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Deuteronomy Chapter 12
- Deuteronomy 12:1 These are
the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the
land, which the LORD God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess
it, all the days that ye live upon the earth.
- 2 Ye shall utterly
destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall
possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the
hills, and under every green tree:
- 3 And ye shall
overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their
groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of
their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.
Idolatry as I've said many times are
the biggest insult to God that we as humans could do. Yet even in
that, I don't believe that is why God hates it. He is not jealous
for His own sake. He knows that to worship an idol is to worship the
one who is out to steal, kill and destroy the soul of every single
person that he can destroy. Satan hates us. He hates God's creation.
He even hates those that choose to follow him instead of God.
There are counterfeit religious spirits
behind every idol, every false religion and every false teaching.
They can deceive us, make us feel religious, good, and even have a
sensual substitute that we think of as love. It is counterfeit
though and is not truth.
- Psalm 106:34 They did
not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded
them:
- 35 But were
mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.
- 36 And they
served their idols: which were a snare unto them.
- 37 Yea, they
sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils,
- 38 And shed
innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their
daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and
the land was polluted with blood.
- 39 Thus were
they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their
own inventions.
We must come out among evil and be separate.
That doesn't mean we do not spread the gospel but we are not to be
partaker of the sins of those that live around us. If we do, we will
lose our children to the evil. Preach but do not harm. Share
the word of God without compromising and show no hatred but we must
stand our ground for truth.
- Deuteronomy 32:16 They provoked
him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked
they him to anger.
- 17 They sacrificed
unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods
that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.
God knows best who is good for His creation.
The minute we abandon that and start looking around for other
answers, we start backsliding.
- 1Corinthians 10:19
What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is
offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?
- 20 But I say,
that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to
devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have
fellowship with devils.
There are feelings and emotions that
come to us with the worship of the real God but that goes deeper
than surface emotion that comes when we hear soothing music or are
fired up after hearing a good sermon. True love that comes from God
is based on truth and will be with us when the music stops and we go
home living our everyday lives and are not in church gatherings. We may not
always feel anything at times but faith is there in spite of our
feelings. We have the presence of God with us even when we don't
feel anything. Our conscience will flare up when we start to stray
away from the truth.
Since there are so many gifts of the
spirit, one being discernment, not all of us have all 9 gifts
operating all the time. This is why it is important to not forsake
the assembling of ourselves together with those that believe and
love the truth. God builds His church for a reason. We are to become
strong in the Lord and make disciples so the gospel can be spread
all over the earth and also so that we strengthen one another and
keep one another from falling. We need strong, healthy churches. I'm
not talking of numbers. A strong healthy church can be small as well
as large.
- Deuteronomy 12:4 Ye shall not do
so unto the LORD your God.
- 5 But unto the
place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your
tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye
seek, and thither thou shalt come:
- 6 And thither ye
shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your
tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and
your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of
your flocks:
- 7 And there ye
shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all
that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the
LORD thy God hath blessed thee.
These commandments show the children of
Israel that there was only one way, one right way. Until that which
was perfect (the perfect final sacrifice) was come, they had to
worship a certain way and only in appointed places to keep them pure
from idolatry and ways of the heathen around them. The law of
ordinances, purifying and sacrifices were set in place as a
schoolmaster until Christ came to usher in the final sacrifice for
sin and the power of the Holy Spirit to come within each one of them
to keep them from sin and grant them eternal life. After receiving, Jews
and Gentiles alike can worship God in spirit and in truth. Now it
does not depend upon a place or a time but it is only one way. There
are some modern teachers claiming that there is more than one way to God.
There is only one way and that is through Jesus Christ (God in the
flesh).
- Galatians 3:23 But
before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the
faith which should afterwards be revealed.
- 24 Wherefore the
law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might
be justified by faith.
- 25 But after
that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
- 26 For ye are
all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
- 27 For as many
of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
- 28 There is
neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is
neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
- 29 And if ye be
Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the
promise.
What a glorious promise, what a hope,
through Christ the way of salvation is opened up to Gentiles as well
as the natural children of Abraham.
When mankind begins to do that which is
right in their own eyes, they are really falling away from God and
following the wicked one, the enemy of all our souls, the devil or
Satan himself.
- Judges 17:5 And the
man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim,
and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
- 6 In those days
there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was
right in his own eyes.
This describes our world today. Everyone
thinks he is doing right in his or her own eyes.
How much we need God is made evident by
looking at our own country today.
- Deuteronomy 12:9 For ye are not as
yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the LORD your
God giveth you.
