Moses Warns About Being Lured into Idolatry and How to Deal with Apostasy in our Faith

Deuteronomy Chapter 13: More on the Law of Idolatry

Deuteronomy 13:1-18 – Gems and Thoughts from the Passage

In verses 1-5 the children of Israel were cautioned most strongly against false prophets or dreamers or seers who would lead them against what they know God has already said. It is a warning to us about modern-day prophets. I am not saying there are none that are from God, but I am saying it is our responsibility to do our due diligence with respect to what they are saying. If it in any way contradicts what God has said in His Word, then we are to stay away from them in every respect. In fact, the Israelites were told to put such people who would lead them astray to death. We can’t do that today, but I certainly don’t believe in going easy on them in every other way and to use the full extent of the civil law against them. [I am thinking about false prophets who dabble with people’s finances or health in particular.]

Church Smith says the following on this passage:

“Because someone is able to bring to pass some kind of a phenomenon for which there is no scientific explanation, does not necessarily follow that that phenomena come from God. Satan is a deceiver and he is able also to create all kinds of spectacular phenomena. Thus, we are not to be drawn to phenomena and use phenomena as a criterion for truth.

The person who is seeking after miracles is on a dangerous territory for when the anti-Christ comes he is going to come with lying signs and miracles that he's able to work before the people. There is an unhealthy absorption in miracles in many people's lives.”

So, even if they are able to do what appear like miracles, if their words do not match God’s, they are false.

I note that in the margin of my Bible besides these verses, I had once written, “This explains why the Jews arrested Peter and John” when they first heard them. They were saying things that were so beyond what the Old Testament scrolls were saying. Thankfully, today, we have the entire sixty-six books of the Bible from which to glean what God is saying to us.

In verse 6 and following, Moses warns the sons of Israel what to do if a close family member (or close friend) entices them to worship other gods. They were not to yield to them or follow them. But more than that, they weren’t to protect them, but rather to expose them -- lest they cause others to fall away. This was and is a serious business. In fact, the one being enticed was to play a key role in stoning the person doing the enticing. Okay, we can’t do that today.  Fair enough but we can have nothing to do with this person and we can expose the dangers of listening to them to save others. Unfortunately, the Enemy works in the hearts of many to stay close to such a person telling us the lie, “how else will you be able to set that person back on the straight and narrow?”  Sorry, friends, in this case, the Bible is clear – have nothing to do with them.

Now verse 12 takes a further turn and one that is a little more difficult to understand. As I understand it, Moses is warning the Israelites that if some of them (in their cities that God had given them) go to another city and start worshipping their gods, the sons of Israel were to investigate and if true, they were to destroy all the inhabitants of that other city, and burn every aspect of it to the ground so that it will never be rebuilt. God has no tolerance for idolatry from His own people. And in verse 17, they were to “take no souvenirs”. Not so sure that we can do that today – we just have to leave these people who go from among us to God to take care of.

This last scenario also speaks to the idea that the Church has a responsibility to protect the community, the city, and in fact, the nation, from such false prophets and idolatry. I must admit that’s one responsibility we have not taken up very well lately.

I like what Matthew Henry says on this passage:

“Though idolaters may escape punishment from men (nor is this law in the letter of it binding now, under the gospel), yet the Lord our God will not suffer them to escape his righteous judgments. The New Testament speaks of communion with idolaters as a sin which, above any other, provokes the Lord to jealousy, and dares him as if we were stronger than he, 1 Co. 10:21, 22.” Some good advice we must not ignore.

Wrap-up

So, what are the lessons from Deuteronomy chapter 13?

First, do your due diligence with modern-day prophets. Check their words out against God’s Word in Scripture.

Second, stay away from and expose false prophets.

Third, that includes loved ones and friends who encourage you to follow other gods.

Finally, let go of, and stop associating with, those who were among the Church Body but have become an apostate to the faith.

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 we have a problem. If our sisters marry, we may lose our land."

