Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy Chapter 13

• Deuteronomy 13:1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 
• 2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; 
• 3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 

Usually the rule is that if a prophet speaks something and it comes to pass, it was proof that he was a true prophet but that is not always the case. The word of God overshadows and is the first source of truth above all prophets, preachers or teachers. 

Even if a prophet prophesies something that comes to pass, if he or she then teaches his audience to sin against God or to do contrary to the word of God then he or she is still to be considered a false prophet or false teacher. 

We see here the seriousness of idolatry and also spiritual adultery. Sometimes God allows false teachers to prove our faith and to see if we really love Him and love His word. Our flesh is weak. We usually will do what we want to do. Some of us though have more of the fear of God than others. So the devil, the enemy of our souls has to try something more subtle to get our attention. If he can get us to think we have God's approval on something we want to do anyway, then we might be more likely to consider it.  If a false prophet prophesies something and it comes to pass, we might think he is for real and follow whatever teaching comes from this false prophet. 

This is why we need to do as Jesus taught, "Watch and pray that we enter not into temptation." We need the word written upon our heart so that we will not desire to sin against God. We need to get to the place where we don't just keep the commandments out of the fear of hell or because we were brought up in a religion that teaches those things but because they are written upon our hearts by the Holy Spirit and we obey them because we love Him in truth. 

Read again the latter part of verse 3. "for the Lord your God proves you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul."

This proves our love for God. We see a sign and wonder but we still stay true to God rather than believe in the false teacher. 

I'm not against signs and wonders. The bible is full of signs and wonders to show the true power of God. He still uses them to confirm His word but there is a difference. The true signs and wonders from God will bring people to God, not lead them into sin. They also will never be used to cause someone to stray from the word. 

I will add here that sometimes a false teacher will start out whether knowingly or unknowingly, teaching truth. He may get people to Christ and do good works. Yet later when he has many followers, he begins to teach falsely. This happens even more often than someone who starts out teaching falsely from the beginning. Many teach good things in the beginning and the devil creeps into his thinking leading him down a different path. 

• Deuteronomy 13:4 Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. 

This is for our good today even as it was for Israel's good in that day. God is our friend. He wants good things for us. He is not out to destroy our fun like we think. His commandments are for our good, not for our misery. Sin will bring forth temporary fun as we may call it, but it will lead us into misery and the end result is death both physically and spiritually. 

• Deuteronomy 13:5 And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee. 

Because we live in the dispensation of grace and the gospel of Jesus Christ and many of us live in countries where the government and religion do not mix, we are never to harm or kill false teachers. We are not under the godly type of theocracy that Israel was under. Moses was a leader appointed by God. Not all leaders who say they are from God is necessarily from God. Because of the abuse of those who mixed church and state or religion and state, we have proved ourselves unworthy to have a theocracy because of the danger of it not being really under God but under wicked men claiming to be the voice of God.

Now it's best to have a government that allows freedom of religion when it comes to the conscience without forbidding one those in authority may disagree with from believing how they prefer. This of course doesn't mean we can allow those that physically harms someone or one that freely forces people into doing things that would be against fair, reliable, law and order. It doesn't mean we can't have prayer in school or even voluntary classes that teach the bible. We should acknowledge Jesus in public. We need God back in our society. They were absolutely crazy when they ruled God unconstitutional back in the sixties. Yet because of the wickedness and weakness of men (women) we can never have a government that forces any kind of religion on the population. True faith in God can never be forced anyway. It comes from within our inner most being, it's not just an outward religion of works. It should continue this way because innocent people can be accused of false prophecy when they just disagree on whether or not one can cut one's hair for example. Until the literal coming of Jesus Christ, we cannot trust any group, government or leader to set up a theocratic government like Israel had. We have to wait on Jesus Himself to set up a kingdom on earth and He will. 

