CHAPTER 18:
What kind of things did you play as a child? For me it was make believe things based off movies or television shows. Star Wars. I always wanted to be Princess Leah, defender of good, slayer of evil. Or some days it was Donnie and Marie, where I wanted to be the singer of beautiful songs. That was really make believe because I cannot sing. In fact, my mom, who was a good singer, used to ask me to stop. No kidding. I also loved to play house in the little house my dad built and my mom furnished with miniature sized furniture. There is a little bit of each of those make believe personas that is still part of me. I still want to defend what is right and just and good. I still sing my guts out . . . when I’m alone. And I love taking care of my family and my home. I think we can all identify a little bit of our childhood play in our adult selves. Remember your thoughts about your childhood play. We’ll come back to it and its influence on us later.
The end of Deuteronomy chapter 16 and chapter 17 outlined the role of judges and the Levitical priests when it came to hearing criminal cases before the LORD. Chapter 17 ends with an outline for the king’s behavior. One thing the king was asked to do was to write himself a copy of the law on a scroll in the presence of a Levitical priest. As the experts in the law, the priests were an important part of the nation of Israel. Deuteronomy 18 addresses three things for the priests: their inheritance, some forbidden practices, and the promise of a great prophet/priest to come. Let’s tackle these three things.
Read Deuteronomy 18:1-8.
The Levites did not receive an inheritance of land. Who is their inheritance?
How is this similar to our inheritance as Christians? (Read Revelation 5:10 for a clue.)
Read Deuteronomy 18:9-14. List the 9 things that were NOT to be found among the Israelites?
The beginning of verse 12 and verse 13 gives the two-part reason these things are forbidden. What is it?
The Israelites are going into a land full of different nations. Who do these nations listen to for advice?
The text doesn’t outright say this here, but who is Israel supposed to listen to for advice? Who are we, as Christ-followers supposed to listen to?
From your personal experience, what happens when we don’t listen to God?
I find this list of forbidden things interesting for one reason: We still have these things around today and people are still listening to them. We have commercials for dial-a-psychic on regular TV. We have been culturally overtaken by the Harry Potter world. Isn’t there even an entire theme park devoted to it? We have children’s television shows based on witches and spell casting – both good and bad. We have spiritists who travel around promising to help you hear from your dead relatives. Our fascination with the super-natural world is clearly evident today just as I’m sure it was evident to the Israelites when they moved into some of these nations.
I think we inherently know there is something forbidden about these things, even if we don’t know Deuteronomy 18 forbids it. It is plain we understand because of the excuses we’ve concocted. It’s not real. It’s just a fantasy book. It’s just pretend. The good witch always wins. I just wanted to know this one thing. I was just curious what would happen. This is an archetypal character who overcomes his struggles, so it isn’t really about witchcraft. Excuses are a sure sign of justifying your actions. Justifying is something we do when we want to continue in our sin. Do we really think God has changed His mind about these things?
I’m not being judgmental here; I’m just trying to figure out why we as Christ-followers still entertain these ideas. I watched Bewitched growing up. I’ve read several Harry Potter books, seen the movies. I’ve watched those TV shows with renowned prophets who told of things to come, and they were obviously not from God. So, I’m certainly not judging anyone. I’m just wondering why we don’t heed the warnings. We’re told they aren’t from God. We’re told they are detestable to Him, and yet with toy with the idea of it all. How presumptuous of us! And we even feed it to our children. Strains of a proverb run through my mind: Teach them in the way they should go and they won’t depart from it when they are older (Proverbs 22:6).
In the cycle of ideas, tolerance leads to acceptance, acceptance leads to practice. And when it isn’t from God, practice leads to depravity. Eventually, God will give us over to our depraved mind if we practice it long enough. (Romans 1:21-25). Remember that child’s play we talked about in the beginning? What happens when our children are playing witches, casting spells in their imaginations, talking to the dead? And they are. As a teacher for over 25 years, I’ve personally witnessed this in the children of Bible believing families. Do these things live inside of them when they get older? Will they want to rely on someone, something other than God to quickly work things out when life is tough? If we are tolerating, will they accept or even practice these detestable things before God? Will our tolerance lead to a depraved mind? It may seem like a little thing to us, but God is telling us otherwise.
I have learned over the years that when I disagree with God or when I don’t understand, I can’t just say, “Well that’s ridiculous. That doesn’t fit our modern world,” and then do what I think is right anyway. No! It is there for a reason. It is best to ask Him and search His word for some understanding. So, if we are having trouble with this, then we need to go back and ask why God prohibited it in the first place. This is a two-part answer.
