Today's Topic:
BLIND GUIDES CONFUSE MEANING OF OATHS
Bible Reading:
Matthew 23:16-22, NLT:-
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16 “Blind guides! What sorrow awaits you! For you say that it means nothing to swear ‘by God’s Temple,’ but that it is binding to swear ‘by the gold in the Temple.’
17 Blind fools! Which is more important—the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred?
18 And you say that to swear ‘by the altar’ is not binding, but to swear ‘by the gifts on the altar’ is binding.
19 How blind! For which is more important—the gift on the altar or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
20 When you swear ‘by the altar,’ you are swearing by it and by everything on it.
21 And when you swear ‘by the Temple,’ you are swearing by it and by God, who lives in it.
22 And when you swear ‘by heaven,’ you are swearing by the throne of God and by God, who sits on the throne.
🔑 Key Verse:
“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘if anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.”
- Matthew 23:16
The Message:
The world we are in today is full of many false teachers of the Word of God. They misguide the people of God and make light the commands of God. They place priority on mundane things and neglect the weightier matters of the kingdom. Jesus, in today’s lesson condemns the leaders of His people on what they taught to be the truth about oaths. Oaths were regarded with all seriousness (Deut. 6:13), but the Pharisees’ teaching enabled people to trivialize the issue of oaths. Since they had sworn by the temple or by the altar or by Jerusalem and not the name of God, they could be let off the hook (vv. 16, 18).
But if they swear by the gold in the temple or the things on the altar then it is those things that will bind their oath. This is nothing but deception disguised as honesty (vv. 17, 19). Jesus made it clear that the temple and the altar are more powerful than the gold and the things that can be found in them. As Christians, we should bear it in mind that all commitments and oaths are binding and accountable to God. We should also remember that swearing by the heavens is the same as swearing by God who sits in heaven.
Birthday Blessing:
“…Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go”. Joshua 1:9.
Read Bible Through Passage:
Joshua 9; Psalms 140-141; Jeremiah 3; Matthew 17.
Food for Thought:
“If God sends us on stony paths, He will provide us with strong shoes.”
– Alexander Maclaren
💥Good morning beloved. How was your night?
Today, as you march forward in complete obedience, may the Lord open your eyes to see greater things in HIS Word, in Jesus' name.💥 (AMEN).
Do Enjoy a TREMENDOUS (Saturday) Weekend.