Because we are weak in the flesh and innocent people can be killed or harmed, we cannot burn witches or kill false prophets. Now we have to let God be the judge in that case. Our position now is to pray, discern and not allow them to teach falsely by setting up churches or congregations with godly leaders to guard the flock against the false. All the leaders should be accountable to others so that if he or she should stray away from the truth he can be removed from teaching but we let God judge him from that point. We can always pray for their restoration. There never should be one leader that has so much authority that he or she is considered infallible and above correction. That is a mistake that has been made many times throughout the history of the world. Even the pope, the president of the US or any king, priest, rabbi or spiritual leader of any kind should have to be held accountable for his or her actions and teachings. 

• Deuteronomy 13:6 If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; 
• 7 Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; 
• 8 Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: 
• 9 But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. 

Again what I said above about no longer being in a theocratic government because of the weakness of our nature, we can't kill anyone that teaches falsely but this does show us how serious a sin that idolatry is. There are evil spirits behind idolatry and any false teaching. They will lead us astray and endanger our souls eternally. It is vital that we walk near to God and stay in the truth. 

We can see clearly though that this sin is very grievous in the sight of God. God is our creator, our savior, our life giver. To serve someone else or something else is like slapping Him in the face. The evil presence that accompanies those idols will destroy us. In saying this, the Lord even forbids making images to represent Him. We are not to make images to represent Jesus, Mary, the apostles or anyone. We do not need to look at something when we pray as some teach. That is dangerous. We now worship God in spirit and in truth. We come by faith. 

• Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

Human nature wants to see something to believe but God wants us to believe and trust in Him without using images and man made things. We don't need that. 

• John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 
• 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 

We are not to use idols, images, icons or statues of any kind to aid us in worship. 

• Deuteronomy 13:10 And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 

If idolatry was so serious as sin that God commanded the death penalty, it must still be a serious sin today. God has not changed that commandment but because of His grace and because Jesus came to die for our sins even the sin of idolatry, we can be forgiven and cleansed. The death penalty now only comes if we refuse to repent and keep worshipping idols or we never repent of sin and we reject Jesus Christ the only sacrifice that can remove our sins. The death penalty though comes by the hand of God not us. And that death means eternal death and separation from God, not just physical death. 

The dispensation of grace in still in effect and will be in effect until God changes it back. Now is the day of salvation, now is the acceptable time to receive the Lord and turn from sin. 

Before we are tempted to criticize the severity of God, we must see that if God had not have set up these laws, Israel would have destroyed themselves early on and died out without bringing forth the one God was to send to save us from sin and usher in eternal life and eternal righteousness. The law was held in place to keep sin from getting so bad that it would get to the point of no return like it did among the Canaanites which God had Israel drive out. God promised that land to Abraham and his seed after him but didn't allow Israel to take that land until many years later after the Canaanites became so wicked that they could not repent. This happened in the days of the flood in Noah's day. At that time, only 8 people were saved out of probably millions.

God has to stop sin sooner or later. That is why He had to send His only Son, the Messiah or the Christ. When Christ returns, it will be the beginning of the end of sin. We can read more on this in Revelation. 

• Deuteronomy 13:11 And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you. 
• 12 If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities, which the LORD thy God hath given thee to dwell there, saying, 
• 13 Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known; 
• 14 Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you; 
• 15 Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword. 
• 16 And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the LORD thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again. 

Very severe but for a reason. God has to stop this type of sin. This was before Christ and it was a sin that if left unchecked could destroy the whole world. Without God, without His word, without His presence, we would eventually destroy ourselves, suffering would never cease and there would be no love or mercy to anyone. Slavery would return, women would be oppressed, children would be abused even more than they are now. God is good, we are not. We need a savior. 

• Deuteronomy 13:17 And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers; 
• 18 When thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD thy God. 

God loves our souls, He wants us to inherit eternal life and be free from sin permanently. His commandments are good. At the time of the writing of Deuteronomy the law which is good and holy was a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ showing us how serious sin was, how is was destroying our souls, how we can't get rid of it by willpower alone and how we need a savior from sin. That savior is the very Son of God whose name is Jesus.  -DC

Deuteronomy 14