Moses warns us of practices that can entrap us.

Deuteronomy Chapter 12: The Laws of the Central Sanctuary and Idolatry

Deuteronomy 12:1-32 – Highlights of The Passage and Some Thoughts

In this chapter, Moses is reiterating the need for the sons of Israel to destroy all evidence of idol worship by those that occupied the land they will conquer. And in verse 4, he tells them that they are not to act like that toward the Lord their God.

Sometimes I wonder if God expects us even today to be more like that.  That is, to take a stronger position against God’s enemies and do more not to be like them. Somehow, I feel we’ve let Him down in that regard.  Thankfully, His Grace abounds.

There’s yet a little gem hidden in verse 7 where Moses says, “There you shall eat before the Lord.” I wonder how much eating (and drinking) we do that we forget the Lord is there with us. We order too much or we order the most expensive thing just because we can. I’m not suggesting that we always eat poorly but I am suggesting that we be mindful that whenever we eat, we are eating before the Lord Who makes that possible for us.

Verse 8 is most interesting. Moses says, “You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes.” Seems like the world hasn’t changed much and the Bible warns us about that both in the Old and the New Testaments. When you have a minute take a look at just two of such verses:

Judges 17:6 ESV, In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Romans 8:7 ESV, For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.

In verse 9, Moses tells us why the children of Israel may have been behaving in this way and thus offers us a glimpse as to why we might be as well. He says it’s because “you have not as yet come to the resting place and the inheritance which the Lord Your God is giving you.” That certainly may well explain how or why our human nature still fights God’s spirit that He has given us as we live our lives and we have to carefully guard against it gaining ground.

In verse 13, Moses warns them to be careful not to worship (i.e. offer their sacrifices) anywhere they feel like (especially a ‘cultic’ place) but rather (vs. 14) only in the place where the Lord chooses for you. That’s big for me. Have you ever had to decide you should go to church? I know that is a difficult decision for many. And to be honest, we take a lot of things into consideration when we make that decision. We consider the preacher, the music, the children’s program, the location, the building, who goes there already, and so much more. Oh yes, theology and doctrine are important too. But I wonder if we’re doing it all wrong. Maybe we just need to let God choose it for us. Let Him lead us through circumstances and through the gentle nudging of our hearts to the right church. And by the way, it won’t be perfect, especially once you (or I) start attending.

In verse 19, there’s a strong reminder that we are not to neglect the needs of our pastors, our modern-day Levites. I know that today many well-known pastors are well taken care of financially and as far as perks are concerned – they get free use of some neat assets that some folks in their congregations have – be it cottages at the lake, or condos in the South, etc. But what about their own spiritual, social, or emotional needs? Is someone taking care of those things, noticing when help is needed even though not asked for? Also, while some pastors are very well taken care of financially, we must remember that others, often are not – the more junior ones that have debt, no house of their own, and as many children as God has given them. Is someone watching out for them, or do we just leave it up to the senior pastors to take care of them?

Lastly, I would point out verse 30 in which Moses advises the children of Israel to not even enquire about the gods of those people that were driven out of the land that they were to possess. They were not to even enquire about how these heathens served or worshipped their gods. The fear was that somehow, they would do likewise. And God hates that. And that same fear is operable today for us, or for our children, or grandchildren who may dabble with the study of other faiths or religions or cults. God says don’t do it.

David Guzik says reminds us of an old proverb that says “curiosity killed the cat” but he goes on to add, “ungodly curiosity has also killed many spiritual lives. No, it’s not okay for a Christian to start investigating Freemasonry.

Wrap-up

When I first looked at this chapter and the headings that were assigned to it, I thought I wouldn’t find too much here that God wanted to see to me, and to you, today. But again, I was surprised by the gems hidden in it.  Let me summarize the 7 things I learned today, and hopefully, you found them helpful as well:

1.     Don’t act like idolaters of other religions.

2.     Recognize you are still living in ways that are right in your own eyes, to a certain extent, and work on it.

3.     Recognizing your resting place is ultimately with Christ in heaven, and your perfection won’t be achieved until then.

