Day 43: God Desires Mercy Not Sacrifice
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 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 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.”
Matthew 12:1-8 NKJV
http://bible.com/114/mat.12.1-8.NKJV
When I read the above passage, I am so relieved to know that my God is not a rigid God. He expressly said here that He desired mercy and not sacrifice. This brought in an element of flexibility which can be defined as a willingness to change plans or ideas according to the direction of the authorities. Hence, as Christians, our lives are not fated! We can always pray and plead to God our desires and dreams whereby God is more than willing to hear but subject always to His direction and whole purpose and will for our good. And that is why we can echo together with the Apostle Paul to say that we know that all things, God works together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Praise God, Hallelujah! https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC (please click to view a visual)
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 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 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.”
Matthew 12:1-8 NKJV
http://bible.com/114/mat.12.1-8.NKJV
When I read the above passage, I am so relieved to know that my God is not a rigid God. He expressly said here that He desired mercy and not sacrifice. This brought in an element of flexibility which can be defined as a willingness to change plans or ideas according to the direction of the authorities. Hence, as Christians, our lives are not fated! We can always pray and plead to God our desires and dreams whereby God is more than willing to hear but subject always to His direction and whole purpose and will for our good. And that is why we can echo together with the Apostle Paul to say that we know that all things, God works together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Praise God, Hallelujah! https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC (please click to view a visual)
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