AM Bible Study Group; June 8, 2011
Deuteronomy 12:1-32
Theme: In this chapter—immediately before articulating the details of the law—Moses sets before the people the blessings of obedience; and urges the people to obey and be blessed.
With this morning’s passage, we begin the section of the book of Deuteronomy in which Moses gave the people of Israel a review of the specific laws that are built on the general principles of the ten commandments. What follows from 12:1 covers “the statutes and judgments which you shall be careful to observe in the land which the LORD God of your fathers is giving you to possess, all the days that you live on the earth.” They form the ‘constitution’ of God’s chosen people.. This section covers the largest section of Deuteronomy—from chapter 12-26. And note that the very first subject covered in this section is worship. God’s commandments regarding the way His people are to worship Him is a high priority; because we tend to become like that which we worship. The things found in this chapter are an expansion on the first and second commandments.
I. DESTROY ALL EXPRESSIONS OF PAGANISM (vv. 2-7).
A. Once they entered the land, they were to “utterly destroy” all the sacred places, pillars and wooden images that the pagan peoples of the land used to worship their false gods (vv. 2-3). this was so that they would not attempt to worship the Lord in the ways that the pagan peoples did (v. 4). Those practices were an abomination to Him (see also v. 31).
B. In order to keep them from doing so, God commanded that they only worship Him in the place where He chooses and commands (v. 5). It was only there that they may make their sacrifices and eat the sacred offerings (vv. 6-7). These commands kept God’s people holy in His sight and prevented them from looking to the wicked for examples of how to worship God.
II. WORSHIP AT THE PLACE OF GOD’S CHOOSING (vv. 8-14).
A. Moses further instructed that, once they entered the land, the people were not to worship as they were doing at that time. At that time they were going from place to place and doing what was right in their own sight (v. 8). This was only allowable for a time, because they had not yet entered the land (v. 9).
B. Instead, once they crossed over into the land and were established in safety, they were to go to the place where the Lord God would establish for them to worship (v. 10-12). They were to take care not to offer their burnt offerings in every place that they saw (v. 13), but in the place that God commanded (v. 14). Worship is not ours to create according to our own will and then offer to God; but for Him to dictate to us how He wills it to be done.
III. EAT THE SACRIFICES AT THE PLACE OF GOD’S APPOINTMENT (vv. 15-28).
A. This rule didn’t apply to the practice of simply eating food as the people found it—that is, not for the purpose of making an offering. They may eat that food wherever they wished, so long as the followed Gods’ commands regarding the blood (vv. 15-16; 20- 25). But when it came to the sacred offerings, they must bring them to the place that God commanded (vv. 17-18; 26-28).
B. In all of this, note that they were not to forget the Levite who lived among them (v. 19). He had no land of his own; and the people were to be sure—in all their eating—to remember the tribe that God set aside for His service.
IV. DO NOT IMITATE THE PRACTICES OF PAGANISM (vv. 29-32).
A. It was an expectation that the Lord would cut off from before them the pagan peoples of the land (v. 29). And when this happened, they were to take heed that they didn’t become ensnared to follow after their ways. They were not to inquire, “How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise” (v. 30).
B. Thee ways of the pagan peoples who were in the land before them were an abomination to the Lord; and His people were not to practice them (v. 31). Instead, “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it” (v. 32).
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Though we don’t worship in a place; God has, nevertheless, appointed to us only one way to come to Him. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). As Peter declared, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). And as Paul testified, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men,the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all . . .” (1 Timothy 2:5-6a).