I planned to comment (write a little Lesson) on each chapter in Deuteronomy. But earlier this morning, when previewing Chapter 13, I nearly laid aside my goal!

It is full of death, chapter 13.

Honestly, it is composed of 18 verses, commanding death to person after person, in some cases groups of people. It is Mosaic Law at its most stringent intersection!

Here’s an example. When a false preacher or teacher has arrived: “That prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.” Deuteronomy 13:5

Then follows event after event where some offender is to be executed.

Wow!

“If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: but thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.” Deuteronomy 13:6-10

And if a whole town is found to be idolatrous … “Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword. And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the LORD thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again.” Deuteronomy 13:15-16

Strong!

Now I AM NOT ADVOCATING following such procedure in today’s world. In fact, I do not believe God would want us to do such. We do not operate under the strict commands of Moses’ law now. We live in a time where God’s Grace is reigning, ruling.

Today we’d see that idol-worshipping crowd and (at least try) win them to Jesus! Or tell them of His Love and Forgiveness anyway.

After all, killing one of them would simply be sending him to Hell!

BUT …

BUT …

BUT …

I do believe there is a spiritual principle behind these requirements!

The danger of casually coexisting in the midst of sin and degradation, extreme tolerance for wickedness (rebellion culminating in the worship of a plethora of gods and goddesses).

That stuff is still deadly to a vibrant life of loving God and His Son.

So, instead of hurting anyone (fact is “loving” them as Jesus might would have done) … we should just “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing.” Using Paul’s words from 2 Corinthians 6:17.

Sin contaminates, folks!

Paul again, in the same context: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?”

To what extent do I not “mess” with that godless crowd?

Get this! “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” 1 Thessalonians 5:22, even its appearance!

REMEMBER, DO NOT HURT ANYONE!

But guard yourself diligently!

(Idolatry is no less dangerous today than it was 3,500 years ago, folks!)

It’s just that God solved the problem in Moses’ day in a different manner.

Oh, the beauty of the GRACE of God!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Ask the Lord to show you some “sin” in your life today, one with which you have been much too “cozy,” and deal with it! Again you can’t hurt anybody … but you sure can “slaughter” that sin! Paul again: “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” Colossians 3:6, where “mortify” literally means “to put to death!” (Hack that “sin” to pieces! Eliminate it from your life as a Christian!)

No literal blood shed … but the principle of Deuteronomy 13 will have been followed indeed! And the sins we too often tolerate might actually begin disappearing!

Again, WOW!

 

The Lesson today will be “old news” to many of you.

But to others, a “fresh breath of air!”

It’s a warning really, today’s Bible Text.

One that helps “protect” the Word of God.

A warning that’s repeated elsewhere in Scripture as well!

“What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt NOT ADD thereto, NOR DIMINISH from it.” That’s God Himself speaking, Deuteronomy 12:32, that chapter’s last verse.

Obey God’s Word, God’s Law, God’s Direction for life. (The Hebrew verb “observe to do” is “shamar,” meaning “to guard or protect!” Hence, “heed” 35 times in the King James Bible.

Obey the various “charges, orders” God has given us!

But further admonition is also given … “Thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.”

Wow!

Don’t “tamper” with any of God’s Words! (The verb “tamper” is much like the verb “temper,” meaning to “meddle, interfere.” Here’s one of its earliest definitions, or examples: “to work in clay, etc., so as to mix it thoroughly.”)

In Hebrew “add” (spelled “yasaph” and the root of the name “Joseph) means “to increase” something. To “exceed” its limits. Do not go beyond what God has declared!

In fact, the “eye for eye” and “tooth for tooth” regulations of Scripture (as in Exodus 21:24, for example) are limiting the field of punishment, not draconically enforcing them! If a man even accidentally blinds one eye … you cannot then in turn blind both his eyes! Just “one” for “one.” To do more would be “adding” to God’s Word. Taking it further than God intended!

And “diminishing” the Bible?

The word is “gara” in Hebrew, meaning “to clip!” Or “to take away.” To make “smaller!” In other words, do not try to “restrain” the Word of God! Paul often prayed that the Word, when he preached, would be unrestrained. That Scripture would have “free course” (a Greek verb meaning “to run without hindrance”) and be “glorified!”  See 2nd Thessalonians 3:1 for proof.

Now, let’s put our Text verse together again: “What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.”

A requirement so important God repeats it elsewhere in the Bible!

Back in Deuteronomy 4:2, the very Book we’re studying now. “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.” (By the way, using the very same verbs we just noticed, “yasaph” and “gara.”)

Then notice Proverbs 30:5-6. “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. ADD THOU NOT unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”

Finally (unless I have missed some) Revelation 22:18-19. “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall ADD unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: and if any man shall TAKE AWAY from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” Maybe the strongest warning of all!

Need I say anything else today?

God’s Word, all sufficient … without any changing made by man!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

The level of devotion God craves?

Is He satisfied if we merely acknowledge Him in our lives?

Paying Him “token” lip service from time to time?

Or does He want more, in fact … demand more?

