The most important things in the law you ignore, namely: justice and mercy and faithfulness (Matthew 23:23)
In the North American colonies, William Penn was known as a kind-hearted Quaker who was honest with the Native Americans. When he returned to England, his children did not come with him. Unfortunately, they did not inherit the integrity of their father. Even before long, they devised a sinister plot to deceive a tribe in Delaware. They showed them an old contract which stated that the Indians agreed to sell a piece of land that a person could surround himself with in a day and a half.
When the tribe agreed to their ancestral treaty, the Penn children rejoiced. They then hired the three fastest runners. One of the runners reached a distance of 110.05 km in 18 hours. They really do not respect the letter and the true purpose of the agreement.
In Jesus' day, the Pharisees and scribes rationalized their transgressions against the true purpose of God's Law. Jesus exposed their hypocrisy when quoting the commandment "honor your father and your mother" (Mark 7:10-13). They say that part of their income is a "gift to God" so that their income is not used to care for their elderly parents.
The Bible is not a tool to fulfill our desires. Instead, we should ask God to help us understand its true meaning. Make sure we do not neglect the most important things in the law, namely justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Matthew 23:23) --HDF
OBEYING WHAT IS WRITTEN IN THE LAW IS GOOD
BUT FOLLOWING THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW IS MUCH BETTER
BUT FOLLOWING THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW IS MUCH BETTER
*) Take from Daily Meditation