Page 95 - The MacArthur Daily Bible

TN_01_MacArthur_Bible_Jan.qxd 8/8/03 14:23 Page 76

JANUARY 23
Psalm 12:1–8 2 “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradi-
tion of the elders? For they do not wash their
To the Chief Musician. On an eight-stringed harp.
A Psalm of David. hands when they eat bread.”
3 He answered and said to them, “Why do
elp, LORD, for the godly man ceases! you also transgress the commandment of God
H For the faithful disappear from among because of your tradition? For God com-
4
the sons of men. manded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your
They speak idly everyone with his mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or moth-
2
neighbor; er, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘Who-
5
With flattering lips and a double ever says to his father or mother, “Whatever
heart they speak. profit you might have received from me is a
6
3 gift to God”— then he need not honor his
May the LORD cut off all flattering lips,
And the tongue that speaks proud father or mother.’ Thus you have made the
things, commandment of God of no effect by your tra-
7
4 dition. Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy
Who have said,
“With our tongue we will prevail; about you, saying:
Our lips are our own; 8 ‘These people draw near to Me
Who is lord over us?”
with their mouth,
“For the oppression of the poor, for the And honor Me with their lips,
5
sighing of the needy, But their heart is far from Me.
Now I will arise,” says the LORD; 9 And in vain they worship Me,
“I will set him in the safety for which Teaching as doctrines the
he yearns.” commandments of men.’ ”
6
The words of the LORD are pure words, 10 When He had called the multitude to Him-
Like silver tried in a furnace of earth, self, He said to them, “Hear and understand:
Purified seven times. 11 Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man;
7
You shall keep them, O LORD, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a
You shall preserve them from man.”
this generation forever. 12 Then His disciples came and said to Him,
The wicked prowl on every side,
8 “Do You know that the Pharisees were offend-
When vileness is exalted among the ed when they heard this saying?”
sons of men. 13 But He answered and said, “Every plant
which My heavenly Father has not planted
Proverbs 4:14–17 will be uprooted. Let them alone. They are
14
14 blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind
Do not enter the path of the wicked,
And do not walk in the way of evil. leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”
Avoid it, do not travel on it;
15 15 Then Peter answered and said to Him,
Turn away from it and pass on. “Explain this parable to us.”
16 16 So Jesus said, “Are you also still without
For they do not sleep unless they have
17
done evil; understanding? Do you not yet understand
And their sleep is taken away unless that whatever enters the mouth goes into the
18
they make someone fall. stomach and is eliminated? But those things
For they eat the bread of which proceed out of the mouth come from
17
wickedness, the heart, and they defile a man. For out of
19
And drink the wine of violence. the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders,
adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness,
Matthew 15:1–20
20
blasphemies. These are the things which
Then the scribes and Pharisees who were defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands
15 from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, does not defile a man.”
DAY 23:What were the “traditions of the elders”?
The “tradition of the elders” (Matt. 15:2) was a body of extrabiblical law that had existed only
in oral form and only since the time of the Babylonian captivity. Later it was committed to writing
in the Mishna near the end of the second century.The Law of Moses contained no commandment
about washing one’s hands before eating—except for priests who were required to wash before
eating holy offerings (Lev. 22:6,7).
76