Heeding God's Teaching

Jesus rebuked scribes and Pharisees to their face when they complained that His disciples failed to observe the tradition of the elders by neglect of ceremonial hand washing.  Jesus fired back at their hypocrisy and explained how they made the word of God by no effect through their tradition.  The oral traditions of the elders had overshadowed God's word to the point God's disobedience to God's commands could be justified.  Jesus said in Matthew 15:7-9:  "Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ⁸ 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. ⁹ And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"  The departure from reliance upon God's word led to people's hearts to depart from God and worship Him in vain--divine truth the Jewish religious rulers likely refused to accept.

The laying aside of God's word to accept and promote the traditions of men is a common practice to this day.  I was reminded of this when I browsed the website for the Temple Institute in Israel and read concerning the priestly garments.  Among sprinkled verses of the Old Testament, the main thrust of the article espoused traditional teachings by rabbis what is absolutely foreign to the Torah.  During one of my trips to the Temple Institute, one question asked from our tourist group asked was how sins are atoned for seeing there is no sanctified temple or high priest (among other things) to follow the Mosaic sacrificial system today.  We were told prayer was the means of atonement by the authority of rabbis (not the Bible), and observe what the site says concerning the vestments of the high priest which works to make God's commands of no effect.  The article says "it is taught" (not by Moses or God's word) that priestly garments worn by sanctified priests serve to atone for the sins of Israel even as offerings do.

"This is one of the deeper aims of wearing these garments, and something for the kohen to ponder while they are upon him. For his everyday actions in the Temple transcend his own personal idiom and take on a more universal theme... he makes atonement and spiritual rectification for all humanity.

Thus we are taught:

• The tunic, which covers most of the priest's body, atones for killing. 

• The pants atone for sexual transgressions. 

• The turban, worn on the head, atone for haughtiness. 

• The belt, wound about the body and worn over the heart, atones for "sins of the heart" - improper thoughts 

• The breastplate atones for errors in judgment.

• The ephod atones for idolatry.

• The robe atones for evil speech.

• The High Priest's crown atones for arrogance."

The Bible teaches sanctified priests were commanded to offer a burnt offering daily as a sin offering for atonement in Exodus 29:36.  Exodus 30:10 says concerning the altar of incense in the holy place:  "And Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonement; once a year he shall make atonement upon it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD."  When a census was taken of the people, men numbered over 20 years old were required to give a half-shekel offering to the LORD to atone for their souls (Exodus 30:13-15).  In almost every case under Law, the blood of a clean, animal sacrificed by sanctified priests was required to provide atonement.  There is no suggestion in Scripture what is routinely taught today, that the priestly garments provide "atonement and spiritual rectification for all humanity."  Atonement is a sticky subject because we are all sinners, sinners need atonement by God, and no atonement according to Law is possible because of the lack of the necessary temple, sanctified altar and high priest.  Given the Law even the appearance of atonement under Law today is impossible--just as we sinners cannot keep God's Law without fail.

Paul explained the purpose of the Law of Moses was to shut the mouths of sinners and reveal all as guilty before God, to compel us to trust in Jesus Christ whose shed blood provided atonement for the sins of the world received by grace for all who trust in Him--who atoned for all our sins all at once!  Romans 5:6-11 shows Jesus Christ to be the propitiation for our sins:  "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. ⁸ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. ¹⁰ For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. ¹¹ And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." (KJV, bold emphasis mine)  Jesus is revealed to be the KING OF KINGS as well as our great High Priest, and the book of Hebrews goes into great detail on this point.

While the teachings of men extol intricate garments worn by the priests, God has exalted His only begotten Son Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God whose shed blood atones for sin.  Having been born again and washed clean from sin by the Gospel having received atonement, we are called to "put on" the LORD Jesus Christ in Romans 13:13-14:  "Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. ¹⁴ But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."  Since Jesus has provided atonement for our sins, we ought to live lives sanctified for His glory, led by the Holy Spirit, heeding our Saviour's commands.  There will always be a temptation to lift tradition or teachings above God's word, but Jesus identifies the wise as those who hear His word and do it.  The new covenant in Christ's blood does for us forever what was and would be impossible to do for ourselves even if the priesthood and sacrificial system in Jerusalem was in full swing.  Following the teachings of men causes our hearts to stray from God and vain worship, but heeding God's word guides us to trust in Jesus Christ who provides eternal atonement.