4.     Do all your eating ‘before’ the Lord and recognize Him as your guest at the table.

5.     Let God choose where you go to church.

6.     Make sure your pastoral staff’s needs – not just financial – are taken care of.

7.     Don’t concern yourselves too much if at all with the study of other religions.

Would love to hear from you in one form or another. Send me a response on the media by which you Walked Thru this scripture with me.  See you again soon.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Have the Rules for Worshipping God Changed?

The Location of Sacrifices

Leviticus 17:1-9

These first nine verses contain instructions that all sacrifices must be brought “to the doorway of the tent of meeting to present (them) as offering(s) to the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord.” (verse 4) They are no longer to be made in the open fields (verse 5). Nor are they to made as sacrifices “to the goat demons with which (those who sacrifice) play the harlot.” (verse 7) This also applied to strangers sojourning with then (verse 8). And all this was to be on penalty of being “cut off from (God’s) people.” (verse 9)

Thoughts on the Passage

This is day seven in self-quarantine due to the Coronavirus social distancing guidelines the governments have place on us. I must admit there is something to be gained from such a requirement. It allows time for reflection and some rest. And more time in the Word.

Some very interesting requirements here that we need to consider with respect to our own offerings to God. While we no longer sacrifice animals, the instructions God gave to Moses for the sacrifice of animals have some general principles that are transferable to our sacrificing of ourselves and our service for God and for the offering of our tithes and gifts to God.

There is something to be said for our offerings to be presented to God in His house of worship – for us, the local church. Clearly, we are not, however, as Matthew Henry will show us below, to limit our commitment of service and sacrifice to God only in His house today.

But I remember growing up learning that there are two schools of thought among pastors as to where one’s tithe and offerings should go. One school of thought was that everything goes to the local church and we are to trust them to distribute as the Church Body around the world needs it. That it, you don’t give to missionaries unless they are supported by your local church. The other school of thought is that giving of tithes and offerings can be made to the Church Body directly based on the needs God has shown you in your heart, but without neglecting the needs of your local church. Some have tried to find a compromise in saying that Scripture elsewhere (Malachi 3:10) requires that the “tithe” in its entirety go to the local church, and ones “offerings” (over and above the tithe) can go either to the local church or as God directs you worldwide. We’ll let you solve that one for yourself.  Personally, I follow the second school of thought with no compromise needed.

Another point of interest in this passage is that if the men of Israel did not sacrifice properly, they were to be “cut off” from the people.  Chuck Smith says the key thing here is that when we are sacrificing, we need to realize it is part of our relationship with God. We are not just to do it ‘on the side’ so to speak, or out of habit. It is a conscious decision each time to give our service and our/or our tithes and offerings to Him. So, we go to His house to do it.  That takes effort.  But we need that fellowship with Him and with others who are doing the same.

David Guzik gives us some background when he writes:

In the pagan world at that time, it was customary to offer sacrifice wherever one pleased. Altars were customarily built on high hills, in forested areas, or at other special places. . . .Yet now with a centralized place of worship, the Israelites were not allowed to offer any way they pleased – they had to come to the tabernacle and have their sacrifice administered by the priests.

There was a spiritual reality behind the pagan gods, but the reality was really demonic. In sacrificing to Baal, Ashtoreth, and others, they really worshipped demons. Paul says essentially the same thing in I Corinthians 10:20-21:

Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and the table of demons.

There is a sense in which all worship that is not directed to God is directed to the devil and his demons. 

Guzik goes on to say that the demonic background to sacrifice justified the severe punishment of being ‘cut off’ from the people in response to open idolatry

Robert Jamieson, in his commentary, sheds more light on the passage.  First, he indicates that there is a sufficient case to believe that the “they” in verse 5 referring to those sacrificing in the field really referred to the Egyptians, and thus to those Israelites that kept on to the Egyptian way of sacrificing.

The reference (in verse 7) to they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto ‘devils’ he says is literally, "goats." He continues:

The prohibition evidently alludes to the worship of the “hirei-footed” kind, such as Pan, Faunus, and Saturn, whose recognized symbol was a goat. This was a form of idolatry enthusiastically practised by the Egyptians, particularly in the nome or province of Mendes. Pan was supposed especially to preside over mountainous and desert regions, and it was while they were in the wilderness that the Israelites seem to have been powerfully influenced by a feeling to propitiate this idol. Moreover, the ceremonies observed in this idolatrous worship were extremely licentious and obscene, and the gross impurity of the rites gives great point and significance to the expression of Moses, "they have gone a-whoring."

