Daily Devotional:
Thursday, August 30, to Saturday, September 1, 2018
Text to read: Matthew 7:1-15
- Evelyn Underhill in The Spiritual Life writes:
- “Many people seem to think that the spiritual life necessarily requires a definite and exacting plan of study. It does not. But it does require a definite plan of life, and courage in sticking to the plan, not merely for days or weeks, but for years. New mental and emotional habits must be formed, all our interests rearranged in new proportion around a new center.”
- Reflect on these thoughts and pray that your life will display spiritual strength and courage.
- Evelyn Underhill in The Spiritual
Matthew 7:1 “Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. 2 For the way you judge others is how you will be judged — the measure with which you measure out will be used to measure to you. 3 Why do you see the splinter in your brother’s eye but not notice the log in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ when you have the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite! First, take the log out of your own eye; then you will see clearly, so that you can remove the splinter from your brother’s eye!
6 “Don’t give to dogs what is holy, and don’t throw your pearls to the pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, then turn and attack you.
7 “Keep asking, and it will be given to you; keep seeking, and you will find; keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who keeps asking receives; he who keeps seeking finds; and to him who keeps knocking, the door will be opened. 9 Is there anyone here who, if his son asks him for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone? 10 or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 So if you, even though you are bad, know how to give your children gifts that are good, how much more will your Father in heaven keep giving good things to those who keep asking him!
12 “Always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that sums up the teaching of the Torah and the Prophets.
13 “Go in through the narrow gate; for the gate that leads to destruction is wide and the road broad, and many travel it; 14 but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
15 “Beware of the false prophets! They come to you wearing sheep’s clothing, but underneath they are hungry wolves! (Complete Jewish Bible).
Matthew 7:1-15
Verse 2
[2] For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you — Awful words! So we may, as it were, choose for ourselves, whether God shall be severe or merciful to us. God and man will favour the candid and benevolent: but they must expect judgment without mercy, who have showed no mercy.
Verse 3
[3] And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
In particular, why do you open your eyes to any fault of your brother, while you yourself are guilty of a much greater? The mote - The word properly signifies a splinter or shiver of wood. This and a beam, its opposite, were proverbially used by the Jews, to denote, the one, small infirmities, the other, gross, palpable faults. Luke 6:41.
Verse 4
[4] Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
How sayest thou — With what face?
Verse 5
[5] Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Thou hypocrite — It is mere hypocrisy to pretend zeal for the amendment of others while we have none for our own.
Then — When that which obstructed thy sight is removed.
Verse 6
[6] Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
Here is another instance of that transposition, where of the two things proposed, the latter is first treated of.
Give not — to dogs - lest turning they rend you: Cast not - to swine - lest they trample them under foot. Yet even then, when the beam is cast out of thine own eye, Give not - That is, talk not of the deep things of God to those whom you know to be wallowing in sin. neither declare the great things God hath done for your soul to the profane, furious, persecuting wretches. Talk not of perfection, for instance, to the former; not of your experience to the latter. But our Lord does in nowise forbid us to reprove, as occasion is, both the one and the other.
Verse 7
[7] Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
But ask — Pray for them, as well as for yourselves: in this there can be no such danger.
Seek — Add your own diligent endeavours to your asking: and knock - Persevere importunately in that diligence. Luke 11:9.
Verse 8
[8] For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
For every one that asketh receiveth — Provided he ask aright, and ask what is agreeable to God's will.
Verse 11
[11] If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
To them that ask him — But on this condition, that ye follow the example of his goodness, by doing to all as ye would they should do to you.
For this is the law and the prophets — This is the sum of all, exactly answering Matthew 5:17. The whole is comprised in one word, Imitate the God of love. Thus far proceeds the doctrinal part of the sermon. In the next verse begins the exhortation to practise it.
Verse 12
[12] Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Luke 6:31.
Verse 13
[13] Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
The strait gate — The holiness described in the foregoing chapters. And this is the narrow way.
Wide is the gate, and many there are that go in through it — They need not seek for this; they come to it of course.
Many go in through it, because strait is the other gate — Therefore they do not care for it; they like a wider gate. Luke 13:24.
