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“At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, ‘Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!’ But He said to them, ‘Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not [ordinarily] lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple [appear to] profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. But if you had known what this means, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice,” you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.’” [Bracketed words are mine; jeb] (Matthew 12.1-8).

Every law of God was made for a purpose. Some reasons are readily visible; others may not make any sense to us at all; that is one difference between humanity and God, the trait of being all-wise and all-knowing. The weekly Sabbath was given for a reason, or more properly, reasons. These reasons were never intended to hurt, harm, deprive, or in any way endanger man. Rather, the weekly Sabbaths were to be seen in the context of their stated purposes. This just makes common sense. The Jews knew this principle well; after all, they would pull their ox or donkey out of a pit on Saturday and think nothing of it (Luke 14.5), or loose their animal so it could drink on the Sabbath (Luke 13.15). Yet, on the Sabbath they hypocritically found fault with Jesus’ disciples for plucking just enough grain to sustain them for the time.

Note the hypocrisy in the Pharisees’ actions. First, one of their own favorites, David, had performed a similar deed and that without condemnation (by the way, for all they knew and for all we know he did so with the express approval of God). Secondly, the spiritual leaders of Israel (the Levites and priests) were actually commanded to labor in and around the temple on the Sabbath, and this they did without sinning in the matter. Thirdly, their own practices regarding their livestock showed their understanding of the Sabbath Law; they knew it was not to cause injury, but was a time of reasoned and reasonable rest. Yet, Jesus and His disciples were guilty to hear the Pharisees tell it!

The Pharisees and other religious leaders in Jerusalem knew the law. Without a doubt every one of them would have avowed his love for that same law. And there may have been a sense in which some of them did love the law (e.g. by protecting and preserving the copies of the Law). However, did they love the Lawgiver? That is an entirely different question! Did they have the love of the Law? Again this is a totally different question! To love the law is not the same as possessing the love of the law!

The law enjoined love upon those who followed it; in fact the greatest commandment was to love God supremely, and the second was to love one’s neighbor as oneself (Matthew 22.37-40). The love of the law/truth is the love that is produced when the truth is allowed to grow, mature, and produce fruit in the heart of good and honest people! (Continued).

Questions:

1. Is it possible for one to love the Bible and not love the author of the Bible (God)?

2. Did David sin when he took of the showbread? Why or why not?

3. Had he presumed the right to eat of the showbread in spite of God’s will, would David have sinned? Can you see a difference in what David did and the attitude portended by this question?

4. Is love for God and the love of God commanded in the Old Testament? How frequently have you heard the message of love contained in the Old Testament?

"Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life" from Tom Kelley

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