Finally, Matthew Henry, takes all these thoughts about location, etc. and sets us straight with respect to what they mean for us when he writes:

It is certain that the spiritual sacrifices we are now to offer are not confined to any one place. Our Saviour has made this clear (John 4:21), and the apostle (I Timothy 2:8), according to the prophecy, that in every place incense should be offered, (Malachi 1:11). We have now no temple nor altar that sanctifies the gift, nor does the gospel unity lie in one place, but in one heart, and the unity of the spirit.

Christ is our altar, and the true tabernacle (Hebrews 8:2; 13:10); in him God dwells among us, and it is in him that our sacrifices are acceptable to God, and in him only, I Peter 2:5. To set up other mediators, or other altars, or other expiatory sacrifices, is, in effect, to set up other gods. He is the centre of unity, in whom all God's Israel meet.

Yet we are to have respect to the public worship of God, not forsaking the assemblies of his people, Hebrews 10:25. The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob, and so should we; see Ezekiel 20:40. Though God will graciously accept our family offerings, we must not therefore neglect the door of the tabernacle.

You have to love Henry. So, there you have it – from what God told the Israelites all the way to what God is telling us today. May you worship and sacrifice in a way acceptable to Him.  Take this time of self-isolation due to the coronavirus to worship him alone, or with your loved ones; but when it’s over add the worship of God in the presence of the saints in your local church to your spiritual agenda.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

What God's Rules of Cleansing Leprosy Can Teach Us about Judging

Leviticus Chapter 14: Cleansing of People and Houses with Respect to Leprosy

Verses 1-32 describe the process that individuals need to go through if they are suspected of contracting leprosy.  It involves the priests, examinations, declarations, sacrifices, allowances for those that can’t afford the sacrifices, etc. It follows a process not unlike some of the various “offerings” described in earlier chapters.

Verses 33 to 53 describe the process for cleansing a house that a person who was believed to have contracted leprosy needs to have their residence go through. Again, involves all of the above-mentioned elements and may even result in a house being destroyed.

Verses 54 to 57 close off the chapter with a direction to Moses and Aaron that the instructions that were described above had to be ‘taught’ going forward.  God told them it was indeed a “law” with respect to leprosy.

Thoughts on the Passage

Chuck Smith wants us to pay particular attention to verses 49-51:

“To cleanse the house then, he [the priest] shall take two birds and cedar wood and a scarlet string and hyssop, and he shall slaughter the one bird in an earthenware vessel over funning water. Then he shall take the cedar wood and the hyssop and the scarlet string, with the live bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird as well as in the running water and sprinkle the house seven times.” 

He then comments:

“It is interesting that there is sort of a scarlet thread woven through the Old Testament pointing to Jesus Christ. Here the leper was to bring scarlet. We remember that Rahab the harlot was to allow a scarlet cord out the window so that all that would be in the house where the scarlet cord was hanging from the window would be saved when the children of Israel captured Jericho. But the cedar wood could, of course, be looking forward to the cross. And I'm sure that they all in some way looked forward to the cross. Could it be that the cross was of cedar? I don't know. I wouldn't be surprised. The bloodied water surely speaks to us of when Jesus had his side pierced by the Roman soldier and there came forth blood and water. And it speaks of our cleansing through the blood of Jesus Christ. The hyssop, we remember while he was there upon the cross. They took the hyssop bush and they put vinegar upon it and put it to his lips when He cried, "I thirst." So I'm certain that in all of this, there is beautiful symbolism.

And as you read it and just open your heart to the Spirit, I'm sure that God can speak to you and give application to these things to your heart.”

David Guzik suggests that the total shaving of the head (in verse 8) for the ‘cleansed’ leper is an indication of starting all over again as if he were a baby, and that is a reference to the need to be “born again”.  He sees verse 14 as a time of anointing with oil and says,

“Therefore, a cleansed leper had a special calling and a special anointing. One could not go through such a ritual as this and not be changed.”

