How God's Service Was to Be Kept in Canaan

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Deuteronomy 12:1) “These are the statutes and judgments which you shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of your fathers gives you to possess it, all the days that you live on the earth."

Up to this point Moses had been exhorting the children of Israel to obey the commandments of the Lord.  Now he began a review of all the statutes and judgments of the Lord that they were to obey in their promised land all the days of their lives.

(2) “You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations which you shall possess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree."

The very first thing the Israelites were to do when they went into their promised land was to destroy all the places where the nations before them had worshiped their false gods.  The pagans most often erected their pillars and statues on high places, and worshiped there, being nearer to the heavens; and many consecrated various trees to their pagan gods and worshiped under them.

(3) “And you shall overthrow their altars, break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and you shall cut down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place."

They were to destroy their altars, break their pillars and statues, burn their groves of trees that had been planted for worship, and cut down any carved or engraved images of their gods, completely destroying all memorials of the idols, which probably included changing the names of places, as well.  Matthew Henry wrote something I found very interesting, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, "Here is no mention of idol-temples, which countenances the opinion some have, that the tabernacle Moses reared in the wilderness was the first habitation that ever was made for religious uses, and that from it temples took their rise."  My limited research was not able to prove or disprove that fact, but evidently, there were scholars who believed that during Henry's lifetime (1662-1714).

(4) "You shall not do so to the LORD your God."

By that, Moses meant they were not to use any of those vulgar objects in their worship of their Lord.  He was not to be worshiped with superstitions on every hill and under every tree as every other false god, but He Himself would design a sanctuary and the ritual of His own service.  Their Lord was above all gods, as is stated many times in scripture.

(5) “But you shall seek the place where the LORD your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His habitation; and there you shall come."

The Lord Himself would choose the place for his tabernacle where His presence would be among their tribes, and that is where the people would come to worship Him and seek Him by prayer and inquire of Him.

(6) "And there you shall take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, your vowed offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks."

That place the Lord would choose and designate was where the people would bring all their offerings and sacrifices and tithes.  There, in God's tabernacle, not on any hill or under any tree, signifying that their offerings and sacrifices were not accepted for their own worth, but by God's gracious appointment in His house. 

(7) “And there you shall eat before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice in all to which you have put your hand, you and your households, in which the LORD your God has blessed you."

There in the place that would be designated by the Lord would the people eat their part of the offerings as instructed by Him, and there they would rejoice in all the labors of their hands that brought in the offerings of all of which the Lord had blessed them.  They and their households would cheerfully and thankfully partake of the offerings.

(8) "You shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes."

Moses told the people that the time would come when they did not do the things they did there in the wilderness, where they were constantly moving from place to place, and the people brought offerings sometimes when and where they pleased.  John Wesley pointed out, in his Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, that there wasn't a "universal liberty" given to the people to do as they pleased, but their migratory life and unsettled conditions often gave them opportunity to do so.  Moses said that would change.

(9) "For you are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the LORD your God gives you."

The people were allowed to do those things irregularly because they had not yet come to their promised land the Lord was giving them, their rest and their inheritance.  It is interesting to note the word "rest" here.  Their promised land of Canaan was symbolic of the eternal rest that is assured for the people of God in heaven, and of Christ in whom we have spiritual rest.

(10) “But when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the LORD your God gives you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety, (11) Then there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause His name to dwell there; there you shall bring all that I command you, your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to the LORD."

However, Moses continued, when the children of Israel had crossed over the Jordan River, dwelt in their promised land, and they had subdued their enemies all around and dwelt in safety, then there would be a fixed place which the Lord would choose for His name to dwell there.  To that place they would bring all their tithes, offerings, and sacrifices, to the Lord, as Moses would instruct them.

(12) “And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your sons and your daughters, your menservants, your maidservants, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no part nor inheritance with you."

In the fixed temple that would be built at that time they would rejoice before the Lord, eating with joy and thanksgiving their part of the offerings, they and their entire households, as well as the Levites who were ministers dispersed among them, for they had no inheritance in the promised land.  The people were to include the Levites in their feasts.

(13) “Take heed to yourself that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place that you see; (14) But in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you."

