Revering the Word
Deuteronomy 12 Doing whats right in God’s eyes.
This morning we are in Deuteronomy chapter 12. Let's begin. These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully observe in the land which to Lord the God of your fathers has given you to possess as long as you live on the earth. You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree you shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their ashram with fire and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place. Interesting. God is creating in Israel a theocracy. The form of government that Israel is going to have when they take over the promised land is they are not going to have a king, God is going to be their king. That's the way it is going to begin and they are to worship him and him alone and nothing in their land is to be worshipped. No other false God, no other false image or pillar is to be set up there to worship God and him alone. What's interesting is that that is what they were doing in that time in history when they were setting up a theocracy. But later when Jesus lived on the earth it was different because the form of government was different. When Jesus began his ministry and began Christianity Israel and much less Christians were in charge of the land. They didn't have a country anymore. They had lost their country. Jews did. Two Nebuchadnezzar and he wasn't obviously ruling anymore but now the land was under the rule of the Roman Empire. The Jews were given some leadership over the temple area in Jerusalem but they were not the form of government and you know the Greeks had all kinds of gods that they worshipped and Jesus wasn't going around and tearing those down. It's kind of interesting right? In some ways it would be great wouldn't it? I think it would be great to go and be able to tear down all kinds of false worship but you know I'm giving this podcast I live in America and we have a plurality of faith and it doesn't turn out so good. Having a plurality of faith. People are free in America to worship what they want so we have lots of false worship, lots of multi you know worship of multi different gods and it's not it's not great for setting up a nation that's going to follow Jesus Christ but you know we have an example. Jesus was trying to win the world with Jesus. He was you know he made his disciples said you know go make disciples of all nations you should be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samirah to the ends of the earth but it was more of an evangelistic reaching people than it was tearing down you know false gods because again they didn't have a theocracy in Jesus' day. They were going to be developing one here and in that theocracy they were not going to allow false worship. God was very concerned that they would not worship him and begin worshiping everything else. You shall not act like this toward the Lord your God verse four but you shall seek the Lord at the place which the Lord your God will choose from all your tribes to establish his name there for his dwelling and there you shall come. So God was going to establish a place that was the right place to do animal sacrifice the right place for the Levites to handle their priestly duties at the tabernacle. The tabernacle was still going to be unmoved and they were going to have different places until God finally established his own place on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem when they built the temple but until then God had different places prescribed only one at a time where the tabernacle was and that's where you would bring your offerings. Verse six there you shall bring your burnt offerings your sacrifices your ties the contribution of your hand your votive offerings your fuel offerings and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. There also you and your household shall eat before the Lord your God and rejoice in all your undertakings in which the Lord your God has blessed you. So there was going to be a designated place. You shall not do at all what we are doing here today every man doing what is right in his own eyes. That's a very interesting statement. Don't do what we're doing today that everyone's doing right in their own eyes and I don't know what Israel was doing you know on the other side of the Jordan before they entered the promised land that this was spoken but apparently there was some some complacency or something on Israel's part that they were not doing what God wanted but in some ways doing what was right in their own eyes. This famous this statement becomes famous in a book that we're going to look at in the not too distant future it's called the book of judges. The book of judges comes at a time after Israel takes over the promised land and before they actually have a king ruling they're still trying to have a theocracy but they would have judges who had for a period of time lead them and the hallmark of that book is the evil and how bad it gets and the book of judges is filled with the sinful tendencies of God's people and one of the ways that's described is every man just did what was right in his own eyes. That's a sad state of affairs when man just chooses to do what's right in his own eyes instead of seeking what is right in God's eyes it leads to sinfulness and you know a lot of people today in our world that are unbelievers they want to declare their own God they want to have their own rules they don't want to submit to the Bible they don't want to submit to Christianity they want to declare we're going to do what we think is right in our own eyes. Imagine that for a moment if everyone on the planet just did what was right in their own eyes instead of having a set of established morality and wish to follow it may seem good and right for you to get to choose to do what's right in your own eyes but what if somebody else thinks they want what you have and they say one bigger and stronger than you and you know it's survival of the fittest so I'm going to take what I'm going to take what I want that's of yours and to them that's right in their own eyes I mean there's a lot of things people do that they think is right in their own eyes but it's not as of God and it's not it's not doesn't make for a good society as well so it's a dangerous place to be if everyone just does right in their own eyes because not everyone's going to do what's right and and not everyone obviously them is going to be honoring the Lord so you'll see that that phrase leads to destruction doing what's right in your own eyes verse 10 I'll actually finish verse nine for you have not as yet come to the resting place and the inheritance wish to Lord your God is giving you there they have not yet established Jerusalem that might be referring to when you cross the Jordan and live in the land which the Lord your God has given you to inherit he gives you rest from all of your enemies around you so that you live in security then it shall come about the place in which the Lord your God will choose for his name to dwell there you shall bring all that I command you your burnt offerings and your sacrifices your ties and the contribution of your hand and all your choice votive offerings which you will vow to the Lord so there's going to be a place again God's going to establish some places with the tabernacle but eventually there's going to be a temple in Jerusalem and then that's where they'll come and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God you and your sons and your daughters your male and female servants and the Levite who is within your gates since he has no portion of inheritance