Please turn in your Bibles this evening to Deuteronomy
chapter 10 as we continue our study through the Word of God. As
we finished up last time Moses was recounting the history of the
children of
Thus, the Lord tells Moses to get down from this mountain
because HIS people were in sin. And as Moses sees
what is going on he takes the two tablets of the Law and throws
them on the ground breaking them in pieces, something that the
children of
VERSES 1-5
Why did God write down these Ten Commandments again after
Moses broke the first set?
Because God’s Word is living and it is powerful and
it will change lives. And Moses places these two tablets of stone
with the Law written by the finger of God in the Ark of the Covenant.
What an archeological find this would be, to discover the
We often look for ways to bring about a revival through
all kinds of programs but true revival will come as people get
back to the Word of God! I know, you may not believe
that but look at what the Scriptures show us. In II Kings chapter
22, starting in verse 8, as Josiah is king, notice what took place
not only in his life but also in the life of the nation, how it
affected the people. We are told, “Then Hilkiah the
high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, ‘I have found the
Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.’ And Hilkiah gave
the book to Shaphan, and he read it. So Shaphan the scribe went
to the king, bringing the king word, saying, ‘Your servants
have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have
delivered it into the hand of those who do the work, who oversee
the house of the Lord.’ Then Shaphan the scribe showed the
king, saying, ‘Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.’
And Shaphan read it before the king. Now it happened, when the
king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his
clothes. Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the
son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Michaiah, Shaphan the scribe,
and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying, ‘Go, inquire of
the Lord for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning
the words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath
of the Lord that is aroused against us, because our fathers have
not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that
is written concerning us.’ So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam,
Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the
wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of
the wardrobe. (She dwelt in
Then she said
to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel, “Tell the
man who sent you to Me, Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will bring
calamity on this place and on its inhabitants — all the words
of the book which the king of Judah has read — because they
have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might
provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore
My wrath shall be aroused against this place and shall not be
quenched.”’ But as for the king of Judah, who sent you
to inquire of the Lord, in this manner you shall speak to him,
‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “Concerning the words
which you have heard — because your heart was tender,
and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I
spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they
would become a desolation and a curse, and you tore your clothes
and wept before Me, I also have heard you,” says the Lord.
Surely, therefore, I will gather you to your fathers, and you
shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall
not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place.’
So they brought back word to the king. Now the king sent them
to gather all the elders of
And all the
people took a stand for the covenant. And the king commanded Hilkiah
the high priest, the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers,
to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the articles that were
made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; and
he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and
carried their ashes to Bethel. Then he removed the idolatrous
priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense on
the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places all around
Jerusalem, and those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to
the moon, to the constellations, and to all the host of heaven.
And he brought out the wooden image from the house of the Lord,
to the Brook Kidron outside Jerusalem, burned it at the Brook
Kidron and ground it to ashes, and threw its ashes on the graves
of the common people. Then he tore down the ritual booths of the
perverted persons that were in the house of the Lord, where the
women wove hangings for the wooden image. And he brought all the
priests from the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places
where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba;
also he broke down the high places at the gates which were at
the entrance of the Gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which
were to the left of the city gate. Nevertheless the priests of
the high places did not come up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem,
but they ate unleavened bread among their brethren. And he defiled
Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no
man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to
Molech.
Then he removed
the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at
the entrance to the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan-Melech,
the officer who was in the court; and he burned the chariots of
the sun with fire. The altars that were on the roof, the upper
chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars
which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the
Lord, the king broke down and pulverized there, and threw their
dust into the Brook Kidron. Then the king defiled the high places
that were east of Jerusalem, which were on the south of the Mount
of Corruption, which Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth
the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination
of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the people
of Ammon. And he broke in pieces the sacred pillars and cut down
the wooden images, and filled their places with the bones of men.
Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which
Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, both
that altar and the high place he broke down; and he burned the
high place and crushed it to powder, and burned the wooden image.
. . . Then the king commanded all the people, saying, ‘Keep
the Passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in this Book
of the Covenant.’ Such a Passover surely had never been held
since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the
days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah.
But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was held before the Lord in Jerusalem. Moreover Josiah put away those who consulted mediums and spiritists, the household gods and idols, all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord. Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him.” II Kings 22:8-23:15, 21-25.
Did you see how revival broke out? As the Word of God was found, read and applied to their lives! That is what God can do and will do as His Word is brought back to the people. If only pastors, church leaders, Christians would understand that and get back to the basics, get back to the Word of God!
VERSES 6-9
What is this all about? God was showing Israel that they could not accomplish this on their own; you can’t take care of the problem of sin. Thus, the tribe of Levi, the priests were to be the mediator for them until the Messiah would come and not just cover their sins for a time, but to take them away completely!
