Wisdom Principles - Specificity

Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? Matt 12:5

Some of the principles of wisdom are what we are considering. How can I make decisions that will keep me in favor with God and man in all circumstances? Today's principle is specificity. A specific instruction overrides a general rule or law.

Here is an example from our Lord's ministry that we used earlier, but this time a different lesson is taught. The disciples picking corn on the sabbath day and eating it is the situation. The Pharisees are questioning their doing work on the sabbath day. And our Lord uses a different principle to correct the Pharisees with and defend His disciples.

As we all know, no work was to be done on the sabbath day. But sacrifices were to be brought to the Tabernacle and later the Temple daily. Tending to the fire on the altar, cutting up the meat for sacrifices, removing ashes from the fire, burning the portions of the animals not used in the sacifice were all hard work! Yet the priests were required to do that work. So it was understood that they were excepted from profaning the sabbath for the work which they were doing!

The specific law for the priests to offer up all of the sacrifices of the nation superceded the general law of no work on the sabbath. The specific law has precedence over a general law. Thank you, LORD, for your wisdom!