Verse 15
[15] Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Beware of false prophets — Who in their preaching describe a broad way to heaven: it is their prophesying, their teaching the broad way, rather than their walking in it themselves, that is here chiefly spoken of. All those are false prophets, who teach any other way than that our Lord hath here marked out.
In sheep's clothing — With outside religion and fair professions of love: Wolves - Not feeding, but destroying souls. (John Wesley's Explanatory Notes).
***
6 “Don’t give to dogs what is holy, and don’t throw your pearls to the pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, then turn and attack you.
7 “Keep asking, and it will be given to you; keep seeking, and you will find; keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who keeps asking receives; he who keeps seeking finds; and to him who keeps knocking, the door will be opened. 9 Is there anyone here who, if his son asks him for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone? 10 or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 So if you, even though you are bad, know how to give your children gifts that are good, how much more will your Father in heaven keep giving good things to those who keep asking him!
12 “Always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that sums up the teaching of the Torah and the Prophets.
13 “Go in through the narrow gate; for the gate that leads to destruction is wide and the road broad, and many travel it; 14 but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
15 “Beware of the false prophets! They come to you wearing sheep’s clothing, but underneath they are hungry wolves! (Complete Jewish Bible).
Matthew 7:1-15
Verse 2
[2] For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you — Awful words! So we may, as it were, choose for ourselves, whether God shall be severe or merciful to us. God and man will favour the candid and benevolent: but they must expect judgment without mercy, who have showed no mercy.
Verse 3
[3] And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
In particular, why do you open your eyes to any fault of your brother, while you yourself are guilty of a much greater? The mote - The word properly signifies a splinter or shiver of wood. This and a beam, its opposite, were proverbially used by the Jews, to denote, the one, small infirmities, the other, gross, palpable faults. Luke 6:41.
Verse 4
[4] Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
How sayest thou — With what face?
Verse 5
[5] Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Thou hypocrite — It is mere hypocrisy to pretend zeal for the amendment of others while we have none for our own.
Then — When that which obstructed thy sight is removed.
Verse 6
[6] Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
Here is another instance of that transposition, where of the two things proposed, the latter is first treated of.
Give not — to dogs - lest turning they rend you: Cast not - to swine - lest they trample them under foot. Yet even then, when the beam is cast out of thine own eye, Give not - That is, talk not of the deep things of God to those whom you know to be wallowing in sin. neither declare the great things God hath done for your soul to the profane, furious, persecuting wretches. Talk not of perfection, for instance, to the former; not of your experience to the latter. But our Lord does in nowise forbid us to reprove, as occasion is, both the one and the other.
Verse 7
[7] Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
But ask — Pray for them, as well as for yourselves: in this there can be no such danger.
Seek — Add your own diligent endeavours to your asking: and knock - Persevere importunately in that diligence. Luke 11:9.
Verse 8
[8] For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
For every one that asketh receiveth — Provided he ask aright, and ask what is agreeable to God's will.
Verse 11
[11] If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
To them that ask him — But on this condition, that ye follow the example of his goodness, by doing to all as ye would they should do to you.
For this is the law and the prophets — This is the sum of all, exactly answering Matthew 5:17. The whole is comprised in one word, Imitate the God of love. Thus far proceeds the doctrinal part of the sermon. In the next verse begins the exhortation to practise it.
Verse 12
[12] Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Luke 6:31.
Verse 13
[13] Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
The strait gate — The holiness described in the foregoing chapters. And this is the narrow way.
Wide is the gate, and many there are that go in through it — They need not seek for this; they come to it of course.
Many go in through it, because strait is the other gate — Therefore they do not care for it; they like a wider gate. Luke 13:24.
Verse 15
[15] Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Beware of false prophets — Who in their preaching describe a broad way to heaven: it is their prophesying, their teaching the broad way, rather than their walking in it themselves, that is here chiefly spoken of. All those are false prophets, who teach any other way than that our Lord hath here marked out.
In sheep's clothing — With outside religion and fair professions of love: Wolves - Not feeding, but destroying souls. (John Wesley's Explanatory Notes).
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