Matthew 15:1-20 KJV
1 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
10 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:
11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?
13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
15 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.
16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?
17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

As a new believer in Christ, when one reads the Old Testament or even listen to some teachers, you might land up obeying all sorts of rules that does not apply to you. They called traditions and also a form of legalism that is not of God. Traditions are to be holy, traditions of defilement should stand in regards to why is it defilement. I sleep with two dogs and occassionally and one cat comes and joins my husband and I in bed. The defilement is scripture in Numbers concerning animals lying beside you, is about something very gross in my opinion. Man using animals in sexual manner. They talking about something that most cultures would find ugly and defilement of animal not only human.

There are dietary laws that seem uncommon to us in Old Testament and many cultures around the world. Hindu do not eat beef, where Jews do not eat pork, and neither do the Islamics. Christians diets vary from culture, to traditions, and even health reason. Washing hands during COV 19 became a practice of some that never washed there hands. Some people learn about social distancing was healthy choice, yet in some work places it still became impossible to follow all the rules. If we followed all the rules in scripture, we eat no pork and some other animals as well, most vegetables were okay. We find that you could not care for your mom and dad, aunt or uncle someone else would have to tend to nursing needs(By the way it not that you could not care for family members you could not see their nudity). Okay now I gone and done it, none of these things seem to do with religion or faith. We tend to segregate laws of faith from laws of the land and human traditions.

I putting some extremism here for a purpose. Does God intend for us to obey the Old Testament law or the laws that have been established in our land. Depends on whether you speaking to a fundamentalist or a liberal in regards to the law. What was the Old Testament law about, holiness, and purity, as God was Holy, or was the traditions of law to establish healthy living, and purity in since of first faith and belief in God and second obedience to the laws that did not defile a person from evil traditions of other nations.

One of the Survivor episodes showed a tribe of an island demonstrating their sacrifices they did to their gods. The issue that came up was to eat the chicken after the sacrifice or not. Some it did not matter and to others it did. Some refused to defile themselves in that manner due to faith. True Survivor is one of those reality tv shows that leave alot of people questioning whether they watch it or not. Some feel to have to vote someone off in that manner is wrong. I agree with the principal that to send someone packing is not good ethics. Some players got to return. Why do I like the show. I like the stragedy games and puzzles they have to do. I like competition not the public part of the show. By way Survivor I think airs tonight. It does interfering with a holocaust event on PBS for those that missed it tune into PBS site to rewatch or watch it. New documentary is airing also tonight. It repeats so if you watching Survivor you can still watch the other, you just be up later then normal.

Why am i plugging two shows. This is what extremism causes annilation of one group or another. In America we are taught in school, and I hope still are being taught that all of us can be different and yet we under one flag as long as we do not violate each others rights. Israel practiced this at the time of King David and King Solomon. It seems in opposition to God's laws and some of what occurred was in opposition to God's laws. From idolatry, to killing of babies, and even wives that were not godly or from Israel, but of cultures that practices other religions.

The culture in the wilderness was straight by the book and law of Moses, and when they enter Israel it was those same scrolls and stone tablets that spoke the traditions they were to follow. Most today by these stones and scrolls would consider it very rigid life style of traditions and codes. Some we would totally agree on and some we know many have broken by traditions of other cultures.

Does God today expect us to follow the whole letter of the law in the Old Testament. After the rebuilding of the Temple was the whole Jewish law to be kept as before? After all the Jews were under Roman law. Is it okay to throw away some laws? Jesus seems to explain it best when he talks about washing of hands and the tradition of the law meaning what goes into the body defiles the body and what comes out of the mouth is defiled by the heart.

Our bodies are to be holy temple unto the Lord, because he dwells in our heart upon belief in him. If our bodies are to holy is our bodies purged of course what not necessary for health comes out when we go to the bathroom or through sweat. God is more concerned about the heart and if it holy or corrupted by the world we are in. Whether it corrupted by our thoughts. The law is suppose to remind us of the corruption of what we should not be and what we should be as a believer. The law itself could not save a person, but it was a demonstration of outward holiness. Daniel refuse to defile himself with the Kings meat. Could he had eaten it by tradition, he would if he had too, I suspect. David took the shew bread that was the priest bread, King Saul killed the Priest for aiding David and his men.

We see the conflict of corn on the Sabbath, not washing hands when eating, and eating with sinners. All in conflict to the letter of the Law. Jesus clearly speaks and says that what comes out of the mouth defiles a person because it speaks the heart. Some would argue that not complete correct in our world today, because what hidden in the heart and what comes out of the mouth seems in opposition because of our human reactions to things. Even Jesus called Priest vipers, and yet no one questions why he did so. Was Jesus preparing the people for change that would come when the temple was destroyed, or changes that were coming that came with the cross. He disobeyed the law of man and fullfilled the law of God as he cleansed the temple from the money changers. By the law he stood for a crime he only committed by the law of man that was not worthy of death, but he faced death for all of us.

What was in our heart was far greater then any law of man. Our actions by life style speak who we obey, but some laws of man become our slave master. We are yoked by the law of man until it comes to a place we must stand on God's word, or his ability to raise his people back up, to restore, to approve, to open the doors that go from opposition to acceptance that our life is not in obstruction of the enemy while on earth but a stance of saying I do not agree and I will not follow the laws that keep me from true faith in God and his Son Christ Jesus. Most of God's laws do not interfer with those who live in sin, who live by most laws of man. There are man laws that will defile a person. The movie Braveheart, shows an Irish man convicted to marry his bride, without having his wife raped by a soldier, he marries in secret. A law that was imposed on the people. There laws of this that defile man, but not by man's choice.

There things in the heart of man that man hides and tries not to allow to slip out of one's mouth. It the evilness that seems to exist with our humanity. The discusting parts of our thoughts that need to be in submission to the holiness of God and not reign in our mortal bodies, minds, or actions. These are the things we need God to remove from us. There have been sterilization laws for the poor and women of prostitution in some states to lower the birth rate. A control of people consider not welcome in society. It not usually enacted, but it has existed. And in some states even cleansed from the law or hidden from the public for decades. Doctors forced to do medical procedures based on these laws and protected by the laws to teach a lesson. Every now and again you hear of a woman being told to abort a baby, and she carries it full term and it healthy.

Our nation needs all sort of people to work in every part of the industry. Some never reap the profits of the corporate world, but are glad for the pay check. There will always be more poor then rich.

Let's get back to our bodies and our soul being a temple to the Lord. The bad is removed from bodies through a natural process, but what removes that bad from our soul. Jesus is who cleanses the soul, our minds and hearts. Without him, our soul would be pretty filthy. And I can only speak for me, but my soul would be pretty dirty by now if it was not for the windshield wipers called the sanctification process Christ put there. A little windshield wiper fluid and windshield wipers go a long way to keeping the heart clean and purified for God's use. Every now and again we revert back to our old way of think, or our humanity and we become very human in our responses. That is why we need Christ to purge our hearts, and our soul from evil that creeps in, by reactions to our world around us.

Dear Heavenly purge our hearts from sin. let your laws that effect our faith, first belief and then our actions be so marked by your presents in our life. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Hebrews 9:1-15 KJV
1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
6 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; 10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.