HAVE YOU NOT READ?
Matthew 12:1-5 NKJV
1 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. 2 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!"
3 But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 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? 5 Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?
The Pharisees were up to their usual attacks on Jesus. In this instance, it was His disciples munching on grain on the Sabbath. These disciples were hungry, so evidently, the heads of grain were good snack food. But you know how it is when you are hungry; everything tastes good. But the fact that the disciples were plucking the grain, or in effect, harvesting on the Sabbath, was the problem. Remember, the Pharisees had taken God's laws governing the Sabbath and turned them into much more than God had intended.
So the Pharisees were holding the disciples to the letter of the law and blaming Jesus for it. But I love how Jesus answered His critics. He asked them - have you not read? And then, he described a situation where David and his men ate on the Sabbath what was not lawful. Then Jesus questioned the Pharisees again with - have you not read?
What we must take note of is how Jesus dealt with the Pharisees. Jesus went to the Scriptures to defend the actions of the disciples. He used the principles found in David's story and the example of the priests in the temple, and what they did on the Sabbath. And this is the takeaway for us. There are so many answers to so many situations found in the Scriptures. The more we read, the more the Holy Spirit can bring to our remembrance. Then, we have a scriptural basis for our actions.
Recently some precious friends of our family gave me a gift of cash on my birthday. I knew it meant a lot to them and represented a sacrifice. As I was reading the card, the Holy Spirit brought to my memory the story in 2 Samuel 23 when David had mentioned he wanted a drink of water from the well in Bethlehem. The problem was that the Philistines had overtaken the city and were guarding it. But three of David's mighty men broke through the Philistine camp and fought their way to the well. They drew the water and fought their way back and gave it to David. But he would not drink it. He recognized the level of sacrifice that it took to bring him the water and gave it as an offering to the Lord.
I have read that story, and this time, the Holy Spirit brought it back to me, and I gave the gift as an offering. I knew it was precious and I wanted to honor the Lord with the money. I am not saying this to make something of me. It was not my idea. The principle was in the Scriptures, and because I had read the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit had something clear to work with.
Reading the Scriptures is what keeps us sound and on track. Reading the Scriptures feeds our souls and helps us grow. Reading the Scriptures gives the Holy Spirit something to bring to our remembrance. And the Scriptures give us answers for thoughts that contradict God's ways. The Scriptures give us accurate responses for a culture that has gone way out of bounds and questions why we, as believers, do what we do. We want to look at our critics and answer, "Have you not read?"
PRAYER
Lord, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for the truth and light in the Scriptures. I will never regret reading Your Words.