Several years ago I developed a Bible reading plan in which you read something from each of the major parts of Scripture every day (Old Testament history, the poetic books, the prophetic books, the Gospels and Acts, and the epistles). For those who are following the plan, today’s reading in the prophets (Jeremiah 2:1-3:5) and the gospels (Matthew 23:1-39) was filled with warning and rebuke! The behavior of “hypocrites,” – those who profess piety and flaunt their religiosity, but are living in sin, are given scathing rebuke by the prophet Jeremiah and Jesus… They are “taken to the woodshed” in no uncertain terms! – the sad thing is, these individuals are the leaders of God’s people, priests, their Bible scholars, and prophets – and they are blindly followed by “ordinary folk.”
You really ought to read those two passages! Here’s just a taste of what Jeremiah and Jesus had to say…
Here’s Jeremiah…
“The priests do not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’ Those who handle the law do not know me; the shepherds [leaders] transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal and went after things that do not profit… My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water… Your evil will chastise you, and your apostasy will reprove you! Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the Lord your God; the fear of me is not in you, declares the Lord God of hosts.”
And Jesus…
“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others… [And then in the rest of the chapter this sad theme is repeated…] ‘But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!… Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!… Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” … and again, and then once more… Jesus ends with these words, “You also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy, and lawlessness… You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell!?”
So after I finished those two passages, I remarked to Sharon my wife (who was also having her devotions)… “You know what Sharon, I surely do not want to be a hypocrite! With God’s help I want to be sure to be a consistent, devoted, follower of Jesus!” How about you?
Coffee With The Lord 