Deuteronomy 29:9-15 tells us that the Israelites were told to carefully follow the terms of this renewed covenant with God.
Here is the scripture:
“Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do.
All of you are standing today in the presence of the LORD your God – your leaders and chief men, your elders and officials, and all the other men of Israel, together with your children and your wives, and the foreigners living in your camps who chop your wood and carry your water.
You are standing here in order to enter into a covenant with the LORD your God, a covenant the LORD is making with you this day and sealing with an oath, to confirm you this day as his people, that he may be your God as he promised you and as he swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
I am making this covenant with its oath not only with you who are standing here with us today in the presence of the LORD our God but also with those who are not here today.”
CAREFULLY FOLLOW THE TERMS
Note how the words start out here; “carefully follow the terms of this covenant.”
The Israelites were told over and over again to be careful to follow the words of the laws of God. This included ALL of the people, the leaders, the old men and the young men, the women and children, the foreigners living among them who did their manual labor of chopping wood and hauling water.
It was noted that everyone in the camp was standing before God, taking a sealed oath to be confirmed as his people.
God had promised this to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Now; He was keeping his promise. This day it would be signed, sealed and delivered.
THE FUTURE GENERATIONS WERE INCLUDED
The oath wasn’t only with the people who were present, but God promised to keep this covenant even with “those who are not here today.” This most likely meant that all future generations were a part of the Covenant.
God reviewed the consequences of past times of living in Egypt and being surrounded by false gods and evil ways.
We read about this in Deuteronomy 29:17 – 18: You yourselves know how we lived in Egypt and how we passed through the countries on the way there. You saw among them their detestable images and idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold. Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD your God to go and worship the gods of those nations, make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.
We’ve heard God speak this way over and over again. He detests idols and false gods.
There is no way that this lifestyle will be tolerated by The God of Israel.
POISON IS BITTER AND DEADLY
Note here how God uses the word “poison” to describe their presence among the people.
Poison is deadly.
There are some types of poison floating around the world today too.
We are hardly different from those of Israel who did not listen or heed to the word of God when He spoke of how He detested and despised for his people to participate in false worship.
PURGE ALL FALSE WORSHIP
If we are going to clean our land and have it pure and holy before our Great God; we must purge it of all false worship and idolatry. Like those about to enter the land following God; we too must fight for what He stands for and no other way.
This begins in our homes.
What plays on your television?
Which internet sites do you frequent?
How are you using your cell phone?
What does the art on the walls of your home say about you?
Does your home honor God?
FROM HOME TO THE CHURCH
The deadly poison of false worship can also move into our churches. Look around your congregation the next time you gather for worship.
Are you truly doing the things that honor God in your services?
Does everything you do bring praise and honor to His Great name?
Sheer entertainment is of the world. It isn’t worship.
Entertainment is one of the present false gods of America. As one writer so eloquently put it; we have been very busy entertaining ourselves to death.
ENTERTAINING OURSELVES TO DEATH
This isn’t to say that someone using their God-given talent before the LORD in worship is wrong; not at all. That is very appropriate; but it is to say that those who stir a crowd into an emotional frenzy and false reactions simply from the emotional music they play, or the rote words they present from themselves, only to gather personal followers are a present form of false worship.
If the worship service is more about the band, or the leader of the band, or watered down to the world’s standards to keep the attention of the young or any other special interest group in the house, or if the service is all about the preacher instead of the inspired sermon or the message of the song; then you are following the wrong source.
GOD INHABITS THE PRAISES OF HIS PEOPLE
God can discern false hearts.
Every source of our worship should be about honoring and praising God.
We should allow our respect for God’s ways to change our hearts from within. The influence of people’s ideas and worldly ways should not take precedence over the ways of God.
I promise you that the devil loves to go to church.
We must focus on returning to true and pure corporate worship in America.
Churches must let go of the world’s idol named “fear.”
LETTING GO OF THE IDOL OF FEAR
Isolating ourselves from one another is no way to teach brotherly love. Godly people impart God’s Holy Spirit to others.
Yes; you can worship and receive God’s Holy Spirit directly from God all alone inside your home; but what are the chances of that being a constant continuous pattern?
If you fall or if you become short-sighted; who will be there beside you to pick you up and point out the right path?
God did not create people to live in isolation. He made families for a reason. God ordained the sacred act of marriage so that people could help each other to create a better life on this earth. The blessing of children within the bounds of marriage help teach the art of getting alone with others. All of these things spill over to the community and make the world better.
SOLITARY WORSHIP ONLY BENEFITS ONE
Who will benefit from your solitary worship?
Yes, you can and should be a witness in your community activities and your work places; but these places are not designed for worship. The church is for shared worship within the corporate Body of Christ. This is how we stay together as a spiritual family.
Solitary worship destroys your chances of having a spiritual family. Your spiritual family is just as important as your physical family. They are there to support you when the world caves around you and casts you out. Christians should always have a spiritual home and a spiritual family to lean on and to feel a part of, a place of unconditional love that emanates the love and compassion of Christ.
Of course, you and God will benefit either way; and that is a very good thing. Yet; worship must be shared for it to benefit all. God inhabits the praises of his people. The word “people” is plural.
The first thing God mentioned to Israel in relation to them moving on in the renewed covenant was the fact that they should keep their worship pure and right. Israel worshipped as a nation. They were not isolated from one another in their religious practices and beliefs.
HOMES, CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, CORPORATIONS
After our homes and our churches; we must purify our schools and higher institutes of learning. A strong movement involving many concerned parents has already begun. It must grow stronger. Most universities today are not teaching godly living. Several generations existing today have never been taught righteousness or godly living. Basic scripture and worship are a mystery to them.
The youth of our nation cannot know God under such circumstances. Most of the present generation will simply follow which ever leader stands before them. Logic and reason are no longer a part of education; especially logic and reason that lines up with scripture and God’s laws.
All our lower and higher institutes of learning have preached for the last few generations is how to walk in lock-step with the ideology of political beliefs. This passion has been misplaced. Youth need to know and follow the ways of God; not a man’s flawed ideas.
Such teaching must begin from birth. Children should see and know that their parents are godly. Homes should reflect this and churches should back these actions. It is never too early to teach the proper values to your children. I highly recommend a series of books for young readers called “The Tuttle Twins.” Kids enjoy these stories and they are strong in Christian values and godly principles.
THE MARKETPLACES
Next; we must focus on the corporate organizations that organize and function within our marketplaces. Hospitals, medical facilities, service industries and organizations, manufacturers, retailers, food companies, law enforcement, first responders and military.
If God were present in each of these facilities and/or institutions now; our problems in civilization would be so minor. Instead; we face huge mountains of wrong decisions. We must trade selfish and greedy politicians in our government for strong, godly men who will lead in righteous ways in accordance with God’s laws and no other.
Our street corners would eventually change and begin to reflect God’s glory; not the worlds notion of life. New forms of art would appear, those that are honorable and respectable to God.
COMMITTED INDIVIDUALS
This all begins with prayer, repentance and fasting. One-by-one people need to begin returning to God. The Word must be preached for this to happen. Renewal and revival must be used and employed to change people’s hearts. This change continues and grows stronger with continuous pure worship and praise to The One True God of Heaven and Earth.
Let’s bring pure and true worship back to our homes and churches across this nation.
God never changes.
This passage in Deuteronomy is a message for us who are living today too.
Let’s begin to renew our land with keeping our worship pure and righteous and holy before God.
He will hear us, respond and save us from ourselves.