Numbers Chapter 36: Special Problem of Inheritance in Canaan

Intro to Numbers 36:1-13

Day 96. Just got word today from the Premier of our Province that our City can move to Stage 2 of Re-opening which means: indoor shopping malls can open; barbershops and salons can open; and restaurants can serve meals on their patios only. Social distancing, etc., is still to be maintained, people can only have parties up to 10 individuals at their house, and churches can have worship services at 30% seating capacity. And that’s exactly what we did yesterday at our church, and it went very well.  Thankful for such mercies.  We press on.

Today we have our last study in the book of Numbers. It’s been most interesting but there’s still a few problems to iron out.  Take a look. . .

The Passage

And the heads of the fathers’ households of the family of the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before the leaders, the heads of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, ² and they said, “The Lord commanded my lord to give the land by lot to the sons of Israel as an inheritance, and my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters. ³ But if they ^[a]marry one of the sons of the other tribes of the sons of Israel, their inheritance will be withdrawn from the inheritance of our fathers and will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they belong; thus it will be withdrawn from our allotted inheritance. ⁴ When the jubilee of the sons of Israel ^[b]comes, then their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they belong; so their inheritance will be withdrawn from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.”

⁵ Then Moses commanded the sons of Israel according to the ^[c]word of the Lord, saying, “The tribe of the sons of Joseph are right in their statements. ⁶ This is ^[d]what the Lord has commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, ‘Let them marry ^[e]whom they wish; only they must marry within the family of the tribe of their father.’⁷ Thus no inheritance of the sons of Israel shall ^[f]be transferred from tribe to tribe, for the sons of Israel shall each ^[g]hold to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. ⁸ Every daughter who comes into possession of an inheritance of any tribe of the sons of Israel shall be wife to one of the family of the tribe of her father, so that the sons of Israel each may possess the inheritance of his fathers. ⁹ Thus no inheritance shall ^[h]be transferred from one tribe to another tribe, for the tribes of the sons of Israel shall each ^[i]hold to his own inheritance.”
¹⁰ Just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so the daughters of Zelophehad did:¹¹ Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad married their uncles’ sons. ¹² They married those from the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance ^[j]remained with the tribe of the family of their father.
¹³ These are the commandments and the ordinances which the Lord commanded to the sons of Israel through Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho.

Footnotes

1. Numbers 36:3 Lit become wives to, in this ch
2. Numbers 36:4 Lit shall be
3. Numbers 36:5 Lit mouth
4. Numbers 36:6 Lit the thing which
5. Numbers 36:6 Lit to the good one in their eyes
6. Numbers 36:7 Lit turn about
7. Numbers 36:7 Lit cleave
8. Numbers 36:9 Lit turn about
9. Numbers 36:9 Lit cleave
10. Numbers 36:12 Lit was

Thoughts on the Passage

You will remember that Manasseh was to get land on both sides of the Jordan – in Moab (east of Jordan) and some in Canaan, the Promised Land itself. They approached Moses and all the leaders of each tribe with a unique problem.

It seems that the land that was to be Zelophehad (from the tribe of Manasseh, son of Joseph) went to his daughters as he had died and left no sons. (You will remember this story from Numbers 16.) So, the stated the obvious which was if one of these five daughters would marry a man from another tribe, their tribe would lose the inherited land and it would be added to the inheritance of the other tribe from whence the new husband came. And there is also reference to this possibly happening when the next ‘jubilee’ came around.

First, it amazes me that, to be it in one way, the tribes were so tribal. Second, that land was the key commodity here between the tribes. This was their biggest concern. One can understand this to be the case as the story of the chosen people goes back to Abraham and there is great evidence of his involvement with land. And of course, from a human perspective, the most important part of the Covenant that God made with Israel was, to the people, the promised ‘land’ rather than that they would multiply to be more than the stars in the sky, or more important still that they would be God’s people and He would be their God. All three were blessings, but they focused on the least important of the three.

After inquiring of the Lord, as was his custom, Moses reported that those raising the concern were right. And thus, God had commanded that the daughters could marry “whom they wished” as long as it was from the tribe of Joseph. Thus, no land would be transferred to another tribe.

