UNROLL
Dawn over the hill country of Canaan: terraced slopes and olive groves fall away into misty valleys, and far off one rounded hill stands a little higher than the rest, first light on its crown.

The Book of

Deuteronomy 12

Not on every hilltop, and not however you like: God would choose the place, and there His people would eat and rejoice.

32 verses≈ 7 min1 personBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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In this chapter

Where we are

  1. 1–4Remember the wayFrom Horeb to Moab
  2. 5–11Love the LORDThe heart of the covenant
  3. 12–26Laws for the landWorship, justice, neighborChapter 12
  4. 27–30Blessing and curseChoose life
  5. 31–34Moses' farewellA song, a blessing, a death

One Place for Worship

These are the statutes and ordinances you must be careful to follow all the days you live in the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess.

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Destroy completely all the places where the nations you are dispossessing have served their gods—atop the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree. Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn up their Asherah poles, cut down the idols of their gods, and wipe out their names from every place.

You shall not worship the LORD your God in this way.

Moses

There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your households shall eat and rejoice in all you do, because the LORD your God has blessed you.

Deuteronomy 12:7

You are not to do as we are doing here today, where everyone does what seems right in his own eyes. For you have not yet come to the resting place and the inheritance that the LORD your God is giving you.

The Jordan at first light seen from the plains of Moab: the green ribbon of the river in its thicket, the hills of Canaan rising beyond in soft haze, the camp’s black tents small in the foreground.

When you cross the Jordan and live in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and He gives you rest from all the enemies around you and you dwell securely, then the LORD your God will choose a dwelling for His Name. And there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice offerings you vow to the LORD. And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.

0:35

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

Reflect

Right in my own eyes

Moses warned against a people where “everyone does what seems right in his own eyes.” In worship that meant choosing any hilltop and any way that felt right. It is still the easy path: to come to God on our own terms, when and how we like. Where do you tend to follow your own eyes rather than God’s word? Write it down, and ask Him to bring it under His word this week.

A hill-country farmhouse courtyard at dusk: a clay cooking pot over a small fire ringed with stones, a basket of flat bread, a family gathering to eat, a gazelle skin drying on the wall.

The law

Offerings there, meat anywhere

  1. Offerings

    Not in just any place

    Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in just any place you see;

  2. Only where the LORD chooses

    you must offer them only in the place the LORD will choose in one of your tribal territories, and there you shall do all that I command you.

  3. Meat at home

    Meat at home whenever you wish

    But whenever you want, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, according to the blessing the LORD your God has given you.

  4. Clean or unclean may eat it

    Both the ceremonially clean and unclean may eat it as they would a gazelle or deer,

  5. But pour out the blood

    but you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.

  6. Holy gifts

    Not the holy gifts in your towns

    Within your gates you must not eat the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, the firstborn of your herds or flocks, any of the offerings that you have vowed to give, or your freewill offerings or special gifts.

  7. Eat them before the LORD

    Instead, you must eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place the LORD your God will choose—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates.

  8. Rejoice in all you do

    Rejoice before the LORD your God in all you do,

  9. The Levite

    Do not neglect the Levites

    and be careful not to neglect the Levites as long as you live in your land.

When the LORD your God expands your territory as He has promised, and you crave meat and say, “I want to eat meat,” you may eat it whenever you want. If the place where the LORD your God chooses to put His Name is too far from you, then you may slaughter any of the herd or flock He has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat it within your gates whenever you want. Indeed, you may eat it as you would eat a gazelle or deer; both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it.

Only be sure not to eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.

Deuteronomy 12:23

You must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water. Do not eat it, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD.

The law

At the altar of the LORD

  1. Holy gifts

    Holy gifts to the chosen place

    But you are to take your holy things and your vow offerings and go to the place the LORD will choose.

  2. The altar

    Burnt offerings: all on the altar

    Present the meat and blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD your God.

  3. Other sacrifices: the meat is eaten

    The blood of your other sacrifices must be poured out beside the altar of the LORD your God, but you may eat the meat.

  4. Blessing

    Obey, and it will go well

    Be careful to obey all these things I command you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the LORD your God.

One place, every town

insteadTheir highplacestorn down · 2–3Within yourgatesmeat as you wish · 15,20–22The place Hechoosesofferings, tithes,vows · 5–14Not the bloodthe life is His · 16,23–25Rejoicetogethersons, servants, Levite· 7, 12, 18In spirit andtruthJohn 4:23

Whiteboard

The nations worshiped “atop the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.” Israel was to tear those places down and bring every offering to one place, “the place the LORD your God will choose.” At the same time, ordinary meals spread out to every town: meat could be eaten “within any of your gates,” so long as the blood was poured out. And the joy at the place was for the whole household, servants and Levite too. Jesus would later say that true worshipers worship the Father in spirit and truth.

Pray

Worship on Your terms

Israel was not to worship God “in this way,” borrowing the nations’ hills and habits. God chose the place, and there His people were to “rejoice before the LORD your God.” Ask God to show you any part of your worship that is on your terms rather than His. Thank Him that in Jesus He has made the way to come near. Then ask for joy in His presence, and for a heart that makes room for others at the table.

A Warning against Idolatry

When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations you are entering to dispossess, and you drive them out and live in their land, be careful not to be ensnared by their ways after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, “How do these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise.”

You must not worship the LORD your God in this way, because they practice for their gods every abomination which the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.

See that you do everything I command you; do not add to it or subtract from it.

Deuteronomy 12:32

Question

Quick question

Once Israel was settled in the land, the people could eat meat at home in any town. Offerings were different.

Where were burnt offerings to be offered in the land?

You’ve experienced

Deuteronomy 12

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A verse to carry with you

There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your households shall eat and rejoice in all you do, because the LORD your God has blessed you.

Deuteronomy 12:7

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