Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | Mark 7:7 'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.' |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Mark 7:7 'THEY WORSHIP ME IN VAIN [their worship is meaningless and worthless, a pretense], TEACHING THE PRECEPTS OF MEN AS DOCTRINES [giving their traditions equal weight with the Scriptures].' [Is 29:13] |
Subject: Analogy of Worship Pleasing to God |
Bible Note: Imagine a hillbilly war-hero, a man who led his troops victoriously in battle, who is going to be honored by his men after their return from the war. His fellow officers, however, are from Evanston, Illinois; Berkeley, California; and Short Hills, New Jersey; and they don't exactly understand their leader's tastes. As they prepare a great banquet in his honor, they think of how he enjoys listening to music, and eating, and drinking. So, they have the best chamber orchestra, caviar, and champagne that money can buy, all prepared for him and his wife whom they have flown in from Kentucky. What's wrong with this? Well, yes, he enjoys music, but he'd much prefer to stomp his feet to the sounds of a banjo, a guitar, and a fiddle. Yes, he enjoys eating, but what's this stuff called caviar? It's blackeyed peas, grits, cornbread, and venison or squirrel meat which are his pleasure. Yes, he enjoys drinking, but champagne? His specialty is "Mountain Dew" (and we don't, of course, mean the product from Pepsi-Cola). The point is that, if they had really wanted to honor their hero, they would have found out about those things which pleased him and provided those for him, rather than trying to please him their own way. Similarly, if we truly want to please the Mighty Warrior who has effected our salvation, we will find out which things delight Him, and perform those things for Him. Just as it is not simply the fact of a banquet, but also the content which is important, so it is not just the fact of worship which is important. The content — the elements which comprise worship — is important as well. --Frank J. Smith, "What is Worship?" in David Lachman and Frank J. Smith, editors, Worship in the Presence of God. Greenville, S.C.: Greenville Seminary Press, 1992, pages 15-16. The author attributed this illustration to David Kiester, a minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. |
Up | View Branch | ID# 143109 | ||
Questions and/or Subjects for Mark 7:7 | Author | ||
|
He-man | ||
|
DocTrinsograce |