PRIESTS WITHOUT POWER

After the people demanded a King, they began to experience a different kind of oppression. An emphasis on legalistic holiness devoid of God’s power and authority had replaced the unselfish, merciful, loving leadership of men like Samuel. The Pharisees of Jesus’ days were the ultimate extension of this error.

These partially anointed “Priests without Power” did not stand before God and plead for the people as had Moses. When God threatened to annihilate [destroy] Israel for her sin and disobedience, Moses’ intercession saved the nation [Exodus 32:30-35]. Instead, the Pharisee denomination, with all its sectarian pride and legalism, began to assume commanding influence over the religious life of the nation.

LEGALISTIC DEMANDS

The Pharisees demanded a strict adherence to the letter of the law. They lost sight of the purpose of the law and grew totally insensitive to human need.

This inflexible legalistic demand for adherence to non-biblical religious rules made them

* unmerciful,
* vengeful and
* arrogant.

They lost sight of the fact that all men were sinners in need of God’s mercy.

They heaped condemnation and death on anyone they could catch in the act of breaking any of the commandments.

It pushed them into hypocrisy unrivaled in religious history. Jesus directed His fiercest rebukes at these “teachers of the laws” they had invented laws they wouldn’t obey, and condemned others for failing to obey them.

“the scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses, therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds, for they say things and do not do them……….

“But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men………And they love

* the place of honor at banquets,
* and the chief seats in the synagogues,
* and respectful greetings in the market place,
* and being called by men, Rabbi” [Matt 23:2-7]

Someone well said, “the gap between what we say and what we do - is the measure of our apostasy “God help us” but it’s true!

SPIRITUAL PRIDE

The Pharisees “showy holiness [flashy]” was compounded by their spiritual pride. Emphasizing holiness and biblical knowledge, without the power of God’s Spirit in your life to make it work, is a grievous error.

Paul warns us, against those religious leaders and denomination who have become ensnared by this failure: [2Tim 3:2-5]. The failure of the kings who bore God’s power without the priestly anointing for living holy lives brought Gods preliminary judgments on Israel.

The pharisaical priests carried a priestly anointing, but were devoid of God’s power. This produced a religious life based on outward appearance of holiness without an inward change of heart. This oppressive system brought God’s final judgment on Israel. Both failed to accomplish God’s purpose in the earth.