on this one!!! I love how it brings so much meaning to the sacrifices made!
19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
Isn’t that an interesting verse after reading all we did about the altar and sacrifices?
When the Pharisees show up in the Scriptures, I always tend to have a heart-check. I have been a part of so many circumstances and have made so many choices that echo theirs. Oh the blood of Jesus! He is the healer of our hearts!
I love verse 26 in connection with the Law — the Law that spoke of touching an unclean thing and becoming unclean, has made its fulfillment in Christ. He is the one who gives living water that purifies the inside of the cup; the same one who invites us to touch unclean things now, pour out His living water, and watch them become honorable vessels by His death and resurrection.
26 ‘You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.
Great connection! Thank you!
PTLJ for his love ultimately demonstrated on the cross.
Even in the middle of all of Jesus’ words of judgment, he still shows his heart of love for Israel. “How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” I don’t want to be so stubborn that the Lord can’t gather me under His wings. I need that kind of love and care.