Today’s devotion, providentially on the Sabbath, is Matthew 12:1-7.
“1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat.
2 But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.”
3 But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions,
4 how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone?
5 “Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent?
6 “But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here.
7 “But if you had known what this means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.” Matthew 12:1-7.
‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE’. Sound familiar?
- Matthew 9:13
“But go and learn what this means: ‘ I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” - Matthew 12:7
“But if you had known what this means, ‘ I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.
In the first Matthew 9 passage, the Pharisees indirectly questioned Jesus dining with tax collectors and sinners: “… they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” Matthew 9:11.
In this Matthew 12 Scripture for today, the Pharisees directly accused Jesus: “… “Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.” Matthew 12:2.
Righteousness is not obtained by knowledge of the Law and will power to obey the letter of the Law. “… For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law.” Galatians 3:21.
Righteousness is a gift of God. Romans 5:17: “For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” Philippians 3:8-9: “More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,”
The Law delivers us to Christ and then steps aside. “Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” Galatians 3:24-25. In our Scripture for today, Jesus declares it this way: “”But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here.” Matthew 12:6. In Romans 10, Paul states it this way: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” Romans 10:4. Like a teacher can only deliver us to the next grade teacher, the best that the Law can do is to deliver us to Christ. Like a train can only go as far as the end of the track, the best that Law can do is deliver us to the end of the Law which is Christ.
“For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:3-4.
This Spirit provides the compassion that God desires. “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. … But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. … But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:16, 18, 22, and 23.
Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions 