CHAPTER 17:
On day 16 we looked at some of the Feasts of God that were appointed by the LORD through Moses and are still being observed by Jewish families today. That is amazing to me. As Christians, we’ve been remembering Christ through the celebration of the Last Supper for 2,000 years. Remembering is a good thing. If we forget, then we will lose our identity as Christians. That was the challenge for the Israelites in a land full of distractions. It is our challenge as well. My prayer is that we continue to remember Christ and what he has done for us.
We did not finish chapter 16. The end of the chapter outlines how Israel would appoint judges across the nation to help govern the people. It also outlines how the judges were to act.
Read Deuteronomy 16:18-22. Look for 3 shalls and 5 shall nots as you read. List them.
God tells them to do these things so that they will live long in the land He is giving them. The assumption is that they will lose the land if they don’t follow these guidelines. God knows the heart of humanity. Bribes play on our emotions, our sense of pride. Perhaps it isn’t even money, but simply an exchange of values for position. Truly, when we are not focused on our Lord, when we allow other influences into our realm of possibilities, our hearts will be blind and our words will be perverted.
The last two “shall nots” dealt with worship. They were not to plant Asherah trees near the altar or set up sacred pillars. Both of these things were part of pagan worship. So the LORD was saying, don’t mix your worship of Him with the worship of these other gods. He was clear that he hated this (v. 22). Do we do this today? I hope not. In a land that upholds freedom of religion, we are surrounded by other ideas, just like the Israelites would have been. This is truer today as our nation moves away from believing the Bible.
Do we mix other worship into our worship of Jesus? Will these things creep into our churches from the culture outside and we won’t even notice? Will our children become so familiar, so comfortable with foreign ideas they begin to feel it’s all just one big religion, one god, and there are many ways to get to heaven? How do we keep our worship of the one true God pure? These are the questions that roll through my mind. Like the Israelites, we need to be watchful.
Chapter 17 picks up with these same ideas of following Got, not worshipping false gods/idols.
Read Deuteronomy 17:1-7.
What was required when a man was accused of worshipping a false god?
What was the purpose of having more than one witness?
How does this establish fairness?
Read Deuteronomy 17: 8-13.
When would a case go before the Levitical priest or judge?
What happened to the man who acted presumptuously after a verdict had been given?
Presumptuous means to take liberties or overstep your bounds. First, a man was not to take the law into his own hands giving more punishment than the priest or judge prescribed. Second, they were not to give less punishment. Anyone not following through with the verdict was to be killed. This would stop future presumptuous behavior. God’s desire was to ensure fairness and equality for all citizens, for both the rich and the poor. He wanted His people to be judged in righteousness and justness, for He Himself is a righteous and just judge.
Read Deuteronomy 17:14-20.
At the time Moses gave the Israelites this message, they did not have a king. Moses says, “When you enter the land . . . and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me.” He anticipates a time in the future when this will happen, therefore, he sets up some guidelines.
What are the 5 guidelines set for the king?
What is the blessing received if the king follows all of the guidelines?
A day did come when the people wanted a king over them instead of judges.
Read 1 Samuel 8:1-9.
Why did the people demand a king?
Why did God allow the king?
Who did God say had been rejected? How had they rejected Him?
Read 1 Samuel 8:10-18.
God warned them about a king. What did God say a king would do?
Did He promise to help them when they cried out to Him?
Read 1 Samuel 8:19-20.
Did they heed the warning?
What was their reason?
Oh! Doesn’t that sound familiar? Isn’t that what we do today? We compromise God’s way and the good things He offers because we don’t want to seem different than the world around us. We want to fit in, so we negotiate our Christian values. We tear down God’s word. We blend in, we acclimate, we dilute until we don’t look any different than the non-Christian next to us. Compromising God’s Word always leads to corruption. It was the Israelite’s downfall, and it will be ours as well . . . if we let it.
God’s formula for avoiding compromise is easy. Love the LORD. Remember what He has done. Fear Him. Observe His commandments. Teach your children. The trick is to keep your eyes focused on Him. Deuteronomy 17:20 warned the king to read the word and follow the LORD daily, then not to turn to the right or the left so that he might continue a long time. That same thing will work for us. Stay in God’s word. Know what He says. If you don’t know, then you will for sure be led astray - to the left and to the right.
God has provided us with His word so that we can follow Him. We don’t need to guess; it is all right there in black and white. Keep your eye on the Word and you will not swerve. Another thing God has provided for us is the Church. It is so important to have a church family. For starters, a good pastor will continually remind you of the right way to live. Your church family will be a support for you, will teach you, will hold you accountable, and will remind you when you are swerving. A church family will be like you, so that you don’t feel the need to compromise. We are warned that “Bad company corrupts good character,” but a Christ-following church family will develop Godly character in you (1 Corinthians 16:33). It is so easy to not go to church, or even to sit in a pew and not get involved, but that is not what we are called to do. I encourage you to find a church family if you don’t already have one. You need it more than you know.
Lesson to Remember: Christ is our righteous and just king.
A Way to Walk: We are to faithfully follow Christ, even when that means we look different than those around us. Studying God’s word and being part of a church family helps us to walk with purpose and focus.
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