Hypocritical Lips or Joyful Lips?
by Joe R. Price
  1. Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
  2. 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.
  3. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'

     Matthew 15:7-9, NKJV

This is one of Christ's most stinging rebukes of the religious class of His day. Jesus literally "went to the heart of the matter," exposing their religious pretense (hypocrisy). The scribes and Pharisees meticulously bound their traditions upon people, treating their traditions as if they were the commandments of God (Matt. 15:1-3). To compound their sin, their traditions also served to convince people they could disobey the commands of God without consequence (vs. 4-6). Such elevation of men's religious traditions above the word of God is sinful, producing vain worship - empty expressions of devotion to the Almighty. We must have hearts that receive all of God's word, never elevating any human religious tradition above a "thus saith the Lord."

  1. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You.
  2. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.
  3. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

     Psalm 63:3-5, NKJV

In contrast to the hypocritical lip-service Jesus rebuked in Matthew 15:7-9, this passage blesses God with lips of joyful praise. The goodness and kindness of God was better than life to David, for God satisfied the longings of his soul. David's heart was stayed on God even as he faced trials and uncertainty: "My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me" (Ps. 63:8). David pledged loyalty to God and praised Him for the rich abundance of His care. Joyful lips result from thankful hearts. Like David, let us rejoice in God's goodness and worship Him with the "fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name" (Heb. 13:15).