SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/14/2022 11:07 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-1 “The Sabbath Does Not Restrict
Acts of Mercy”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew
12:7-8
Message of the
verses: “7
“But if you had known what this means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A
SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 “For the Son of Man is
Lord of the Sabbath.’”
We begin today’s SD by looking at
Jesus’ third point regarding the Sabbath, which is that its observance was
never meant to restrict acts of mercy.
The Pharisees should have known this truth, if they understood and
honored Scripture, which is something that they prided themselves on, but all I
can say that if you are not a true believer when you read the Scriptures you
are reading someone else’s mail.
They did not really understand what
the Lord was saying to them “I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE.’” If they would have know about this they “would
not have condemned the innocent,” for supposed breaking of the Sabbath. MacArthur adds “That one truth alone—a quotation
of by one half of one verse from the book of Hosea (6:6a)—would have been
sufficient to teach the Pharisees, and any sincere Jew, what God’s primary
desire was for His people.” In my
opinion the Pharisees did not truly know God, and did not take the time to know
God, and I believe that this is a great problem in the church today. If you don’t know God, and you can know God
by knowing His attributes, you will not truly understand the Scriptures.
Now as we look at the word “Sacrifice”
this represents the entire Mosaic system of ritual and ceremony, which was
always of secondary and temporary importance in God’s plan. MacArthur explains “Sacrifice was never more
than symbolic, a means pointing to God’s gracious and future provision of what
no man, and certainly no animal, could provide.
“Observing the Sabbath was a kind of
‘sacrifice,’ a symbolic service to the Lord in obedience to His command. It was a reminder of God’s completion of
creation and a shadow of the perfect rest His redeemed people look forward to
in salvation and in heaven.
“Even under the old covenant that
required it, Sabbath observance was not a substitute for the heart
righteousness and ‘compassion’ that characterize God’s faithful children. God is merciful, and He commands His people
to be merciful.” Now here we see one of
the attributes of God, showing that He is a merciful God. I realize that He is also just, and
wrath. God’s attributes are what His
character is all about. They all work
together to show us who He really is. I
am not sure how God being just and also love along with His other attributes
which I will name here in a moment, all work together, but they do. God is HOLY, and all of His attributes
are holy. God is good, glorious, pure,
sovereign, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, truth, measureless,
omnipresence, omnipotent, omniscience, all wise, immutable, eternal, God is
wrath, God pardons, God is Jealous, faithful, God is love and just.
We will close with another explanation from John
MacArthur: “The Lord’s desire is not to
condemn men for sin but to save them from it.
He only condemns those who will not have His mercy (cf. 2 Pet.
3:9). And if righteous, holy God is
supremely characterized by love and mercy—even to the extent of graciously setting
aside the penalty for breaking some of His own laws for man’s benefit—how much
more are His still-sinful children obligated to reflect His ‘compassion.’”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: As I look at the
requirements of the Old Covenant, I am truly thankful to God for sending His
Son to take my place on the cross, and give to me salvation, something that I
do not deserve, and could never earn.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I trust the Lord that He will give me wisdom
and also the great desire to lean on Him as I get my Sunday school class lesson
from Hebrews 7:10 ready, and that it will bring glory to the Lord, and that we
all in the class will know the Lord better.
1/14/2022 11:35 AM
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