How were they not keeping them? They were very meticulous.
Modern mainstream preachers teach that they were trying to earn salvation by keeping the Letter of the Law.
But the Bible tells a completely different story.
Matt. 23:4 For
they (Mainstream Preachers of His time) bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay
them on men's shoulders; but they
themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
Matt 15:
7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with
their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9
But in vain they do worship me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
John 8:
39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them,
If ye were Abraham's children,
ye would do the works of Abraham.
Gen. 26:
4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
John 7:
19
Did not Moses give you the law, and
yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?
Acts 7:
51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers
did, so
do ye.
52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:
53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels,
and have not kept it.
Jer. 23:
16 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart,
and not out of the mouth of the LORD.
John 8:
44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
45
And because I tell
you the truth, ye believe me not.
The Mainstream preachers of today reject all these scriptures to support their lawless traditions. They use one verse to justify their preaching that the Pharisees were trying to obey God.
Rom. 9:
30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.
31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
32 Wherefore? Because
they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;
33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
The Jews didn't believe Jesus was their Messiah so they didn't believe His Blood cleansed us. They still believed in their Doctrines and Traditions which included their version of the Levitical Priesthood sacrificial "Works of the Law" for remission of sins. "for they stumbled at that Stumblingstone".
Mainstream Preachers of today teach that this verse destroys all the Scriptures I posted because they Preach to anyone who will listen that the "works of the Law" for remission of sins the Pharisees were following were the 10 Commandments.
But that is just not true according to the Word.