Sunday, September 27, 2020

Intro to "The Perversion of Rabbinic Tradition" (Matt. 5:43)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/27/2020 8:29 PM

 

My Worship Time                                    Focus:  Intro to “The Perversion of Rabbinic Tradition”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Matthew 5:43

 

            Message of the verse:  43 "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

 

            We will just be looking at the introduction to this topic this evening and then we will take several days to look at two sub-points this topic.  The first one is entitled “Perversion by Omission” and the second is entitled “Perversion by Addition.”

 

            Introduction:  We will quote from John MacArthur to help us understand this introduction.  “As in each of the first five preceding illustrations, Jesus repeats the essence of the contemporary traditional teaching, in this case the teaching about love.  Love, said the ancients, was to be reserved for those you get along with.  Enemies were to be hated.”

 

            All I got to say about that teaching is that I am totally happy that God does not do that to me, for I certainly was an enemy of God the very second that I was born, and even though that was true God loved me and still loves me to which I am very thankful.

 

            We have to believe that the Pharisees message had to come from Satan and his perversion of God’s revelation almost always touch on the truth at some point as he always has a little truth and that makes deception more believable and acceptable.  History tells us that the rabbis and scribes had kept a part of God’s truth about love.  We have already spoke of “You shall love your neighbor,” and this is clear teaching that comes from the Old Testament.  Leviticus 19:18 tells us “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.”

 

            MacArthur concludes “In spite of such clear revelation, rabbinic tradition had perverted Old Testament teaching both by what was omitted and by what was added.”

 

9/27/2020 8:42 PM   

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