- 10 But when ye go
over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your
enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety;
- 11 Then there shall
be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his
name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command
you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and
the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which
ye vow unto the LORD:
- 12 And ye shall
rejoice before the LORD your God, ye, and your sons, and your
daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the
Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part
nor inheritance with you.
After they were to be given rest from
war and settled in their own lots, they were to worship. They were
to rejoice and show thanksgiving to God. Our praise and worship
today should be with rejoicing and thanksgiving because of the great
salvation that we have received through faith in Jesus Christ. We
should rejoice and be exceedingly glad in the Lord.
Again they are given a reminder that
they must do this God's way; not do what they think is right on their
own. This is pointing to the final way of salvation that was even
then in the mind of God to save mankind from sin and bring them back
into fellowship with God to whom they were separated when Adam
sinned in the garden of Eden.
- Deuteronomy 12:14 But in the place
which the LORD shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou
shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all
that I command thee.
- 15 Notwithstanding
thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy
soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of the LORD thy
God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat
thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart.
- 16 Only ye shall
not eat the blood; ye shall pour it upon the earth as water.
Blood represents life, it was not to be
eaten.
- Genesis 9:3 Every
moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the
green herb have I given you all things.
- 4 But flesh with
the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
This was even a commandment given to
Noah before He gave the law to Moses.
- Deuteronomy 12:17 Thou mayest not
eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or
of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor
any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings,
or heave offering of thine hand:
- 18 But thou must
eat them before the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy
God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy
manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within
thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God in all
that thou puttest thine hands unto.
- 19 Take heed to
thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest
upon the earth.
The Levites gave up their inheritance
in order to serve the altar and tabernacle. Their inheritance was
the service for the Lord. They depended upon the other tribes to
support them with tithes and offerings.
- Deuteronomy 12:20 When the LORD
thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee, and
thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to
eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul lusteth
after.
- 21 If the place
which the LORD thy God hath chosen to put his name there be too
far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy
flock, which the LORD hath given thee, as I have commanded thee,
and thou shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth
after.
- 22 Even as the
roebuck and the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat them: the
unclean and the clean shall eat of them alike.
- 23 Only be sure
that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.
- 24 Thou shalt not
eat it; thou shalt pour it upon the earth as water.
- 25 Thou shalt not
eat it; that it may go well with thee, and with thy children
after thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight
of the LORD.
- 26 Only thy holy
things which thou hast, and thy vows, thou shalt take, and go
unto the place which the LORD shall choose:
- 27 And thou shalt
offer thy burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, upon the
altar of the LORD thy God: and the blood of thy sacrifices shall
be poured out upon the altar of the LORD thy God, and thou shalt
eat the flesh.
- 28 Observe and hear
all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with
thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest
that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD thy God.
Here is what the book of Hebrews says
about the first and second covenants God made with Israel.
- Hebrews 8:1 Now of the
things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an
high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the
Majesty in the heavens;
- 2 A minister of
the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord
pitched, and not man.
- 3 For every high
priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it
is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.
- 4 For if he were
on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are
priests that offer gifts according to the law:
- 5 Who serve unto
the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was
admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for,
See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the
pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
- 6 But now hath
he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is
the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon
better promises.
- 7 For if that
first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have
been sought for the second.
- 8 For finding
fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the
Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah:
- 9 Not according
to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I
took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt;
because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them
not, saith the Lord.
- 10 For this is
the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after
those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind,
and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and
they shall be to me a people:
- 11 And they
shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his
brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the
least to the greatest.
- 12 For I will be
merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their
iniquities will I remember no more.
- 13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that
which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
They did not keep the first covenant as
God knew they wouldn't and couldn't in their own strength. They
needed to have God's spirit within and have the law written upon the
hearts. This took the death of His own Son as a sacrifice for sins.
This took His own spirit being placed in the heart of those that
received the Lord and believed. This is the new birth given to those
that believe in Christ to the point that they turn from sin and turn
to Christ.
- Deuteronomy 12:29 When the LORD
thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou
goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in
their land;
- 30 Take heed to
thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that
they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not
after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their
gods? even so will I do likewise.
One part of God's law that has never
changed either with Jew or Gentile. Idolatry is a serious offense
and sin. It will destroy our souls. We must not worship other gods
or bow down to anything except the true God. This means even idols,
icons, or statues that supposedly represent God or Jesus Christ. God
says no. To go ahead to do so is to worship devils.
- Deuteronomy 12:31 Thou shalt not
do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD,
which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their
sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their
gods.
- 32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add
thereto, nor diminish from it.
This is another reason idolatry is a
serious sin, it leads to other sins that harm innocent people. Child
sacrifice, burning children with fire and many such abominations
accompanied idol worship. We must avoid this sin. DC
Deuteronomy 13
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