Matthew Henry says we need to note that:

The gracious care God took of his people Israel, for to them only this law pertained, and not to the Gentiles. When Naaman the Syrian was cured of his leprosy he was not bidden to show himself to the priest, though he was cured in Jordan, as the Jews that were cured by our Saviour were. Thus those who are entrusted with the key of discipline in the church judge those only that are within; but those that are without, God judgeth. [I Corinthians 5:12, 13]

This reference to I Corinthians 5:12, 13 reads as follows:

“For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.”

Isn’t it amazing how we got from leprosy to cleansing to judging one another?  You have to love the cohesiveness of Scripture.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

How has your church dealt with the "consecration" of your pastor or pastoral team?

God’s Details, Not Moses’, and certainly Not Ours Today

Leviticus 8:1-30

The first thirty verses of this chapter refer to a “consecration” that God commanded Moses to carry out (verses 1-5). It involved cleansing the Priests with water (verse 6), donning them with special garments (verses 7-9), anointing them with oil (verses 10-13), and consecrating them with blood (verses 14-30).

Thoughts on the Passage

Now that the tabernacle had been completed, it was time to consecrate those that would work in it and serve the people as priests. 

First, we note that God commanded this consecration of the priests.  And secondly, that it was to be done in the presence of the “full congregation” which was to be assembled at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

Second, this involved all the priests, from father Aaron down to his last son.

Third, the priests were to have special clothing which included a place for the Urim and the Thummin, which were to help them determine God’s will for a particular issue or question posed. Today, as believers and all part of the Royal priesthood, each of us is clothed in Jesus Christ and His righteousness (Revelation 3:5). David Guzik says these ‘clothes’ are given freely by Jesus but received and ‘worn’ by us in faith.

Clearly, this was a ceremony which demonstrated that the priests were being “set apart” and part of that was the need for the atonement of their sins, as well as a committing of their entire lives to the ministry and service God was calling them to.

Finally, of noteworthiness here is the fact that this whole ceremony was not done “à la Moses” but rather according to God in every detail.  Sometimes we do things in our churches attempting to replicate a ceremony we note in the Bible, but we often choose to add our own touches. We need to be mindful that whatever we do – we do not add or subtract from what the Bible teaches us was done by God in the O.T. or Christ in the N.T.  I suppose the whole way our churches observe the Communion meal will come to mind for many of us. And perhaps it should.

How has your church dealt with the "consecration" of your pastor or pastoral team?

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

God’s Design Law of Love Changes One’s Major Tenets

The God-Shaped Heart: How Correctly Understanding God’s Love Transfoms Us Author: Timothy R. Jennings, MD

Publisher:Baker Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2017

In some respects, this is the sequel to the author’s The God-Shaped Brain: How Changing Your View of God Transforms Your Life, which dealt with our brains, anatomy, and God. This time, he shows how our being wired to love is a result of our being created in God’s image – and thus, love gives us a great insight into God’s character, His true identity, and His plans for mankind. Once again, most interesting reading.

His opening premise is that Christianity has been marred, nay, seriously injured, by its focus on fear and punishment of those who don’t buy into it, lock, stock, and barrel. And just like his previous book, Jennings’ arguments and claims are based on solid interpretations of Scripture and supported with counselling examples from his counselling practice. You will find both most stimulating.

No one would argue with Jennings when he postulates that there is power in love. But if so, he asks, where is it?  What’s obstructing it in the lives of Christians? And thus, begins the pilgrimage to find out.

His journey leads him to contest that “the most distressing problem in Christianity is distorted ideas about God.” And to investigate this idea, he takes us to the “heart” – not that physical organ which pumps blood throughout the body, but rather “one’s core self, the inmost secret self, the place where one’s true desires, affections, longings, beliefs, and identity reside – the core elements of one’s individuality. It is our character, composed of all those elements, that make us the individuals we are.” And it is the brain that is the platform on which that ‘heart’ (our character) operates.

Decisions are made by the ‘mind’ which depends on the information it receives from the brain.  And then based on that, Jennings has us consider spiritual warfare from a different perspective.

