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He answered them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' For you set aside the commandment of God, and hold tightly to the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and you do many other such things." He said to them, "Full well do you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition." Mark 7:6-9 WEB.

Solomon built a beautiful temple in the Old Testament using his father's plans. King David had spent years planning it and setting aside money for it. On the day the temple was dedicated, God lit the fire on the altar, then the priests continued to offer sacrifices there each day.

Eventually, King Solomon was led astray by his many beautiful wives, and he began to follow their gods instead of the Lord. Solomon would marry an Egyptian, and start attending her church, etcetera. He did that about 700 times. After Solomon, each generation got further and further away from true worship. Their religion eventually became just rote repetition of traditions. It became the blind leading the blind.

In Amos 7:10, God sent the shepherd Amos to prophesy to Amaziah, the high priest of the temple at Bethel. God had to use a farmer to try and speak to the high priest, who no longer listened but was still there offering daily sacrifices at the temple. They ran the prophet Amos, away.

This happened many times, like in 1 Kings 13. The priests kept offering their daily sacrifices while spiritually deaf and completely ignoring what God was trying to tell them. When God sent them prophets to bring correction, they killed them because they didn't like the message. Jesus covered this in His parable of the Tenants in Matthew 21:33. Their hypocrisy became sickening to God.

In Malachi 1:10 WEB the Lord said: "Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you," says Yahweh of Armies, "neither will I accept an offering at your hand."

When Jesus came, He brought life, renewal, and a spiritual freshness the people had not experienced before. The tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners who were excommunicated from the temple were drawn to Him. Jesus was love. He was life. He was fun to be around. He was forgiving and non-condemning. Jesus touched the lepers, healed the sick, and He ate with the sinners.

In the religious circles, though, Jesus regularly butted heads with the spiritually dead. They so hated Him. The undead priests were jealous and envious of the life that Jesus carried. They envied the miracles He performed and the crowds that followed Him. The harshest words that Jesus spoke were towards the religious dead. The walking dead who thought they were alive. In John 8, Jesus said this:

You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and doesn't stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks on his own; for he is a liar, and the father of lies. John 8:44 WEB.

These Pharisees were the religious elite of the day. The ones the people looked to as spiritual leaders. They wore long robes and prayed long, beautiful prayers. The strange part about this verse is they thought that God was their father. Yet Jesus told them that the devil was actually their father. This was worse than Star Wars when Luke Skywalker learned that Darth Vader was his dad. El diablo was their dada.

Jesus rebooted the cold, dead religious system of the day. He returned it to a personal relationship with God, Abba, Father. We are the temple of God, and His Spirit lives inside of us (1Corinthians 3:17). The Lord tore open the veil in the temple that separated God and man, and now we can come boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). We are accepted, and the Holy Spirit brings life, forgiveness, grace, wisdom, and spiritual gifts with Him as well.

God is not dead, but some forms of worship are. Don't try to sell that cold, dead religion. Jesus is alive, and He brings things to life.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I look to You today for wisdom and guidance. Please cut through the traditions of men and let me experience Your living word. Speak to me in a way that I understand. May Your will be done on the Earth and in my life, as it is in heaven. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: Ladies, today is Thankful Thursday at the "Ladies in Distress" group (our RHM women's group)! You are welcome to join in our weekly sharing of thankfulness for the Lord's presence and any blessings you may have experienced, big or small! Until we get our small group areas up again, Thankful Thursday will take place at the home page at RHM! As always, If you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network