August 24, 2020
The message of Deuteronomy is one that the church desperately needs to hear today. These final words of Moses given to the children of Israel as they prepared to enter into the Promised Land serve as a warning, an encouragement, and a charge. Through them, God exposes the idolatry of our hearts and calls us to give all of our love, worship, and devotion to Him alone in every area of our lives! Moses warns the people that when they enter the land there will be things that compete with God for their attention, their affections and their worship. We, too, have hundreds of things that compete for our hearts each and every day. In this book, God teaches us how to properly respond to the amazing grace He has given us by giving Him our undivided allegiance, our whole hearts and our whole lives. Over the next 34 days, let’s seek this ancient way together as a church!
The Lord will not compete for our affections. He will suffer no rival for our worship, for our heart’s devotion and allegiance. In this chapter Moses demonstrates the extent to which our love and devotion towards God must surpass our love and devotion for anything else, as well as the seriousness and severity with which we are to treat anything or anyone which would seek to lure us away from Him.
Moses shows us here the extremes the people of Israel were called to go to protect their fidelity to the Lord alone: they were to put to death any prophet who suggested that they worship other gods; they were to both mercilessly and personally put to death even their dearest friends and loved ones who tried to draw them away from the true God, without pity; they were to put to death and burn an entire city along with even its cattle should that city be turned to idolatry. The point that Moses is making is that our love and devotion towards God must so far surpass our love and devotion to anything and everything else that we would willingly destroy anything or anyone who tried to turn us away from Him!
This seems extreme to us, and that’s because it is! At the same time, Jesus demands a similar sort of love and devotion from His followers. While He does not require us to put anyone to death for luring us away from Him, He does command that anyone who follows Him should love Him so dearly and be so wholly devoted to Him that all their other love and devotion would seem like hatred in comparison (Luke 14:26). Jesus demands an exclusive place in our hearts that we cannot give to anyone or anything else!
Are you giving Him that place, His rightful place, in your heart?
Deuteronomy 13
13 “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
6 “If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or the wife you embrace or your friend who is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which neither you nor your fathers have known, 7 some of the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other, 8 you shall not yield to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him. 9 But you shall kill him. Your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. 10 You shall stone him to death with stones, because he sought to draw you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 11 And all Israel shall hear and fear and never again do any such wickedness as this among you.
12 “If you hear in one of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you to dwell there, 13 that certain worthless fellows have gone out among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known, 14 then you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you, 15 you shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, devoting it to destruction, all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword. 16 You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its open square and burn the city and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It shall be a heap forever. It shall not be built again. 17 None of the devoted things shall stick to your hand, that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of his anger and show you mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you, as he swore to your fathers, 18 if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, keeping all his commandments that I am commanding you today, and doing what is right in the sight of the Lord your God.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Family Discussion Question:
- Do you love Jesus so much that all your other love would seem like hatred if you compared it? Why do you think Jesus demands this of us? How can you work to cultivate and to grow your love and devotion towards God?
Dear Heavenly Father,
I know we all fall short of being the persons You have chosen us to be, for we are all sinners. Please help us to stay connected to You through Christian fellowship, Your Word and daily prayer. These are the best ways to enrich our lives and to allow You to take center stage. Without You at the helm, as we try to navigate through these perilous times, we will surely perish. We must cast away anything that tries to take our eyes off of You. Total devotion is what You require. Help us to always honor You through our actions, words and deeds. To You be all praise, honor and glory! Amen.
DEAR HEAVENLY FATHER PROTECT AND GUARD US FROM BELIEVING IN OTHER gods!
AMEN and HALLELUJAh!!! Dear Lord I will never worship another God. You are the only Lord and Savior. I hold you dearly to my heart. I read your word every day. You are the path of righteousness. You are the light that shines on the path to you. Have mercy and grace as I walk through my everyday life. Keep away all other gods because you are blessed and only God. In Jesus name I pray AMEN ????❤❤❤❤
Father God,
Thank you for your revealed Word – that we can trust it, if nothing else.
Reading this passage reminds me of what an idolatrous society we have and convicts me that The Church has not kept herself Holy nor separate. Instead The Church has incorporated idolatry into its doctrine. Financial security, kids, homes, sports, academics, politics, health, social issues, environmental concerns… these have all taken the place of YOU in our hearts.
We chase these things for our own satisfaction instead of worshiping only you.
Break our hearts of our idolatry and help US to repent. Please cleanse Your Church of our sin.
Help me to repent of my own idolatry. Reveal to me the duplicity in my heart. May my heart only worship YOU and subject all of these other things into worship of you.
In Jesus’s Holy Name, the only Name that can do this, Amen.
Our quality of love for God is different than our love for people. It’s not that we’re to love people less (quantity), but love God first (quality). Help me prioritize my day today, so that my agenda reflects that you are first in my life Lord, and that out of my relationship with you, your love for me overflows onto those that I serve.
I will walk after the Lord my God and fear Him and keep His commandments and obey His voice. And I shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.
I think young married people should pay particular attention to the lesson taught here, especially wives. We are taught to hold our husbands in high regard and follow them in their decisions for our families. The danger is that you might be tempted to hold your husband in equal or higher regard than God. A husband might be tempted to the same feelings. A good way to keep this from happening is to discuss family decisions together. Pray for each other. Just because you have found one another does not mean that you can let your guard down against the temptations sent from Satan. Be grateful for your partner and be certain to pray for him/her in all things.
I wonder what God is thinking when Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons knock on my door in an attempt to draw me away from Him?
I am of the opinion we should not invite them in to listen to their false doctrine. You might surprised them by offering them a gospel track and then saying I believe in Jesus Christ as my savior and bye,
Heavenly Father,
You are all knowing. With loving eyes, you looked through my unrighteousness and clothed me with your robe of righteousness.
May I walk towards the throne throughout this day. Always walking towards you, never another way.
All around me are those who are rebelling and do not serve you. They are already dead in their trespasses.
Your Son came to seek and to save those who are lost. You do not want to lose one. Father, you love us with such a deep love that you sent your son to die for us. Draw another to you and may they surrender to your Lordship.
May my love for you shine through my life, my actions, my words.
I surrender all.
Amen
Thank You Lord for this day and reminder to always put You first and worship no other gods, people, ideas, or things. In Jesus name I pray. Amen
False prophets are still among us today. Always check their words and ideas against the truth in Gods word. Are they directing you to God or to themselves?