For me, the highlight of the book is the author’s identification, explanation, and demonstration of the “Seven Levels of Moral Decision-Making”.  This is worth the price of the book itself. Master that and you can then start to consider what level people you know, including yourself, operate at. You’ll be very surprised.  He explains why rules and laws are no longer necessary when living at level five and above.

He does a great job of identifying a multitude of theological positions held by many segments of the Christian Body which we have interpreted and held too, in a way, which communicates the “infection of imposed law, with its false ideas that God is the problem that needs fixing.”

Of course, taking such ideas (that God’s ‘design law’ is all about ‘love’) to their ultimate conclusions, requires readers to challenge its application to some very controversial subjects.  Jennings beats us to the draw and voluntarily does that himself.  He deals with topics such as justice, hell, spousal abuse, worship, divorce, baptism, and more. He saves a lot of his disdain about how church leadership today has morphed into being protectors of the institution, rather doing what they can to help lead people to salvation. (That’s a most interesting and challenging chapter.) In another chapter, he explains how we might utilize the truth about God in our thinking with respect to homosexuality, complete with some very clearly described scientific explanations.

He provides some good advice as to why those of us in the church as well as non-believers are so willing to believe the various lies about God. He then identifies some of the ways to overcome that.

In his concluding chapter, Jennings addresses the issue of God’s judgment. It’s a most informative treatise of the subject. And in his Appendix A, he gives us a “Summary of God’s Design Laws”.

The book challenges our own thinking, attitude, and thus, behavior towards those in our personal relationships, in our church, in the Body, and the world as a whole. It deals with the present as well as the future. Like me, you may not always agree, one hundred percent with where Dr. Jennings ends up on some issues. Still, you will find the book most helpful in informing you of alternatives. And it just make you more like Jesus and perhaps even more useful to Him. 

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·     Ken B. Godevenos, President, Accord Resolutions Services Inc., Toronto, Ontario, May 21, 2018, www.accordconsulting.com

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

What Should Happen When Your Whole Church Sins?

An Offering for Congregational Sins

Leviticus 4:13-21:

¹³ ‘Now if the whole congregation of Israel commits error and the matter escapes the notice of the assembly, and they commit any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done, and they become guilty;

¹⁴ when the sin which they have committed becomes known, then the assembly shall offer a bull of the herd for a sin offering and bring it before the tent of meeting.

¹⁵ Then the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the Lord, and the bull shall be slain before the Lord. 

¹⁶ Then the anointed priest is to bring some of the blood of the bull to the tent of meeting; 

¹⁷ and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil. . ..

[The rest of the process is very similar to that described in the earlier passage.]

Thoughts on the Passage

The first part of the chapter dealt with the sins of priests. This second part deals with the congregational sins of a whole assembly.  (Later parts discuss the sin of leaders and then the common people.)

It is possible for a whole congregation to sin out of ignorance and everyone caught up in the cause misses the fact that the process or means of their good work was flawed in the eyes of God. When that happened to the Israelites, they were required to make this sin offering. This was an offering that followed the same procedure as the offering for the sin of the priests, but it is important to note that it is mentioned here to remind us that sometimes our collective sins need forgiveness. I can think of many times when the majority of a nation sins (Germany comes to mind), or a whole state (California comes to mind), or city (Hollywood comes to mind), or council, parliament, political party, congress, etc. There comes a time when these sins need to be admitted and confessed.

David Guzik points out one main difference in this offering compared to others.  Here, the elders of the congregation (not the offerers, nor the priests) laid their hands on the head of the bull, representing the whole collective body of those who sinned.

The offering was also to take place as soon as the error or sin was discovered – and that discovery could be by others or by those that committed the sin.

Matthew Henry applies this passage to us today by saying that while God intended to have a church on earth, nowhere does He state that it would be perfect.

Oftentimes today, when one of us sense that our local church leaders as a whole, or the congregation as a whole has sinned, we simply move on, as hard as that is, to a new church or worse still, we give up on church. Woe is us and the church. Blessed, I believe, is the man that can calmly and humbly state his case before the elders. And more blessed, I believe, are the elders or the congregation, that can admit error and ask God for forgiveness. I hope you go to, and more importantly if you are a pastor or an elder, I hope you lead a church like that.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.