Deuteronomy 28: 15-68, Luke 18: 1-30, Psalm 67
Luke 18: 14 (ESV)
“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified,
rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the
one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
In verse 14 from Luke 18, Jesus tells us the difference
between the Pharisee who was praying and the tax collected who was also praying.
The Pharisee in his prayer told God he was not a sinner like other meh, and all
the things he had done to follow God’s laws. The Pharisee was praising himself
to God. The tax collector prayed to God in a different way. The tax collector
was humble and would not even lift his yes to God. He told God he was a sinner
and asked God to be merciful to him.
One Bible scholar noted that the Pharisee was looking at prayer
and his life as a way to be exalted. The tax collector instead came to God in humility
because he needed God’s mercy. Jesus tells us that tax collector will receive
God’s mercy and will be justified, because he prayed humbly to God for mercy. God
will not show mercy to the Pharisee because he prayed to God with pride. God
doesn’t need to be reminded of all the things that we do. God wants to know if
we acknowledge we are sinners, and if we want his mercy. The Pharisee did not admit
to even having a sin, which was a lie. We are all sinners and need to pray to
God for his mercy.
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