Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
—Psalm 19:14
If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
—Psalm 66:18
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
—Psalm 104:34
I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
—Psalm 119:11
And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,
“‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”
—Mark 7:6-8
And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
—Mark 7:20-23
When we read about interactions between Jesus (or His disciples) and the Pharisees, we need to remember a few things.
We aren't Jesus. He knew peoples' hearts in ways that we cannot, and He had the right to call out bad motives in a way that we do not. Jesus taught His disciples not to imitate the actions of the scribes and Pharisees. He explained His warnings, clearly distinguishing “[they] sit on Moses' seat” from “not the works they do.”
The Pharisees got some things right: the Sadducees denied resurrection, angel, and spirit, all of which the Pharisees acknowledged. Nicodemus and Gamaliel were Pharisees; so was Paul. During his hearing before the council and in his trial before Agrippa, as well as in His letter to the believers in Philippi, he identified himself as a Pharisee. That was his heritage, not his highest loyalty. So we can see the contrast between Pharisees who placed their loyalty in their "party" versus individuals—of whatever background—who place their trust in the Lord.
Many of the warnings about the Pharisees deal with misplaced trust, which focused on visible activity (or even "performance") instead of on the Lord or on the heart, which was to be the dwelling-place of His word.
From Deuteronomy (“love the Lord your God with all your heart...”) through the Prophets and throughout the Psalms, the Lord's people have always been called honor and follow Him with their hearts. And, of course, with words and actions.
Out of the Heart
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
—Psalm 19:14
If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
—Psalm 66:18
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
—Psalm 104:34
I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
—Psalm 119:11
And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,
“‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”
—Mark 7:6-8
And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
—Mark 7:20-23
When we read about interactions between Jesus (or His disciples) and the Pharisees, we need to remember a few things.
We aren't Jesus. He knew peoples' hearts in ways that we cannot, and He had the right to call out bad motives in a way that we do not. Jesus taught His disciples not to imitate the actions of the scribes and Pharisees. He explained His warnings, clearly distinguishing “[they] sit on Moses' seat” from “not the works they do.”
The Pharisees got some things right: the Sadducees denied resurrection, angel, and spirit, all of which the Pharisees acknowledged. Nicodemus and Gamaliel were Pharisees; so was Paul. During his hearing before the council and in his trial before Agrippa, as well as in His letter to the believers in Philippi, he identified himself as a Pharisee. That was his heritage, not his highest loyalty. So we can see the contrast between Pharisees who placed their loyalty in their "party" versus individuals—of whatever background—who place their trust in the Lord.
Many of the warnings about the Pharisees deal with misplaced trust, which focused on visible activity (or even "performance") instead of on the Lord or on the heart, which was to be the dwelling-place of His word.
From Deuteronomy (“love the Lord your God with all your heart...”) through the Prophets and throughout the Psalms, the Lord's people have always been called honor and follow Him with their hearts. And, of course, with words and actions.
And those come out of the heart.