[Brother V]

Deuteronomy 16-18

Today's Bible in a Year reading continues Moses second sermon.

Today we get:

• Reminder of the Passover
• Judging rules
• Images... AGAIN
• Reminder, again, to stone people who fall away
• Rules for setting up a king
• Again, don't fall away

Deuteronomy 16

1 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.

Remembering the passover doesn't seem to be a problem for modern jews. KEEPING it, well, that's another issue.

Moses tells the people that the passover sacrifice is to be done ONLY at the place that's set aside, they can't just kill the lamb anywhere.

3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.

They had enough time to borrow jewels from the Egyptians, but not enough time to let the bread rise. Remember, the reason is not really because they didn't have time, it's because God HATES YEAST!

10 And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:

Remember the feast of weeks.

13 Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine:

Remember the feast of tabernacles.

16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:

The Israelites were only commanded to appear before God three times a year, Passover, weeks and tabernacles. Which is one more time than most modern christians show up. (As I like to call them C & E christians (christmas and easter)).

Oh, when they show up, they are to give an offering. Each man as he has been blessed.

18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.

Praise God! Judges are to be set up.

19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.

Bribery is bad.

21 Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee.

Trees are synonymous with worship of other gods.

22 Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the LORD thy God hateth.

Man, these people seem to really want to make images. I guess that's no different than modern "christians" who need to wear a cross idol around their neck, or have a Jesus fish on their car, to remind them that they are ... indeed... christians.

Deuteronomy 17

1 Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the LORD thy God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish, or any evilfavouredness: for that is an abomination unto the LORD thy God.

God only wants the best. He deserves and demands it.

2 If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant,

3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;

Kill them!

5 Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.

Stoned with stones is the best way!

6 At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.

It requires more than one witness for the death penalty. Also, if you are a witness, then you will be the FIRST person to help kill that person.

If you can't judge between yourselves, go to the Levites.

Whatever the Levites determine, you must do, otherwise, you will be killed.

14 When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me;

This is the first mention of having a king of Israel.

Rules for the king.

1. Must be of the tribes, can't be a foreigner (Deut. 17:15)
2. He can't have all the horses to himself. (Deut. 17:16)
3. Can't take the people back to Egypt. (Deut. 17:16)
4. Can't take all the women for wives. (Deut. 17:17) (I'm looking at you Solomon!)
5. Can't take all the silver and gold. (Deut. 17:17)
6. He must re-write the law; and read it every day. (Deut. 17:18-19)

Most of the rules are so that the king will not forget God, or do anything that makes him turn away, or diminish the value of God.

Deuteronomy 18

1 The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and his inheritance.

They get the offerings, but don't get any land. Their role is to minister. But we already knew that.

9 When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.

10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.

11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

Lets discuss "pass through the fire".

This was a form of worship of Moloch (sometimes referred to as Baal). The children that were to be sacrificed to Moloch were placed in the outstretched arms of the Moloch idol. They were then burned. To cover the screams of the burning child the Moloch priests would beat drums.

So when you see, "pass through the fire" or Moloch, you now know what they were talking about.

15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

"like unto me" the meek and humble and poorly spoken Moses.

How will you know if the prophet is set by God and not just a faker?

22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

If it comes true, then he's legit. If not, eh, kill him.

So what have we learned today?

1. Burning babies IS NOT and acceptable form of worship for our LORD.
2. Rules for the king.
3. Don't worship other gods; or make idols.

YIC
V

[Brother Temperance]

Originally Posted by Brother V

Deuteronomy 16-18

14 When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me;

This is the first mention of having a king of Israel.

This is interesting. In 1 Samuel 8, the jews ask for a king, and God and Samuel both get somewhat upset about it. In fact, God even says (1 Samuel 8:7) "they have rejected me" by asking for another king who isn't Him (sort of like how Catholics reject Our Father, but that's a whole other story.) In light of that, you'd think God would seem a little less keen on the idea of kings here...obviously not.

Rules for the king.

1. Must be of the tribes, can't be a foreigner (Deut. 17:15)
2. He can't have all the horses to himself. (Deut. 17:16)
3. Can't take the people back to Egypt. (Deut. 17:16)

Deuteronomy 17:16 is pretty interesting.

But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.

Even by Jew standards, that's a pretty impressive idea for a scam.

"Hey, you know Egypt?"

"What, that country where we were slaves? And then God inflicted horrible suffering on them so we could escape? But not before jewing their jewellery? Yeah."

"Wanna go back there?"

"Um, why?"

"So I can multiply my horses."

Thank God for forbidding such insane horse-multiplying schemes. Where would we be without Him?