with you he's wanting everyone in Israel to worship him verse 13 be careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every cultic place you see but in the place which the Lord chooses in one of your tribes there you shall offer your burnt offerings and there you shall do all that I command you they were going to begin to be more spread out you know right now they're camping around the tabernacle in the desert on the other side of the Jordan but when they start taking over all the land of Israel they're going to be you know in various places they're not going to be near the tabernacle and they're not going to be near each other and God is saying listen you can't just offer sacrifices to me any old place you want and start setting up false places of worship there's going to be one designated place and the people of the land they did that they set up false places all over the place and God didn't want them to be like them however that doesn't mean they can't eat meat and he's going to talk about that quite a bit here however you may slaughter and eat meat with any within any of your gates whatever you desire according to the blessing of the Lord your God which he has given you the unclean and clean may eat of it as of the gazelle and the deer only you shall not eat the blood you should you are to pour it out on the ground like water you are not allowed to eat within your gates the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil or the first one of your her flock or any of your vote of offerings which you vow or your free law friends or the contribution of your hand but you shall eat them before the lawyer got into place with the Lord your God will choose you and your son and daughter and your male and female servants and the Levi who is within your gates and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God and all your undertakings be careful that you do not forsake the Levi as long as you live in your land so the offerings of their herd that were for God those needed to be offered in a proper place but as far as eating meat they could sacrifice what wouldn't really be a sacrifice but they can they can slaughter their animal and eat it wherever they want as far as food but for the ones that are devoted to God those are going to have to be in a specific place when the Lord your God extends your border as he has promised you and you say I will eat meat because you desire to eat meat then you may eat meat whatever you desire if the place which the Lord your God chooses to put his name is too far away from you then you may slaughter your herd and flock which the Lord has given you as I commanded you and you may eat within your gates whatever you desire just as it could zell or a deer is eaten you will eat it the unclean and clean alike may eat of it only be sure not to eat the blood for the blood is the life and you shall not eat the life with the flesh you shall not eat it the blood that is you shall pour it out on the ground like water you shall not eat it so that it may be well with you and your sons after you for you will be doing what is right in the side of the Lord so you're not supposed to eat the blood life is in the blood and that becomes significant in the life of Jesus doesn't it that he sheds his blood for the forgiveness of sins but that's one of the things is they don't eat the blood and we don't eat that today I don't know people who eat that today I'm sure they're somewhere somebody but we're not to eat the blood of an animal only your holy things which you may have and your vote of offerings you shall take to the place of the Lord chooses so the specific sacrifices that are holy to God you're going to have to take to the correct place and you shall offer your burnt offerings to flesh and the blood on the altar of the Lord your God and the blood of your sacrifice shall be poured out on the altar of the Lord your God and you shall eat the flesh so they you know if you're bringing it to say Jerusalem once they have a temple then you would sacrifice your animal on the altar you'd pour out its blood and then you'd make your offer in there verse 28 be careful to listen to all these words which I command you so that it may be well with you and your sons after you forever for you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God you know it's interesting is since they were always having to bring their sacrifices to a specific place I think there could be correct offering they could do it in a way that honored God imagine if everyone just did their sacrifices wherever they wanted and did it only any old way they wanted I think they could get into false worship and God is looking to have their worship be good and right and true and done rightly and this was a way he was going to prevent false places of worship and false worship and to keep some consistency and honor to his name by having them come with those sacrifices to the to the right place you know God wants it to go well with us and he's giving him instruction read 28 again be careful to listen to all these words which I command you so that it may be well with you and it's going to go and with your sons after you forever for you be doing what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God and you know what if you do what's good and right in the sight of the Lord your God I believe life is going to go a lot better I think there's blessing from God from doing life his way when we undertake and send there's consequences and it ends up damaging our lives so I believe that you know what's being said here is something good and right to apply today follow Jesus follow the word of God live to honor and please him and I do believe your life will be much better off because you'll have God's blessing upon your life when the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations which you are going to dispossess and you dispossess them into all their land be aware that you are not ensnared to follow them after they are destroyed before you and that you do not inquire after their God saying how do these nations serve their gods that I also may do likewise God's very concerned about that he doesn't want us to intermix and do false worship you shall not behave thus toward the Lord your God for every abominable act which the Lord hates they have done for their God see that the land that they're going to take over they there it's not it's good land but the people are very false in their worship they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods what a horrible thing that is and God says in verse 32 whatever I command you you shall be careful to do you shall not add to nor take away from it what an important word that is to reflect on you know that's talked about in the book of Revelation but I would say that it's true really of the whole Bible now we have to have a right understanding and know how to rightly divide and apply the word of God today we need to know what season of history we're in or in the church age we need to have a new covenant new testament understanding of how to interpret the whole Bible today but God is still not wanting us to to add or take away from it you don't or think our own eyes or what we think is better than what God's word has said and spoken so may we honor what he said man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God and that's why it's good and right that we spend this time in the word of God and treasure it revere it live to honor don't add don't take away from it God is good his word is good and it helps guide and shape our lives until we see you again God bless you all.