Verse 13
The Lord says,“These people say they are loyal to me; they say wonderful things about me, but they are not really loyal to me. Their worship consists of nothing but man-made ritual.
Referenced Verses
- Jer 12:2 : 2 You plant them like trees and they put down their roots. They grow prosperous and are very fruitful. They always talk about you, but they really care nothing about you.
- Mark 7:2-9 : 2 And they saw that some of Jesus’ disciples ate their bread with unclean hands, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they perform a ritual washing, holding fast to the tradition of the elders. 4 And when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. They hold fast to many other traditions: the washing of cups, pots, kettles, and dining couches.) 5 The Pharisees and the experts in the law asked him,“Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with unwashed hands?” 6 He said to them,“Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written:‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrine the commandments of men.’ 8 Having no regard for the command of God, you hold fast to human tradition.” 9 He also said to them,“You neatly reject the commandment of God in order to set up your tradition. 10 For Moses said,‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and,‘Whoever insults his father or mother must be put to death.’ 11 But you say that if anyone tells his father or mother,‘Whatever help you would have received from me is corban’(that is, a gift for God), 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like this.”
- Ezek 33:31-33 : 31 They come to you in crowds, and they sit in front of you as my people. They hear your words, but do not obey them. For they talk lustfully, and their heart is set on their own advantage. 32 Realize that to them you are like a sensual song, a beautiful voice and skilled musician. They hear your words, but they do not obey them. 33 When all this comes true– and it certainly will– then they will know that a prophet was among them.”
- Matt 15:2-9 : 2 “Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat.” 3 He answered them,“And why do you disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God said,‘Honor your father and mother’ and‘Whoever insults his father or mother must be put to death.’ 5 But you say,‘If someone tells his father or mother,“Whatever help you would have received from me is given to God,” 6 he does not need to honor his father.’ You have nullified the word of God on account of your tradition. 7 Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said, 8 ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, 9 and they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
- Jer 3:10 : 10 In spite of all this, Israel’s sister, unfaithful Judah, has not turned back to me with any sincerity; she has only pretended to do so,” says the LORD.
- Prov 30:6 : 6 Do not add to his words, lest he reprove you, and prove you to be a liar.
- Isa 58:2-3 : 2 They seek me day after day; they want to know my requirements, like a nation that does what is right and does not reject the law of their God. They ask me for just decrees; they want to be near God. 3 They lament,‘Why don’t you notice when we fast? Why don’t you pay attention when we humble ourselves?’ Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy your selfish desires, you oppress your workers.
- Col 2:22 : 22 These are all destined to perish with use, founded as they are on human commands and teachings.
- Jer 42:20 : 20 You are making a fatal mistake. For you sent me to the LORD your God and asked me,‘Pray to the LORD our God for us. Tell us what the LORD our God says and we will do it.’
- Jer 5:2 : 2 These people make promises in the name of the LORD. But the fact is, what they swear to is really a lie.”
- Jer 42:2-4 : 2 They said to him,“Please grant our request and pray to the LORD your God for all those of us who are still left alive here. For, as you yourself can see, there are only a few of us left out of the many there were before. 3 Pray that the LORD your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.” 4 The prophet Jeremiah answered them,“Agreed! I will indeed pray to the LORD your God as you have asked. I will tell you everything the LORD replies in response to you. I will not keep anything back from you.”
- 2 Chr 29:1-9 : 1 Hezekiah Consecrates the Temple Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 2 He did what the LORD approved, just as his ancestor David had done. 3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the LORD’s temple and repaired them. 4 He brought in the priests and Levites and assembled them in the square on the east side. 5 He said to them:“Listen to me, you Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, so you can consecrate the temple of the LORD God of your ancestors! Remove from the sanctuary what is ceremonially unclean! 6 For our fathers were unfaithful; they did what is evil in the sight of the LORD our God and abandoned him! They turned away from the LORD’s dwelling place and rejected him. 7 They closed the doors of the temple porch and put out the lamps; they did not offer incense or burnt sacrifices in the sanctuary of the God of Israel. 8 The LORD was angry at Judah and Jerusalem and made them an appalling object of horror at which people hiss out their scorn, as you can see with your own eyes. 9 Look, our fathers died violently and our sons, daughters, and wives were carried off because of this. 10 Now I intend to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, so that he may relent from his raging anger. 11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him, to be his ministers, and offer sacrifices.” 12 The following Levites prepared to carry out the king’s orders: From the Kohathites: Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah;from the Merarites: Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel;from the Gershonites: Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah; 13 from the descendants of Elizaphan: Shimri and Jeiel;from the descendants of Asaph: Zechariah and Mattaniah; 14 from the descendants of Heman: Jehiel and Shimei;from the descendants of Jeduthun: Shemaiah and Uzziel. 15 They assembled their brothers and consecrated themselves. Then they went in to purify the LORD’s temple, just as the king had ordered, in accordance with the word of the LORD. 16 The priests then entered the LORD’s temple to purify it; they brought out to the courtyard of the LORD’s temple every ceremonially unclean thing they discovered inside. The Levites took them out to the Kidron Valley. 17 On the first day of the first month they began consecrating; by the eighth day of the month they reached the porch of the LORD’s temple. For eight more days they consecrated the LORD’s temple. On the sixteenth day of the first month they were finished. 18 They went to King Hezekiah and said:“We have purified the entire temple of the LORD, including the altar of burnt sacrifice and all its equipment, and the table for the Bread of the Presence and all its equipment. 19 We have prepared and consecrated all the items that King Ahaz removed during his reign when he acted unfaithfully. They are in front of the altar of the LORD. 20 Early the next morning King Hezekiah assembled the city officials and went up to the LORD’s temple. 21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. The king told the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer burnt sacrifices on the altar of the LORD. 22 They slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and splashed it on the altar. Then they slaughtered the rams and splashed the blood on the altar; next they slaughtered the lambs and splashed the blood on the altar. 23 Finally they brought the goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they placed their hands on them. 24 Then the priests slaughtered them. They offered their blood as a sin offering on the altar to make atonement for all Israel, because the king had decreed that the burnt sacrifice and sin offering were for all Israel. 25 Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the LORD’s temple with cymbals and stringed instruments, just as David, Gad the king’s prophet, and Nathan the prophet had ordered.(The LORD had actually given these orders through his prophets.) 26 The Levites had David’s musical instruments and the priests had trumpets. 27 Hezekiah ordered the burnt sacrifice to be offered on the altar. As they began to offer the sacrifice, they also began to sing to the LORD, accompanied by the trumpets and the musical instruments of King David of Israel. 28 The entire assembly worshiped, as the singers sang and the trumpeters played. They continued until the burnt sacrifice was completed. 29 When the sacrifices were completed, the king and all who were with him bowed down and worshiped. 30 King Hezekiah and the officials told the Levites to praise the LORD, using the psalms of David and Asaph the prophet. So they joyfully offered praise and bowed down and worshiped. 31 Hezekiah said,“Now you have consecrated yourselves to the LORD. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the LORD’s temple.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and whoever desired to do so brought burnt sacrifices.
- Isa 48:1-2 : 1 The Lord Appeals to the Exiles Listen to this, O family of Jacob, you who are called by the name‘Israel,’ and are descended from Judah, who take oaths in the name of the LORD, and invoke the God of Israel– but not in an honest and just manner. 2 Indeed, they live in the holy city; they trust in the God of Israel, whose name is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.