If you are living in rebellion against God tonight, like the children of Israel had done, the only solution is to return to Jesus, to stand before Him, repenting of your sins and He will forgive!
VERSES 10-11
Notice, they came back to His Word, they came through the priesthood, and now God tells them that it is time to move on! We come to God through His Word, and we come to Him through our High Priest, Jesus Christ. And as we do, we then can move forward in our walk with the Lord! You see, coming back to the Lord does not mean you remain stagnant, you must forge on, you must walk by faith. That is Paul’s point in Philippians 3:12-14, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
VERSES 12-14
God created the heavens and the earth, everything belongs to Him and thus, it just makes sense to obey Him. But what does the Lord require of us? There are several points here.
We are to fear the Lord, that reverential fear and if that is how you feel about the Lord, chances are you won’t disobey Him.
We are to walk in His ways. In other words, don’t turn to the left or the right, but keep your eyes upon the Lord as He leads you.
We are to love the Lord and folks, love is not a feeling, but it is an act of your will! You see, feelings change, but what you have purposed in your heart will stand strong, it will stand the test of time.
We are to serve the Lord with our entire being or as Paul said in Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” All that we do should be done unto the Lord and if it is not, then chances are we will give up, drop out, the work will stop!
We are to keep the commandments of God, not just know them. Yes, we need to know the truths of God found in the Word of God but then we must also apply those truths to our lives! If we love Him, we will obey Him.
Why did they need to do this? Moses tells us that it is for our own good! God is not some dictator using His power to do what He wants. He does these things because they are good for us. He does these things because they are beneficial to us! I may not always understand what God is doing, but I trust what He is doing, that it is for my good. In other words, FATHER KNOWS BEST!
VERSE 15
What a privilege to have God focused upon my life and thus, we need to obey just as Israel was called to do.
VERSE 16
The children of Israel were to circumcise all the male boys eight days after they were born. This was symbolic, for here we see Moses instruct them to circumcise their hearts, but why? Because when that hardness is cut away, the exposed tissue is more sensitive and the idea here is that they would be more sensitive to the Lord. Instead of having hard hearts, insensitive to the Lord, they would be open to His voice in their lives. Folks, only the Lord, through His Spirit can do that in our lives if we allow Him. That water of the Holy Spirit softens our hard hearts and makes us sensitive to the things of God!
VERSES 17-22
Don’t forget that God is great, He is awesome, He is righteous, He is fair and-so-on. And when we understand who God is, His character, it is easy to love Him and obey Him! All we have is from Him, all the blessings and thus, why not serve a God who loves you, saved you, is sustaining you and will one day take you to glory to be with Him! He truly is not only the object of our praise but He is worthy of all our praise!
VERSES 1-7
What does God desire of us? Not money! Not wealth! Not possessions! Simply, our LOVE! And here’s the thing. Real love, true love will be manifested in obedience to the Lord. In fact, in Hebrew the command to love the LORD, to love YAHWEH, means to choose Him for one’s most intimate relationship and then to express that choice in obedience to His revealed will! It is as Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
Also, Moses speaks to the generation who witnessed not only the blessings of God but also the chastening of God and thus, they need to remember these things. We tend to look back at what we have done and God tells us not to do that, don’t look back and think you have done this, but look back and see what He has done. And when we do we not only glorify the Lord, bring praise to Him, but we are encouraged to forge ahead.
VERSES 8-15
As they looked back and remembered all that God had done for them, it should give them courage to walk forward and enter the Land of promise. The land of Canaan would not be like Egypt was like. In Egypt, yes the land was fertile but they had to water the land by irrigation, using foot-driven pumps to bring water from the Nile River to flood their fields. God would water the land from above and it would be a land that was very fruitful!
The early rain fell in September/October and it was important to soften the ground for plowing and planting the seed. The latter rain came in March/April and it helped prepare the crops for harvesting. Today in Israel, since they have been back in the land, the early and latter rains have returned, after being gone for almost 2,000 years. Yes, they have reforested the land, but I believe God has brought them this rain as Joel 2:23-24 tells us, “Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the Lord your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you — The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.” And thus, God declares He is watching over the land of Israel, back then and even today, they are still His special people!
How does this relate to us as Christians? Many times churches, leaders try to artificially pump people up and that may work for a time, but it is something that won’t last and you will have to keep pumping them up! We need to pray for God’s Spirit to fall upon us and soften our hearts so as the seed of His Word falls upon our hearts, it will take root and grow! This work of God will last, it is not artificial, but supernatural!