Once again, our Hero God comes to the rescue with a most desirable solution. Several things to note here.  First, the number of people in all of the sons of Israel at the time was large enough that what God suggested would not be a problem. Secondly, we note that the women could marry “whom they wished” (verse 6) as long as it was from the tribe of Joseph or the sub-families therein. And this made sense for these five women as they had no brothers and certainly no father to veto their choice. 

What is not clear for me from this passage was whether this “whom they wished” was subject to the agreement of the next of kin male – their uncles. And if so, we can see the complications here seen they would be selecting males to marry from the sons of these very uncles. And if they were to have the final say, then you could see the uncles vying for the most beautiful of the daughters for their son, etc., etc. Not a pretty scene.  So, God again knew what He was doing when He gave this decision to the sons (and daughters) of Israel.

Some commentators, using verse 13 of the chapter, feel that this solution here was also to be perpetual. Others are silent on that, perhaps thinking that the reference to “commandments and ordinances” in verse 13 really referred to all the other commands and ordinances given earlier in the entire book of Numbers.

One other thing that is not clear for me is whether or not this “whom they will” says anything with respect to our more modern marriages today, at least for the believer. I think at the very least, we may agree that the Bible from this point forward does not call for forced or arranged marriages. At the same time, there is enough precedence to state that the Bible strongly recommends that young people marrying should at least have the blessings of the parents and perhaps even the permission of the spouse’s parents. I know when I got married 49 years ago, I asked for my parents’ blessing and I asked my wife’s parents for my future wife’s hand. Fortunately, everyone was in agreement. I am glad I didn’t have to deal with a “negative” from either side. Not sure what I would have done in 1971.

And verse 10 tells us that in fact, each of the five daughters, married their uncles’ sons so that the land inheritance remained with the tribe of their father.

That means they married their “first cousins” and God allowed it.  But He did that for a purpose and in a particular situation at a particular time in the history of the young sons of Israel. We can note that the Bible forbids sexual relations with “close relatives” – but the children of uncles are not listed among that definition. For a good reference for that very issue, click What about marrying your first cousin?

Wrap-up

Not the greatest way to wrap up the book of Numbers in my opinion, but hey, whatever works for Moses and God.  Clearly, as they enter the Promised Land, we may take this challenge of chapter 36 as one that may well predict that the Israelites will have a lot of problems to deal with going forward. But with their leaders going to God for answers, and with God promising to always be with them, they’ll get the answer they’ll need. And obeying those answers, will bring blessings. The problems arise when one person or a whole nation ignores the instructions God gives to them.

Numbers took us from the Exodus to the doorstep of Canaan, the Promised Land. Almost four decades of experience. Now we need to keep in mind that the next book we will study, Deuteronomy, is not a book which tells us what happens next but rather is a series of farewell messages by Moses addressed primarily to the new generation that is about to enter the land. These occur during the forty years, not afterwards. Hang in there.

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

This Leviticus Scripture Has a lot to say about Yesterday's Sin, and much more.

Leviticus Chapter 22: More Priesthood Laws

Leviticus 22:1-16 What Priests Can’t Do

Day 22 of social distancing. Its end is being talked about but with no certainty. As my daughter observed, “We really can’t start the countdown yet, can we?”  So, we press on. One of our small groups that we are involved with meets for the second time virtually tonight. I am teaching a course next week virtually. I’ve started a set of collective bargaining negotiations via email this week. Life is changing. But hey I love some of the changes. Maybe we’ll keep some of them long after this is over. So, hang in there. I’m continuing my study in Leviticus about the priesthood. I really love delving into the mind and thinking of God as He shared it with Moses. Hope you’re enjoying it too.

