As we begin reading about the laws given to Moses, we may be tempted
to skip over them, thinking that they have no relevance to us today.
If so, think again and read the following verse.
Romans 7:7a
What
shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I
would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law.
"Only
after struggling through the tedious process of reading and trying to
understand these laws does one fully comprehend the bondage of the
law of Moses and appreciate the blessings of grace."
Deut 14:2
For
you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the peoples on
the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured
possession.
Take some time to let this verse sink in. When we
choose Jesus as personal Lord and Savior we become His treasured
possession. How would our lives look if we lived our lives daily as if
we are His treasured possession?
The Biblical
"two-witness" rule is commanded. The punishment for idolatry is death,
but only on the testimony of two or three witnesses and then, the
witnesses are the ones to be first in putting the offender to death.
God tells the people when they go into the land "destroy
completely all the places on the high mountains and on the hills and
under every spreading tree where the nations you are dispossession
worship their gods. Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones
and burn their Asherah poles in the fire, cut down the idols of their
gods and wipe out their names from those places."
In other words, they were to destroy any remnant of any worship
of other gods. God continually warns the people about the dangers of
worshiping other gods and the life style associated with it.
Deu 12:31
Do
not worship the LORD your God in the way they worship their gods, for
in the worship of their gods they do all the disgusting things that
the LORD hates.
God says, "Don't worship me in their way." We are told that even if a family member or our closest friend secretly entices us to move away from worship of God, we are not to yield or even listen.
Deut 12:9
since you have not yet reached the resting place and the inheritance the LORD your God is giving you.
What
is our resting place? What is our inheritance? Many times in
Scripture, rest is synonymous with salvation and eternal life. Our
resting place is in heaven. Our inheritance is our eternal life.
The people are told they will be going to a specific place for their burnt offerings and sacrifices. "Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please."
There are several references in Deuteronomy 12 to slaughtering their animals and eating the meat. It seems as if God is now giving them permission to eat the animals.
This leads one to believe that they were not allowed to eat the meat of
the animals while they were wandering in the wilderness. Could this be why they were craving meat early on and why God gave them the quail?
God continually reminds us through His Word that there are rewards for obedience, "because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God".
A suggestion for today
- live Deut. 14:2! Put the verse on your mirror, on your
refrigerator, on the wall of your cubby at work, on your desk, on the
dashboard of your car, etc. We think your day will go a lot better if
you do!!!
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