What is Vain Worship?

Steven’s Scribbles
“What is Vain Worship?” 
Matt. 15:7-9


    In a scathing rebuke of the Pharisees, Jesus quoted the Prophet Isaiah and told them that they were worshipping God in vain. “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me. But in vain to they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men” (Matt. 15:7-9). I would encourage you to read the entire chapter. What you’re going to see is that they were more concerned with their tradition, than actually teaching people to utilize God’s word accurately in their lives. Which, in the words of Christ, resulted in their worship to be vain. The Greek word translated to “in vain” is matén (μάτην) “aimlessly”; pointless, without ground or real purpose. By this, we see that when one puts tradition over God’s law, it results in pointless worship. How do we know this is the case? I would encourage you to go read the following examples. Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10), David and Uzzah (2 Sam. 6:3ff), King Uzziah (2 Chron. 26:16-21), King Saul (1 Sam. 13:5-14), and Naaman (2 Kings 5). When God makes a command, He expects His followers to keep that command. No matter how strongly we may feel about our traditions, they are never to contradict God’s Law. I love you all!


In His service,
Steven Hugley