Read Jeremiah 27:9-10.
The goal of their spiritists was to remove the Israelites from their Promised Land. God has given us a promised land, the place of our inheritance. That place is with Him. We have an enemy, Satan, who desires to keep us far from that land. If our enemy thinks enticing us to rely on him, listen to him and his information will keep us or our children from God, he will most certainly do it. Listen! Your enemy does not want you there. Dazzle them. Intrigue them. Entertain them. Satisfy them with a little information. Make God’s word seem silly. Keep them from the promises of God. That’s his M.O.
What happens here is that we don’t put our trust in the LORD. We put our trust in something else, someone else, perhaps thinking that God is holding out on us. That is exactly the lie that was fed to Eve in the garden: There is something God didn’t tell you. He is holding back on you. Here. Eat this and you will know the things God didn’t tell you. That was the enemy’s trick then. It is his trick now. Don’t fall for it! There are some things we are not meant to know and that’s okay.
So, the first part of our answer is that listening to these forbidden sources will keep us from His promised land.
Read Malachi 3:1 and 3:5-6.
The messenger in verse 1 is John the Baptist, also prophesied in Isaiah 40:3. He clears the way for Jesus. Malachi also prophesizes the second coming of Jesus who will “suddenly come to His temple.” Jesus will return on the Day of Atonement to cleanse His people, forgive them, and make “swift judgement” against those who don’t fear Him. Therein lies the problem; they do not fear the LORD. They do not love Him with all their hearts. They do not remember what He has done for them. They do not respect His authority over them. And because they do not love, remember, or fear Him, they cannot follow Him or observe His commandments. The LORD God is not in His proper place in their heart or lives.
God gives a statement and a promise in verse 6: “For I, the LORD, do no change; therefore you, O Sons of Jacob, are not consumed.” The promise reminds the Jewish nation that His promise to them is still good. They are still His people. But the statement could also be a warning. God tells us in Deuteronomy and other places in scripture that we should fear Him and follow His commands. This, too, still stands. His expectations for us have not changed. He still detests the occult and those who practice it. I don’t know about you, but I have no desire to be presumptuous and toy with things detestable to Him. They may seem harmless to me, but obviously, God knows something I do not. Isn’t it best to trust Him even when I don’t understand?
The last section of Deuteronomy 18 tells us about the prophet we can listen to and follow.
Read Deuteronomy 18:15-22.
What did the people as of God when they were at Mt. Horeb?
Where will this prophet come from?
What will God put in His mouth?
Read Acts 3:18-23.
Who is the prophet that Moses spoke of in Deuteronomy 18: 15-22?
What are we to do with this knowledge? (v. 19)
What will happen to those who do not heed the words of Jesus?
Being on the other side of the cross, we have the privilege of knowing the prophet God promised. We know Jesus! We also know that Jesus upholds everything God has already told us. He did not change a thing. (Matthew 5:17-18). We cannot under grace continue to entertain ideas that God detests. We cannot feed them to our children when we should be feeding ourselves and our children on the Word of God. God still desires a place of authority in our hearts and minds. Respecting His authority is the “fear” He requires of us. We must still, even today, love, remember, fear, observe, and teach our children to put God first in their hearts.
I want my children and my children’s children to know Jesus, believe His promises, and desire to honor Him in all they do. Will it be difficult to stand up and be firm in my testimony against these things when the culture around us sees it as child’s play? It sure will! But Jesus never asked us to tip-toe around His Word. He told us to take up our cross and carry it daily. (Luke 9:23-26) Being different from the rest of the world because of His Word is part of your cross. Will you take it up and carry it?
A Word of Encouragement: My friend Marty always says about scripture, “If you can’t say ‘Amen!” you should at least say, ‘Ouch!” If I stepped on your toes today, I hope you can at least say, “Ouch!” I hope you will at least search the scriptures for yourself and debate with the LORD yourself. He is not opposed to you working it out with Him. And this applies to anything in scripture that you are uncomfortable with. He is opposed to you simply dismissing His words. Read. Pray. Search for His answer, His understanding. In time, it will come. Plus, you will learn something about yourself and about Him in the process, and that is always a good walk to take.
Lesson to Remember: God’s Word is a firm rock on which to stand. It does not move like the shifting sands of our culture.
A Way to Walk: Be humble before your LORD. Walk with a heart that is willing to work things out with Him and submit to His wisdom, even when you don’t understand.
