When you come across a person standing at a busy intersection holding a sign that says “Homeless. Anything helps,” what thoughts go through your heart and mind? Here are some thoughts that go through my mind: Why don’t they get a job? They’re probably just ripping people off. They likely spend the money they get on cigarettes, booze, or drugs. They are lazy. They are irresponsible. They don’t have self-control. I am a steward of God’s money, so therefore, I should not give money to a panhandler because I cannot guarantee that the panhandler will not waste the money selfishly. Instead, I should give my money to a local social services agency because I know those organizations will help people wisely and not wastefully.
I bring up the panhandler, as I did in this post earlier in this week’s series of blog posts, because now that we have finished studying 1st Samuel chapters 21 & 22, I want us to reflect more deeply on that early part of the story, chapter 21, verses 5-6. In that section of the story, the priest Ahimelek gives David the consecrated bread from the tabernacle, and David eats it. As I mentioned in that post, Jesus talks about this story. Let’s hear what Jesus has to say in Mark 2:23-28,
“One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?’ He answered, ‘Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.’ Then he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.’”
Jesus brings up the story because the Pharisees, those highly-legalistic religious leaders with whom he often came into conflict, were confronting Jesus for allowing his disciples to do what was in their eyes breaking the law. What crime were the disciples committing? They were picking wheat on the Sabbath Day. Mind you, the disciples were not harvesting a field and getting paid for their work. They were picking a few grains for a quick snack right then and there. But the ultra-strict Pharisees accused the disciples of working on the Sabbath Day, which was forbidden in the Mosaic Law. The idea of Sabbath and work on the Sabbath are not, however, nearly as strictly defined as what the Pharisees made it seem. There is a room for interpretation.
That is what Jesus tries to explain by bringing up the story of David eating the consecrated bread. Jesus’ point is that both David and the priest held to a wideness, a graciousness, in their interpretation of the Mosaic Law. The Mosaic Law clearly states that the consecrated bread is a sacrifice to God, and it was only to be eaten by the priests. So technically, Ahimelek should never have offered the bread to David, even if David could assure Ahimelek that he, David, was ritually clean, he should never have accepted the bread, that is, if they were using a super-strict literal method for interpreting the law.
Jesus points out, however, that Ahimelek and David interpreted the law with a graciousness. We call this the difference the letter of the law and the heart of the law. The Pharisees were big on the letter of the law. If the speed limit is 35, you should drive 35. Not 36, 37, or 38. Even if you’ve heard the police won’t ticket until you get 7 or 10 miles per hour above the speed limit, you only drive 35. That’s a letter of the law approach, and Jesus says that the Pharisees are wrong. Jesus refers to David’s story as an example of why, when we interpret Scripture, we should always remember the heart of the law.
Following the heart of the law is superior to following the letter of the law, because there is no law code that can cover every single situation in life. The Old Testament Law was never intended to cover every situation that ancient Israel would encounter. Instead, the Law was best interpreted as a set of principles, flowing from God’s heart, that could be applied to numerous situations. The people of Israel must learn how to apply those principles in life.
This is why Jesus says that man was not made for Sabbath, but Sabbath was made for man. In other words, Jesus is saying that the Law is meant to benefit humanity. We are not, Jesus indicates, to become slaves to the Law. Instead we are to find the principles of God’s heart that are illustrated by the Laws, and then we follow those principles. Knowing that those principles flow from God’s heart of goodness toward us, for our benefit. Following the principles of God’s heart is what is best for us. Ahimelek and David demonstrate that they knew the heart of God.
They knew that God’s heart was for mercy and compassion and helping those in need, like David. So therefore the consecrated bread, while primarily used as a sacrifice that demonstrated faith in God and gratefulness to God who is the provider of all bread, and secondarily for the nourishment of the priests, could also be used in such a way that honored God’s heart of love and mercy and grace to benefit other people in need. That’s the heart of the law. That’s what is important. This why God will often say in the Old Testament, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” The strict ritual and law of the sacrificial system, God says, is not as important as mercy. Do not allow the letter of the law to keep you from following the heart of the law.
This is why it is vital that we get to know God’s heart. The Mosaic Law is first introduced in the book of Exodus. But God wants the people to be certain about his heart as more important than the letter of the law. Consider how he describes his heart in Exodus 34,
“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.”
I will admit that it can sometimes feel vague or confusing to learn God’s heart, to be a person who prizes the heart of the law above the letter. In many cases, it is simply easier to be focus on the letter of the law. If the speed limit is 35, and the police department is legally not able to ticket you unless you are going 10 miles per hour above the speed limit, you can drive 44 miles per hour and have a clear conscience, not having to worry about any heart of the law. I like the precision of that. I want know when I am in the right, and when I have crossed the line into the wrong.
For the vast majority of situations, we would do well to follow the letter of the law. Generally-speaking following the letter is going to result in the best case scenario. But let’s not become legalistic. Let’s not be like the Pharisees. Let’s be people who know God’s heart so well, that we are more focused on his heart, on compassion, mercy, and grace, that we are able to identify when it is okay to bend or break the law, because doing so will be more in line with God’s heart than in keeping the letter of the law.
Wait a minute…am I advocating breaking the law? It’s risky to write “it’s okay to bend or break the law.” Hear me clearly, I am advocating being so filled with the ideals of God’s heart that we follow his heart, that our hearts beat in alignment with God’s heart.
But could it be said that in using that stewardship rationale, which often results in not helping the panhandler I referred to at the beginning of this post, we might be legalistic Pharisees in our hearts? Could it be said that we are assuming the worst about the panhandler’s life story and motives? Could it be said that we are judging them when in reality we do not know anything about them or their situation or their motives?
I don’t know your heart, so I can’t speak for you. I can only ask the questions. I am definitely speaking to myself and my heart. I know that when I drive up the exit ramp, and I see a panhandler on the corner, I am immediately thrown into a minor emotional crisis. I just want the light to stay or turn green so I can drive past them and forget about them. That reveals the condition of my selfish heart.
What I should feel is compassion. I should feel mercy. I should feel grace. I should see a person who is made in the image of God, just like me. A person who is loved by God, just like me. I should remember the passage in Exodus where God describes his heart. Please read it again,
“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.”
I am not saying that the answer is to just give money to anyone asking for it. I am also not saying that we should always give them food. I am bringing this story up to talk about the condition of our hearts.
How is your heart? Does your heart beat after God’s own heart?
Engaging Scripture 
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