Day 271, Year 1

Long and Money-Making Prayers?

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.” (Matthew 23:14 NKJV)

“He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, Even his prayer is an abomination.” (Proverbs 28:9 NASB)

The scribes and Pharisees distorted God’s Word, and their prayers and care for others were also twisted. They were greedy and, for a pretense, made long prayers in order to embezzle the widow’s property. Their long prayers seemed to bless, but they actually curse. Widows in biblical times were vulnerable and easily bullied. The Pharisees, etc., would face harsher punishment because their prayers had turned away from the law and further abused the name of God to deceive the weak. The Pharisees, etc., were pitiful because they turned God’s blessings into curses. Their wickedness lies in praying to God for help without first being obedient to Him. I believe that such a mentality of rebellion against God will definitely attract the work of evil spirits upon them and those they serve.

There are two types of prayers in the world. One is prayer that is aligned with God’s Word and His will; another is prayer that wants to take advantage of God but betrays Him. The latter is an abomination. The word “abomination” in today’s second verse is to’ebah in Hebrew, which means “a disgusting thing, abominable, in ritual sense (of unclean food, idols, mixed marriages), in ethical sense (of wickedness).” The prayers of those who rebel against God will deprive people of blessings and even harm their spiritual lives. This is because their prayers are often directed not to God, but to the evil spirits behind idols.

Today’s first verse mentions that the behaviors of the Pharisees, etc., offended both God and people. It seems that they deliberately deceive and exploit the weak and vulnerable. It’s the same in today’s context. Besides prayers, many also use religion as a guise to plunder the grace of others. To avoid and expose these deceptions, we need to cultivate sound spiritual discernment. We should analyze different prayers to distinguish the genuine from the hypocritical, to understand the prayers directed to God and those that fall upon evil spirits. In addition, if we find ourselves being easily bullied, we need to seek reliable assistance and mentors, or even those who are bullied can come together to stand against the deceivers. Some who are initially devout can later deteriorate in their faith in God; therefore, we need to discern carefully and beware of hypocrites.

Reflection questions:

1) Are you used to relying on God’s Word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to distinguish the prayers directed to God, or to the evil spirits behind idols?

2) What is the key for you to help those who have been deceived in faith?