The Passage

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Tell Aaron and his sons to be careful with the holy gifts of the sons of Israel, which they dedicate to Me, so as not to profane My holy name; I am the Lord. ³ Say to them, ‘If any man among all your ^[a]descendants throughout your generations approaches the holy gifts which the sons of Israel dedicate to the Lord, while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from before Me; I am the Lord. ⁴ No man of the ^[b]descendants of Aaron, who is a leper or who has a discharge, may eat of the holy gifts until he is clean. And if one touches anything made unclean by a corpse or if a man has a seminal emission, ⁵ or if a man touches any teeming things by which he is made unclean, or any man by whom he is made unclean, whatever his uncleanness; ⁶ a ^[c]person who touches any such shall be unclean until evening, and shall not eat of the holy gifts unless he has bathed his ^[d]body in water. ⁷ But when the sun sets, he will be clean, and afterward he shall eat of the holy gifts, for it is his ^[e]food. ⁸ He shall not eat an animal which dies or is torn by beasts, becoming unclean by it; I am the Lord. ⁹ They shall therefore keep My charge, so that they will not bear sin because of it and die thereby because they profane it; I am the Lord who sanctifies them.

¹⁰ ‘No ^[f]layman, however, is to eat the holy gift; a sojourner with the priest or a hired man shall not eat of the holy gift. ¹¹ But if a priest buys a ^[g]slave as his property with his money, ^[h]that one may eat of it, and those who are born in his house may eat of his ^[i]food. ¹² If a priest’s daughter is married to a ^[j]layman, she shall not eat of the ^[k]offering of the gifts. ¹³ But if a priest’s daughter becomes a widow or divorced, and has no child and returns to her father’s house as in her youth, she shall eat of her father’s ^[l]food; but no ^[m]layman shall eat of it. ¹⁴ But if a man eats a holy gift unintentionally, then he shall add to it a fifth of it and shall give the holy gift to the priest. ¹⁵ They shall not profane the holy gifts of the sons of Israel which they offer to the Lord, ¹⁶ and so cause them to bear ^[n]punishment for guilt by eating their holy gifts; for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’”

Footnotes:

1. Leviticus 22:3 Lit seed
2. Leviticus 22:4 Lit seed
3. Leviticus 22:6 Lit soul
4. Leviticus 22:6 Lit flesh
5. Leviticus 22:7 Lit bread
6. Leviticus 22:10 Lit stranger
7. Leviticus 22:11 Lit soul
8. Leviticus 22:11 Lit he may
9. Leviticus 22:11 Lit bread
10. Leviticus 22:12 Lit stranger
11. Leviticus 22:12 Lit heave offering
12. Leviticus 22:13 Lit bread
13. Leviticus 22:13 Lit stranger
14. Leviticus 22:16 Or iniquity requiring a guilt offering

Thoughts on the Passage

The first nine verses of this chapter are specifically directed towards those who are from the family of Aaron – the Levitical family of the priesthood throughout the ages. They repeat, for all intents and purposes, the same restrictions that were uttered earlier in the book of Leviticus.

There is a lesson for us in verse 7, however. Notice the unclean person referred to there is only unclean until sunset, and then he is clean. David Guzik has this helpful information for us:

The Jews start their days at sundown, not sunrise or midnight. With this description God indicates that one can start the new day clean and pure to the Lord. No matter how we might have failed the day before, we can begin each new day pure and close to the Lord. His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23).  In application, we can stop beating our self up for yesterday’s sin. We should confess it, repent of it, and then get on with the business of walking with Lord today. 

In verse ten, the focus shifts to how the priests interact with the layperson. The priests are forgiven to give the holy food offered to God to a layperson, a sojourner, or a hired hand.

Verse 11 make an exception for the slave that the priest has bought with his own money. The exception also applies, I would assume from this verse, to all slaves born in the priest’s house, or maybe even to those born to sojourners who are in the priest’s house.

In his commentary, Guzik correctly points to the difference between a purchased servant and a hired hand. As Christians we have been bought with the blood of Jesus and belong to His family. We are not hired hands to accomplish some divine mission although we are called to work with God in His mission for mankind. What a privilege.

