SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/16/2023 10:58 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
“The Accusation”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
Matthew 22:18
Message of the verse: “18 But Jesus perceived their malice, and
said, "Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites?”
I want to begin this short SD by giving you the
definition of the word “malice.” “evil
purposes and desires” I believe that this
definition of this word gives us exactly what these Jewish leaders were doing.
The
word but begins this verse and it was by our Lord’s divine discernment that
Jesus perceived their
malice. It was impossible for
anyone at anytime to blind-side Jesus, and the reason is because “He Himself
knew what was in man” (John 2:25). MacArthur
writes “He omnisciently knew the question they would ask and the reason for
asking it even before it came to the minds of the Pharisees who concocted
it. He knew the men who posed the
question were not the ones who devised it, and that the words of praise they
had just showered on Him were not motivated by admiration but malice. He knew their flattering tongues were tipped
with poison. He also knew exactly the
right answer.”
It
was before Jesus answered their question that He had a question of His own for
them: "Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites?” Now before we move on any further I want to
give you the meaning of the word hypocrite:
“1) one who answers, an interpreter; 2) an actor, stage player; 3) a dissembler, pretender,
hypocrite.” The answer that Jesus gives
to them let them know that their wicked scheme was transparent to Him, as He
knew their purpose was to test Him, and not to seek His wisdom, and that He was
hereby exposing them as the hypocrites that they were. The truth is that Jesus had never seen these
men before, as the Pharisees sent them because both the Pharisees and the
Herodians hated Jesus although they did not care for each other very much
either. Jesus’ demonstration of
omniscience was in itself another marvelous testimony of the fact that He is
God.
It
is true that the Old Testament rabbinic tradition strongly condemned flattery
and hypocrisy, but as John MacArthur quotes from Rabbi Eleazar who wrote in the
Talmud, “Any community in which is flattery will finally go into exile. It is written [Job 15:34], Tor the community
of flatters is ‘barren]’” (Sotah 42a). Rabbi Jeremiah ben Abba had declared that
four types of people do not deserve to be blessed by God: scorners, liars,
tale-bearers, and hypocrites (Sanhednn
103:a).’”
Spiritual
meaning for my life today: I totally agree with Rabbi Jeremiah ben
Abba in the people that God will not bless.
My
Steps of Faith for Today: I trust the Lord to lead my life in a way that will
bring glory to Him and that I will continue on the path of what He has called
me to do even before the world was made, and to do it.
8/16/2023 11:24 AM
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