Moses is being so careful that the people have all the information they will need before they inhabit the land of promise. He knows nothing could be more important for God’s people than that they follow all of God’s ways when they arrive in the Promised Land and begin to live out more of God’s future purposes for The Nation of Israel.
As Moses speaks to the people he is mapping out how a godly nation should live. We could all take a lesson from what God had to say to those old Israelites.
In Deuteronomy Chapter twelve, Moses begins to talk with them about the importance of having one place of worship whenever they arrive.
PREPARATION FOR GOD TO INHABIT THE NEW PLACE OF WORSHIP
Before they could designate one place of worship; Moses notes they must destroy all the places on the high mountains, the hills and under the trees where the former pagan nations worshiped their pagan gods.
In other words; it was time to do some housekeeping!
The two nations today that were founded on God’s ways are Israel and The United States of America.
Is there any modern-day housekeeping to do in order to protect God’s foundation for living His way? The one place to worship is the church where God’s Holy Spirit resides; but have we let other gods come into this space and desecrate our altars?
I wonder.
GOD DESIRES PURE WORSHIP
We have discussed many matters concerning these subjects of preparation for pure worship in more specific details in past lessons from other books of the bible. I have noted those links from previous lessons here for those who wish to go back and review.
I don’t think we can ever be reminded enough of the fact that paganism just seems to seep in from all sides if we let it happen. The first five books of our bibles seem to agree. Studying these links will help all of us to remember how to prevent this.
God wants the Israelites to break down the former altars https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/breaking-down-altars/), smash their sacred stones (https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/smash-sacred-stones/) and burn their Asherah poles in the fire. (https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/cut-down-asherah-poles/)
He wants His people to cut down the idols of the pagan gods and wipe out their names from the former places of pagan worship.
God makes it clear that He does not EVER want to be worshiped in the way that the former pagan gods were worshiped.
GOD NEVER CHANGES
What about today though?
Has any of this changed?
These ancient people of Israel were no different from many of us today. They would hear or see their pagan neighbors say or do something and they too would begin to believe that it was okay to implement the same things into their own lives.
It is NOT okay.
The Israelites, like us today, needed to be very careful to consider how they spent their time and what they did with their time. God had made Israel into who Israel was, a beautiful new and free nation that was greatly blessed. Nothing pagan was needed in this new place that God had provided.
Many nations have lost their freedoms and blessings from God by letting the bondage of slavery to the sin of paganism and false worship take a stronghold in their homes and their lands. They close their eyes to the truth; not even wanting to know; or they simply allow these practices out of ignorance.
There are demonic forces out there that would love to take down a Godly nation. These guys don’t make public announcements saying “We’re here! We’ve come to destroy you!” We must be alert and paying attention.
God doesn’t want us to close our eyes.
He wants us to walk in wisdom and not in ignorance.
Our wise and faithful Father has said to put all of these things that are abominable before Him away and to walk in the glory and freedom of His love alone. That is exactly what we should be doing.
Israel was receiving this same warning from Moses.
A PLACE WHERE GOD IS
The Nation of Israel was then told that God would choose a place from all of the tribes to put His name. This new place would be the place where He would come to dwell among them as they worshiped. That same place would become the designated place where they should always go to bring their burnt offerings and sacrifices, tithes and special gifts for things that have been vowed to God. This was where they were to bring their freewill offerings, which would always be the firstborn of their herds and flocks.
God would meet them and bless them in this place; once they settled down in the new land. They would know they were in God’s presence there; and they could rejoice in their blessings and offer thanks there.
A SET-APART PEOPLE
For a while, as they waited to cross over, they noticed on this side of the Jordan that everyone was busy doing their own will and following their own ways. The people in this land did not know the ways or the will of God.
God wanted His people to be set apart from the other people living in the land.
Moses explained to them that when they crossed the Jordan God would give them rest and they would receive their inheritance from God.
God had promised to protect them and to keep them safe. When they arrived and God put His name upon the place of worship; they were commanded to bring burnt offerings and sacrifices, tithes and special gifts for vows made to The LORD. Everyone and all of his household was to rejoice before the LORD in that one place.
It would be a time of great celebration!
A NATION UNITED UNDER GOD
But they were especially reminded not to sacrifice the burnt offerings for God just anywhere they pleased. They were to go to offer them only in the place that God had chosen for their tribes to go. They were to observe all that God had commanded of them in this new place of worship.
The Levites would still serve in the new place. It was okay for the people to share in the eating of the sacrifices; but they were to remember not to eat the blood. They were to pour it out on the ground beside the altar. All could eat but they needed to eat in the place where the Presence of God existed. There He would put His name and dwell. While there, they were not to neglect to provide for the Levites whose inheritance was God. The Levites were to maintain their same positions of service.
I WILL ENLARGE YOUR TERRITORY
If the people of Israel did all of this; God promised to enlarge their territory.
God promised to cut off the other pagan nations who lived around Israel. Israel was commanded to drive them out and to settle in their land.
While doing this Israel was warned that they were not to be trapped into inquiring about the pagan gods that were left behind. None of those customs would ever please God. He did not want to be worshiped in a pagan way. The pagan worship practices were full of detestable things that God hated and abhorred. Many of these pagans had even burned their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their false gods.
God emphasized that the Israelites were to do only what He said; without addition or subtraction.
HOW DOES GOD FEEL ABOUT PAGANISM TODAY?
Even though we live in modern days on the other side of the cross and have the saving knowledge of Jesus as our sacrificial Lamb; God would still feel the same about allowing pagan practices to seep into our places of worship.
Today, just like those Israelites of old; we must do our best to keep all of God’s best ways to live and keeping those ways means putting away any types of pagan practices.
A Godly nation is a holy nation and holiness and paganism cannot exist together. A portion of the phrase that we love to hold on to; “one nation under God,” means one nation without pagan practices.
When will we begin to live up to the standards that God has set before us?