In order to receive God’s very BEST day by day, to benefit from His constant servings of GRACE … it is highly recommended that a Believer in the Lord God Almighty obey Him energetically!

As in Deuteronomy 11:22. “For if ye SHALL DILIGENTLY KEEP all these commandments which I command you, TO DO them, TO LOVE the LORD your God, TO WALK in all his ways, and TO CLEAVE unto him ….” Look at that string of verbs!

Here “shall diligently keep,” that verb, is translated this way in the Hebrew Text: “shamar shamar!” The verb is doubled, for emphasis! It means “to hear and obey” then “to hear and obey” some more!

“To do,” an infinitive, means (“asah” in Hebrew) “to accomplish” God’s Laws, performing them precisely!

“To love” God is “ahab,” meaning “to be friends” (and more) … obviously the depth of attachment is growing! But beyond “liking” a person … until absolute “adoration” begins!

Then … the heart of today’s Lesson … “to cleave” unto the Lord! “Dabaq” in Hebrew is the normal word for being “glued” to something! To “stick” to a person! Once transated “to be joined,” in the King James Version. Five times “to follow hard” after Him!

And as a Qal stem infinitive “dabaq” implies ongoing (perpetual, durative) adhesiveness to our Saviour! A “lifestyle,” if you please!

Reminds me of Psalm 63:8, two verbs there. “My soul followeth hard (“dabaq”) after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.” Yes, it’s “dabaq” again! (Note one’s soul no sooner pursues the Lord God, but that He immediately reaches out and “upholds” or “supports” His eager follower!)

So today’s let’s “be glued” to our Lord!

A “gluing” which first presupposes … obeying Him, loving Him, walking after Him!

Wow!

Oh, I am about to forget!

Once we do these things, culminating in such ardent attachment … the very next verse begins with the word “then.” Let me show you. “If ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him … THEN will the LORD …!”

Then will the Lord … “drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves.”

In other words, “THEN will the Lord” give you victory!

Clearly, there are blessings accrued by “cleaving” unto the dear Lord!

I’d say, “innumerable blessings.”

Amen.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

 

“Lasting judgment!”

That’s what it looks like to me, anyway.

What God did to Egypt, who had enslaved the Jews over 400 years.

Deuteronomy 11:4 tells us this, about the devastation God poured upon that strong Country: “And what He did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how the LORD hath destroyed them unto this day.”

See it?

“How the Lord hath destroyed them UNTO THIS DAY!”

After forty years, Egypt still had not recovered!

In fact, I am not sure Egypt has EVER totally reached her ancient prominence!

Again, because of sin!

Particularly the sin of hating Israel, abusing “the Apple of God’s Eye!”

(God to Israel, years after Moses wrote these words. “For thus saith the LORD of hosts … he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.” Zechariah 2:9)

My point today … sin is so dangerous!

It’s wages can (at times anyway) be paid in installments!

That may be the very reason Egypt is a “has-been” in the world community.

And Egypt is still at it, I think. She is still hating Israel.

She may never be a world power again!

Perpetual judgment.

And the sin(s) I have committed? Or you?

Yes, Christian friend, they are forgiven.

No doubt about that, according to 1st John 1:9. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Written to Believers, I remind you.

But those sins (though gone) … still leave scars!

And maybe, even years later, diminished potential for the Lord.

Wow!

Yes, Grandma was right.  “An OUNCE of prevention is worth a POUND of cure!”

Stay away from sin!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

 

Verse 12 (of Deuteronomy chapter 10) uses an interesting string of words, an independent clause actually.

“And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God REQUIRE of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?” Verse 11 is also included in the quote here.

I can only think of one other places such a question is asked, using essentially the same words. Beautiful, Amos 6:8, so succinct too! “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD REQUIRE of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Amos 6:8

God longs for obedience on the part of His children!

Wow!

And in case you feel “poor” today, verse 14 thunders of our Lord … “Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD’S thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.” And Paul says we who are saved are “heirs” with this omni-wealthy God! I have been written “into His Will!” (No wonder Paul will later write: “For all things are yours,” 1st Corinthians 3:21.

Another rather dramatic Mosaic clause: “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.” Verse 16, quite picturesque. Cut away all the “fleshly” desires of your heart! Here’s heart surgery prior to the invention of so-called modern medicine! (Notice how the heart controls the neck, precisely one’s emotions and thoughts overcoming his or her will, his stubbornness!)

And in verse 17 our Master is called “God of gods!” There is none like Him! I can only find this specific Title for God in 3 other Bible locations! All idols fall in His Presence!

And verse 19 cautions Israel about “foreigners.” God commanding: “Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.” Legislation is fine, illegality is (of course) always dangerous. But mistreating a “stranger” is not acceptable!

Lastly, today … the 21st verse calls God a beautiful Name: “He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen.” He IS our PRAISE! Oh, that we might all properly adore Him today!

Well, this too. Deuteronomy chapter 10 closes at verse 22 with some statistics. “Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the LORD thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.” Do the math, remembering the census shortly after Israel left Egypt.

From a “family” of 70 people … to a “nation” of 2,000,000 at least!

Israel, the “apple of God’s Eye!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell