In this account directly from the mouth of Yahweh, we see Him continue to reiterate to His chosen people the importance of His holiness by sharing with them His jealous pursuit of them, warning them not to give to someone/something else that which belongs solely to Him. Which in this case, is who they choose to follow and worship. You can see the sincerity behind this warning through the strong and precise verbiage He uses...seemingly, a common practice throughout Deuteronomy, and the Old Testament overall.

Here, God is challenging His people to intentionally stop and process their daily lives, choices, and foundations. Not because He wants to create a set of rules to destroy any sense of enjoyment in this life, but because of what is laid out in verses 13.3b-4. And in a world that is overwhelmingly full of visible and tangible distractions, idols, and false gods, this is a critical test to study for. It has been, is, and will be this way.

But how did these Israelites get to a mindset where this was possible? I believe it was through a built-in habit of regularly recalling, remembering, and reflecting on their past journey and the coming promises set before them. God doesn’t just call His people to mindlessly follow and obey Him; we see in these verses that He challenges them to reflect on His nature and character displayed in their lives and the lives of their community, ultimately so that they are reminded of this fact: He is worthy of every ounce of worship we can produce.

Knowing ‘who’ the One True God is will lead to a proper and healthy ‘why’ that propels a life that is willing to sacrifice so that He is honored, glorified, and worshipped.

Theology will lead to doxology. And there cannot be one without the other.

[Deuteronomy 12.29-13.18]

12.29 “When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, 30 take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’ 31 You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.

32 “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.

13.1 “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

6 “If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or the wife you embrace or your friend who is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which neither you nor your fathers have known, 7 some of the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other, 8 you shall not yield to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him. 9 But you shall kill him. Your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. 10 You shall stone him to death with stones, because he sought to draw you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 11 And all Israel shall hear and fear and never again do any such wickedness as this among you.

12“If you hear in one of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you to dwell there, 13 that certain worthless fellows have gone out among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known, 14 then you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you, 15 you shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, devoting it to destruction, all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword. 16 You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its open square and burn the city and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It shall be a heap forever. It shall not be built again. 17 None of the devoted things shall stick to your hand, that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of his anger and show you mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you, as he swore to your fathers, 18 if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, keeping all his commandments that I am commanding you today, and doing what is right in the sight of the Lord your God.

[ WHAT ] is this passage saying and what is a key truth or thought that we learn?

+ Why did God feel the need to share this with the Israelites? What does this show about their journey, their heart posture, the communities around them, etc? And what does it show about their coming journey, and the need for this encouragement?

+ How does this passage ring knowing that these people did not have the same Bible we have today? They didn’t even have the entire Old Testament to show them all of God’s attributes that we have access to. How might this have affected their following of Him? How does this affect our following of Him today?

+ Why did God use such strong language here?

+ Where is the foreshadow/glimpse of Jesus this morning?

+ What was the journey the Israelites went through before this? Who brought them through?

+ What were God’s future promises to the Israelites?

+ Why are both of these important for them to rest on and remember?

+ Read Hebrews 13, where the writer graciously provides to us a list of daily sacrifices that we can make so that our pursuit of Yahweh is unhindered, holy, and pleasing to Him. How can this correlate to the passage we are reading today? Especially looking at Hebrews 13.13-16 with a keen eye...how does the picture shift for a disciple of Jesus when compared to an Israeli following God in the time of Deuteronomy?

+ Strange question, but is it possible to create an idol of God Himself? Read this brief sermon blurb/lyrics: https://genius.com/Shai-linne-doxology-intro-lyrics (Doxology Intro by Shai Linne)

+ If there is any extra time this week, Google ‘Rightly Ordered Loves’ by St. Augustine. This idea is very convicting, but also extremely freeing when it comes to understanding idols and false gods in our lives--tracing the sunbeam back to the Sun.

[ HOW ] is the Lord calling me to action/obedience?

+ Is there sin to confess or a next step to take? How has it gone since last time?

+ When was the last time I went away to silence and solitude to recall, remember, and reflect on my own past journey and the coming promises of God? How does this affect my view of God? My view of my current circumstances?

+ What is my definition of ‘worship’? How does God define it based on Kim’s verses yesterday and this morning’s? Are there any areas of my life that can be critiqued or realigned to emphasize Jesus more

+ What do vv. 13.3b-4 mean to me? Are there any habits in my life that can shift to challenge this?

+ Are there any distractions, idols, or false gods that are floating around in my life? Are these on a higher pedestal than God?

+ If I know the Israelites were promised the nation of Israel and moved based on this. What is the promised land we have as disciples of Jesus? Do I think of this often and live my life accordingly?

+ Read Matthew 7.24-27, and John 15. See how each might affect our understanding of worship and avoiding false gods/idolatry.

[ WHO ] am I walking with and praying for to discover Jesus?

+ What is my next step?

+ Ask the Holy Spirit to see Jesus in this morning’s verses. How can this be delivered to a friend, family member, coworker, etc.?