Verse 13 indicates that once a priest’s daughter marries a layman, she cannot participate of this food from the offerings. The daughter of a priest who becomes a widow or is divorced and has no child and returns to the priest’s house ‘in her youth’ – she is able to partake of the food of offering. And then God repeats, “no layman shall eat of it.” Robert Jamieson says it is important to note that if such a widow or divorcee . . .

had become a mother, as her children had no right to the privileges of the priesthood, she was under a necessity of finding support for them elsewhere than under her father’s roof.

Verse 14 covers food eaten by error. If someone does that, he must increase the amount eaten by 20% and give it to the priest.

Matthew Henry sees this whole passage as a reminder to our own pastors and other clergy that they are not to just allow everyone to partake in certain sacraments (communion comes to mind) without making sure they have been adopted into the family of God by accepting Christ as their Savior. I often observe communion services where the leader does not remind those in audience of what the qualifications (being born again) are for partaking in holy communion.

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

Debatable Cause, Undeniable Consequences

The Incidental Jihadi:

An Alternative Point of View

Author: Samrat Mitra

Publisher: Self-published, San Bernardino, CA, 2017

                                                                     

This is a novel about the modern-day war in the Middle East. The author states the events depicted, though, are not fictional. They can be found documented on the Internet. They provide “an alternative point of view” for consideration. It isn’t pretty.

It is the story of a young geologist/surveyor that is sent on an assignment to the Golan Heights during the ongoing so-called ‘holy war’. Through a series of events, the otherwise short trip turns into over half a decade of astonishment, stress, separation, and remorse for him and his family for this young Israeli, a naturalized citizen of Great Britain. His wife and child are taken hostage, he personally gets involved in the Syrian War, suffers post-traumatic stress disorder, and makes a daring attempt to rescue his loved ones.

The story is told in the first person by the main character’s post-traumatic event’s namesake. With its beginning in New York after the main plot has occurred, and it’s returning there near the end of the story, the book reminds me of that famous movie, Dr. Zhivago, and the intermediate story in Samrat Mitra’s book is just as fast-moving and gripping. I found the book reading so much like real life. As a follower of more conservative media sources, much of the content in the events depicted rang a bell, although a most discordant one.

Mitra gives us some interesting insights into our own collective personality and experience as a global society. For example, he writes early in the book, “Recorded video posted on websites around the globe from the first-person point of view turned us into voyeurs for violence.” And then shares the consequences of such viewings when he writes, “Our admission ticket to view the spectacle is not the price we pay to view them, [but the fact that we become desensitized] to the world around us, [accepting it], and [living] happily in denial.”

Please note: While the copy I reviewed was a beta version and needed some editing which the author is pursuing, it was still very readable and in fact, added to the authenticity of the story being told.

The author also has a yen for asking some very difficult questions that can be applied repeatedly to the matter of how we handle news of war and terrorism and abuse and may I add all the ‘dark’ issues involving life and death. He writes or more correctly warns, “Do we have an option but not to pay a heavy price for our past neglect and transgressions?”

But there’s more to the main character than discovering oil, fighting wars, and making dangerous rescue attempts. In the process, he shares with us some very insightful understandings of love and romance, some thoughts that the average person would never admit to. One such example is, “Sadly, the intensity of affection [demonstrated by] one lover [towards his/her beloved] is never equaled by [that of] the other.”

Samrat Mitra has a wonderful way of bringing a person’s faith into his story and at one point has the main character’s wife asking, “Why did God choose to test us, what did we do wrong?” It’s a question many readers can identify with and the author’s answer, through the main character, is well worth discovering.

There is also no shortage of commentary on war, terrorism, the role of big business in global politics, war’s effects on the family, trust, and hope.

The book has several surprising endings, some perhaps that could leave a reader stunned. Still, the author succeeds in what I believe was his key objective – to deliver a warning to all the world that the conflict now taking place in the Middle East, whether we like it or not, is now “finally shading the world in darker inevitable shades.”

Highly recommended to anyone who is concerned about life and death beyond the borders of their daily commute.

·      Ken B. Godevenos, President, Accord Resolutions Services Inc., Toronto, Ontario, October 9, 2017. 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.