Deuteronomy - One Place of Worship

It has been fascinating just reading Deuternomy slowly. I will attempt to share with you in the next few posts some insights into the Feasts of Israel and the various offerings that were mentioned in the book.

One thing we must watch out for when we read or study the Word of God is to look for repetitions. If something is repeated enough, it may be important. For e.g. note these two phrases:

• The place the Lord will choose
• The place the Lord your God will choose

In my bible study, I have compiled these phrases in the table here.

The Lord requires a single place of worship. Why? The tabernacle, the Lord's dwelling place during the 40 years of wandering in the desert, will eventually be located in the city of Jerusalem, where the Lord will choose to dwell. The ultimate fulfillment of this command came centuries later when God let David move the tabernacle to Jerusalem where his son Solomon built the temple. The command for a single sanctuary promoted or emphasized three things: the unity of God (He is One, not many), the purity of the Israelites’ worship of the Lord, and the people’s political and spiritual unity. (Bible Knowledge Commentary)

The Tabernacle of Moses

Solomon's Temple

Moses stresses the importance of centralizing the place of worship in the promised land, where the Caanites had established many places of worship for their many gods. The people of God must be different from them.

The sacrifices, offerings and feasts will culminate in the Temple, where feasting and rejoicing takes place as well as celebrating God and His blessings.

What's the application of this truth? Simply that we must have only one place of worship and that is God in our hearts. He must take first place and be seated on the throne of our hearts. The Bible says we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit where the Holy Spirit dwells. Not just dwelling in us individually, but in the church as a community.

1 Cor 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

2 Cor 6:16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

Isn't that an amazing truth, that we can have a personal relationship with this God? No wonder the Israelites would exclaim:

Deuteronomy 4:5-8

^5 See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. ^6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” ^7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? ^8 And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?

People will look at the church and we can exclaim: "What other community is so great to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?"

Is there a prominent place of worship in your life? Sing this song in your heart now:

Verse:

I will have no other gods before You

Only You will reign as my heart’s King

I will have no other gods before You

I will put You first in everything

Chorus:

With all my heart with all my soul

With all my might I want to love You Lord

With all my heart with all my soul

With all my might I want to love You Lord

Deuteronomy - What does it mean?

'Deuteronomy' comes from two words in the Greek language: deutero, which means 'second', and nomos, which means 'law'.

This is not talking about another new set of Laws, but a reiteration of it. When the Ten Commandments were given in Exodus 20, they were given to the first generation of Israelites who came out of Egypt, crossed the Red Sea with a huge natural show of God's power, camped at Sinai and heard the Ten Commandments for the first time. With the Ten Commandments are 613 laws of Moses. As we know, the people sinned and the consequence of it were the 40 years wilderness experience in the desert until the whole generation of those above 20 years old at the time of the escape died (except for Moses, Joshua and Caleb). They never had the privilege of taking possession of the Promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey!

The new generation were only little children when they crossed the Red Sea and camped at Sinai. Most would barely remember after forty years what had happened and certainly would not recall the reading of the law at Sinai. So, here's the purpose of the reading and explaining of the law for the second time, hence Deuteronomy, 'second law' to this new generation.

Moses was himself not privileged to lead the people into the Promised Land due to his own sin of striking the rock for water instead of speaking at it. (Numbers 20:1-13) He disobeyed God's Word and God showed him he was going to die in just seven days. Therefore Moses wanted to ensure that this new generation were informed about the past and ready to face the future.

Each generation must renew their covenant with God. The baton was passed to Joshua and the rest is history. But what a tragic ending for Moses when he stood on top of Pisgah (Deuteronomy 3:21-29), looking at the new land and not being able to go in. So near yet so far. I believe at that moment, it must have been his deepest regret.

We must be reminded that while we can start well, we may not necessarily end well. That's why the Bible repeatedly warns us to "be very careful". Keep focus in your Christian life!

Deuteronomy is the last of the five books of Moses, the Pentateuch. He was by then an old man of 120, and was entering his last week of life (the book ends with his death). Having seen the weakness of the present generation's parents, he was afraid they might got the same way. He saw ahead to the battles they would need to fight, both physical and spiritual.

In the last week of his life he spoke three times to them. The whole Deuteronomy is made up of three long speeches, each of which must have taken the best part of a day to give. This spoken style comes across. It is very personal and emotional book. Moses is appealing to the people, like a dying father to his children. (Unlocking the Bible, Pg 187)