Moses cautioned the people to be mindful and not offer their offerings in any place that might please them, but only in the place that the Lord Himself would choose among their tribes, would they offer their burnt offerings and do all that Moses would instruct them to do.

(15) "Nevertheless, you may kill and eat meat within all your gates, whatever your heart desires, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you; the unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of the roebuck and the hart."

Strict commandments would be given by Moses (from God) as to how and what they would offer and sacrifice, but within their own gates and households, they were allowed to eat whatever their hearts desired of that with which the Lord had blessed them.  When Moses referred to the unclean, he was referring to ceremonial uncleanness, like the touching of a dead body or issues of bleeding, etc., that would cause the people to be unclean.  They were not allowed to eat unclean animals that were forbidden, but could eat the flesh of animals considered clean, as with deer and gazelles or antelope.  Most commentators, as well as Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, said gazelles and deer were meant, while Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, wrote that Dr. Shaw, I believe Rev. Barnabas Shaw, the missionary, thought it was the antelope.  Brown-Driver-Briggs's Hebrew Definitions suggested it might even be an extinct animal that was meant.  Whatever animal was meant, it was certainly one of the clean animals permitted by God to eat.

(16) “Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it on the earth like water."

Although they could eat whatever clean meats they desired in their homes, the people were still forbidden to eat the blood of any beast or fowl.  All manner of blood was forbidden whether slain for sacrifice or for common food.  The blood was to be poured out on the ground.

(17) “You may not eat within your gates the tithe of your corn or your new wine or your oil, or the firstlings of herd or your flock, of any of your offerings which you vow, of your freewill offerings, or of the heave offering of your hand."

Although they were allowed to kill and eat any clean animal they desired, the people were forbidden to eat within their gates and homes anything that had been offered to the Lord, except what and when was allowed by the Lord's law.  Even if allowed to be eaten, there were certain procedures in presenting it to the Lord first.  After all, all was the Lord's and they gave their offerings to the Lord in praise and thanksgiving or for atonement, but in most cases they were allowed to enjoy the feasts, but only after ceremony and as instructed by the Lord's law.

(18) “But you must eat them before the LORD your God in the place which the LORD your God chooses, you and your son and your daughter, your manservant and your maidservant, and the Levite who is within your gates; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God in all to which you put your hands."

Finishing the thought started in verse 17, Moses told the people they could not eat of the offerings of the Lord in their houses, but in the place where the Lord told them they could in His law.  There they would cheerfully make and keep feasts in the manner commanded, rejoicing with family and friends, and with the Levites, expressing thankfulness to God for His blessing on the labor of their hands.

(19) “Take heed to yourself that you do not forsake the Levite as long as you live on the earth."

The people were commanded to be careful not to ever forget the Levites as long as they lived.  The Levites had no inheritance in their promised land and only lived on the tithes appointed for their maintenance, and by their inclusion at the feasts described above.  The Levites' lives were dedicated to the service of God and to the ministering to the souls of men, and they were to be furnished at the very least the necessities of life by those souls for whom they ministered for their salvation.

(20) “When the LORD your God shall enlarge your border as He has promised you, and you say, 'I will eat meat,' because your soul longs to eat meat, you may eat as much meat as your heart desires."

Moses told the people that when the Lord had increased their land by bringing them into the land of Canaan as He had promised, and they craved meat that had been in short supply in the wilderness, they would be allowed to eat as much meat as their hearts desired.

(21) “If the place where the LORD your God has chosen to put His name is too far from you, then you may kill of your herd and of your flock which the LORD has given you, as I have commanded you, and you shall eat in your gates whatever your heart desires."

As the people were obliged to carry their sacrifices to the place of worship where the Lord had chosen to put His name, they might think they had to carry to there all their animals they desired to be slaughtered for meat.  However, Moses was telling them they were under no obligation to do that, and were free to kill them at their homes and eat as much as they desired within their gates in the manner the Lord had commanded (v. 15-17 above).

(22) "Even as the roebuck and the hart are eaten, so you shall eat them, the unclean and the clean alike shall eat of them."

Just as Moses had instructed in verse 15 regarding the animals allowed by law to be eaten as food, as with deer and antelope or gazelles, both those people ceremonially clean and those considered unclean could eat of the animals they killed at their homes.

(23) “Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life; you may not eat the life with the flesh."

Once again the people were commanded not to eat the blood of any animal, specifically because the blood was the life and they were forbidden to eat the life with the flesh.  In Leviticus 17:11 they were told more precisely that the blood was given by the Lord to make atonement for their souls; therefore they were forbidden to eat of it.

(24) “You shall not eat it; you shall pour it on the earth like water."

Once again the commandment was repeated (v. 16) that they must not eat of the blood, even of common flesh not used as sacrifice, but pour it on the ground.  When they could not bring the blood to the altar, to pour it out before the Lord, as belonging to Him, they were still to pour it out on the ground, as not belonging to them, because it was the life and only belonged to the author of life, and was to be used for atonement.

(25) “You shall not eat it, that it may go well with you and your children after you, when you shall do what is right in the sight of the LORD."

The children of Israel were not to eat of any blood that it might go well for them and their children, as they had been told in Leviticus 7:27 that any person who ate of blood of any animal was to be cut off from his people.  However, when the people did right in the sight of the Lord in this and all other commands, it would go well for them and their children.

(26) “Only the holy things which you have, and your vowed offerings, you shall take and go to the place which the LORD chooses."

As they were warned in verse 17 above, the holy things like their tithes, their firstborn offerings, their freewill offerings, their heave offerings, or any vowed offerings, were to be taken to the place that the Lord would later choose to put His name.

(27) “And you shall offer your burnt offerings, the meat and the blood, on the altar of the LORD your God; and the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of the LORD your God, and you shall eat the meat."

Those offerings to God were to be presented on the altar of the Lord, and the blood of those sacrifices was to be poured out on the altar, and then the meat only was allowed to be eaten.

(28) “Observe and hear all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God."

Moses exhorted the people to really hear and observe all those things he had commanded them from the Lord, as in destroying all symbols of false idols, bringing all holy things to the place the Lord would designate for Him to dwell, the eating of common flesh in their homes, and the prohibition against eating blood, it would go well for them and their children, when they did what was good and right in the sight of their Lord.

(29) “When the LORD your God shall cut off the nations from before you, where you go to possess them, and you succeed them and dwell in their land, (30) Take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared by following them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’"

When their Lord destroyed the nations from before His people and they succeeded them and then dwelt in their lands, the people were warned against being ensnared by following the customs of those people they had dispossessed.  They were warned against even inquiring about those customs, lest they be tempted to do the same.

(31) “You shall not do so to the LORD your God, for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods."

The people were forbidden to perform any of the rites of the nations before them for their Lord, because everything those nations had done for their gods, He hated.  Those nations had even sacrificed and burned their own children to their gods.

(32) “Whatever I command you, observe to do it; you shall not add to it nor diminish from it."

Moses gave the people one last warning from their Lord that whatever He commanded, precisely that they were to do, neither adding to nor subtracting from what He had told them to do.  This was the same caution Moses had given the people regarding the word of God in Deuteronomy 4:2, "You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you."  This is also confirmed in Revelation 22:18-19, "For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."  God is serious about us accepting His word as given.  The Almighty perfect God of the universe doesn't need us mere sinful mortals to improve upon His word, nor decide that parts of it are okay to ignore.  It is perfect as the perfect God gave it.  I've heard the argument that God may be perfect, but imperfect people wrote the Bible.  Is the perfect omniscient God not capable of making sure His word was given to us as it should be?  I have learned something in my study of the Bible.  A precept of God will always be repeated.  As the Bible states in many places, a thing will be established by the word of two or three witnesses.  So it is with what God wants us to know; it will be repeated elsewhere in scripture.  If there is some obscure scripture that seems to tell us something new, you can bet our interpretation is wrong.  People are always looking for new revelations in the word of God, and that is fine, but if you find something new and different, make sure it is repeated elsewhere.  Otherwise, your interpretation is wrong and you are falling into that old trap of Satan, that "you shall be as God" (Genesis 3:5) because you have learned His secret.