Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

How to keep the Law? The Word is clear that it can be done in a certain way. It isn’t by keeping all the Law, because no one with a sinful nature can (Romans 3:23). Only Jesus did that because only Jesus had no earthly father (Matthew 3:17). If you failed in only one piece of the Law (like a lie) you would be as guilty is if you failed ALL the Law. God knew this and provided the sacrificial system to cover the people temporarily. If as you violated the commandments you repented by bringing the offerings and the sacrifices that the Law proscribed, they could move from a sinful place to a covered place – the shadow and type of life under Jesus’ sacrifice (the difference being the sacrifices and offerings covered, but Jesus’ sacrifice completely atoned and washed us clean). In order to be a clean people, they had to follow the Law. In today’s reading, Moses continues to tell the people the words of God who is showing them HOW they are to be and HOW they are to act and HOW they can walk in the separation that He has prescribed for His children.

Moses continues to exhort them to avoid idolatry. If a prophet or a dreamer arises with signs and wonders but denies the message of God, they are NOT to be followed. No true prophet or dreamer denies God, God’s message, God’s ways, and God’s authority (1 John 2:22). Whether your brother, son, daughter, wife, father, or any other relative tries to get you to follow other gods, they were NOT to do it – neither are we (Luke 14:26). Anyone who tried to get them to follow other gods (ones they did NOT know like they KNEW Yahweh’s works and words) was to be stoned. It was not to be tolerated. It was a cancer that would infect them all if left to fester. They weren’t even to follow the grieving practices of the nations around them. They were to be separate.

If they heard of a town in the land that was embracing idolatry, they were to destroy it. All the people put to death. All the spoil piled up in the center of down and burnt. The town destroyed and burnt up, left as a heaping ruin. It was never to be rebuilt. Nothing of the town was to be taken away. All things that might even have been HINTING at idolatry was to be destroyed in the town. An example made that all could follow. They were to be set apart and holy to Yahweh. It was serious stuff. It was a great deterrent. They were to be separate.

Moses told them the food restrictions that God had for His children. These animals were not necessarily in and of themselves harmful (God says the foreigner could eat them and He would not let something truly harmful be given to someone on purpose at His direction). There are some healthy aspects to avoiding some of these animals. But that was not the point. The point was to point to the separateness of the people. To be APART. In fact, in the New Testament it is revealed that all these laws and commands were shadows pointing to the reality of life in Jesus once the next cycle of time and covenant were reached (Colossians 2:16-17). They were not to eat these animals or even come into contact with their corpses. They were to be separate.

“And you shall eat before Yahweh your God in the place that he will choose to make to dwell his name there the tithe of your grain, your wine and your olive oil and the firstling of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to revere Yahweh your God always.” (Deuteronomy 14:23)

Moses warned them not to forget to tithe. If they tithes on their seed, their land would continue to produce year to year. They were to go to where God placed His name (Jerusalem) and eat of their tithe there – as described in Leviticus 27. They were again NOT to eat the blood AT ALL. If the place was too far to bring the tithe, they were allowed to sell it, take the money to the place, and then convert the money into an appropriate tithe and offering. Every three years the tithe was for the Levites in their town, because the Levites had no inheritance in the land.

Every seven years (the Sabbatical year) all debts were to be forgiven and indentured servants let free (unless they didn’t want to go, they could stay if they chose until Jubilee). This helped to reset the economy. No one remained desperately poor. No one built up piles of riches. Everything was reset and second, third, and forth chances were given. It kept a socialist or a capitalist system from taking hold in the wrong way. Under God’s way, social good works were part of daily life and making a monopoly and cornering the market to store up selfish wealth couldn’t occur. Everyone worked in one way or another, and they were rewarded for what they accomplished. It was a balanced system that balanced itself every seven years.

They were reminded that the firstborn male animals were special. They were the ones chosen to be set apart and used for the sacrifices and offerings – as long as they had no blemish. This again pointed to Jesus and His perfect sacrifice. If it had no blemish, it was acceptable for offering and were to be taken to where God had placed His name (Jerusalem). If it had a blemish, it could be eaten but only at their city gates and not in the holy place.

Summary

Key Players: God, Moses

Key Themes: Clean and Unclean, Separated Living, Tithing, Sabbatical Year, Firstborn

Key Verse(s): Deuteronomy 13:4, 17-18; 14:1, 3, 22-23; 15:1, 12, 19, 23