VERSES 16-17
Prosperity can bring about apathy and idolatry as people turn away from God and this is not only a warning to Israel, but also to us! Just as God would shut up the rain from heaven for their disobedience, He can cause our lives to dry up as we turn from Him, as we quench what the Holy Spirit is trying to do in our lives. To keep our walk fresh, we need to depend upon the Lord and obey His Words to us!
VERSES 18-21
What were they to fill their lives with? The Word of God should fill their lives and not just information but application of the Word to their lives. They were also to teach these things to their children, they were to let their children see that their faith was real and that they walked what they said they believed! And the same is true for us; we need to treasure God’s Word in our lives. We need to fill our lives up with the Word of God and live what we say we believe!
It is as Paul said in Philippians 4:8-9, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”
VERSES 22-25
Once again we see love and obedience walking hand-in-hand. If you love the Lord you will obey Him! And God promises to give them victory in the battles they would face in the Promise Land. He tells them that no enemy would be able to stand against them. In fact, their enemies would fear them and that is exactly what we see as they enter the Promise Land. As two spies entered Jericho to check it out, they met up with Rahab and we are told in Joshua 2:8-11, “Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, and said to the men: ‘I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.’”
For us as Christians, we should feel the same. In fact, John tells us in I John 4:4, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” May we not forget that!
VERSES 26-28
For Israel, they had a choice, to obey the Lord and be blessed or to disobey the Lord and receive the curse, His chastening upon their lives! For us today, the curse of sin, the curse we deserve was placed upon Jesus as He hung on the cross of Calvary. Paul tells us in Galatians 3:10-14, “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.’ But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for ‘the just shall live by faith.’ Yet the law is not of faith, but ‘the man who does them shall live by them.’ Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” But please understand there are still consequences to our actions. We too have choices to make and we can either receive the blessings by obeying or receive the curse or consequences of our disobedience, the chastening of God upon our lives!
VERSES 29-32
These two mountains were located near Shechem with a small valley between them. In Deuteronomy chapters 27 and 28, we see Moses tell the children of Israel what they are to do when they enter the land. They are to take 12 leaders of the 12 tribes. Six of them were to stand on mount Gerizim, which was wooded, green and beautiful. The other six were to stand on mount Ebal, which was barren and rocky. From mount Gerizim they would call out the blessings for obedience and from mount Ebal the cursing for disobedience. And the people would gather in the valley of Shechem, and upon each pronouncement the people would shout "Amen!"
We see this played out when they are in the land, in Joshua
8:30-35, where we are told, “Now Joshua built an altar
to the Lord God of Israel in Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant
of the Lord had commanded the children of Israel, as it is written
in the Book of the Law of Moses: ‘an altar of whole stones
over which no man has wielded an iron tool.’ And they offered
on it burnt offerings to the Lord, and sacrificed peace offerings.
And there, in the presence of the children of Israel, he wrote
on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written.
Then all Israel, with their elders and officers and judges, stood
on either side of the ark before the priests, the Levites, who
bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the stranger as well
as he who was born among them. Half of them were in front of Mount
Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the
servant of the Lord had commanded before, that they should bless
the people of Israel. And afterward he read all the words of the
law, the blessings and the cursings, according to all that is
written in the Book of the Law.
There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them.”
On the altar of stones, Joshua copied the Law of Moses and after the cursing and blessings were given, Joshua read ALL the Law of Moses. After the incident at Ai, which was fresh in their minds, God was showing to them that there are consequences for obedience and consequences for disobedience.
The children of Israel were now in the heart of the Promised Land, Canaan, in route to defeat their enemies in the south and then towards the wilderness of the north, learning lessons from God along the way, and so are we!
VERSES 1-4
The warning and the command is for the children of Israel to destroy the pagan worship places, the idols when they enter into the Promise Land because if they don’t, it will draw them away from the true and living God. And that is exactly what happened, they didn’t fully obey the Lord and suffered the consequences. God wants His worship to be pure!
For us today, when we get saved, we need to remove those places of worship we once enjoyed, remove those idols because they too will be a snare in our lives. God wants us to worship Him fully, not half-heartedly. Paul saw how the Lord impacted the lives of the people of Thessalonica once they got saved and he tells us in I Thessalonians 1:8-10, “For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”
And there are many Scriptures warning us to stay away from idols, to flee from idolatry! Paul tells us in I Corinthians 5:11, “But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner — not even to eat with such a person.” In I Corinthians 10:14 Paul tells us, “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” Also, in I Corinthians 10:19-20 Paul said, “What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.” John also warns us in I John 5:21, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.”
And Paul’s warning to us of what this will do to us if we go after idols is found in Galatians 4:8-9, “But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?” I think the message is clear, flee from idols, don’t go back to them but worship the Lord with your whole life!
VERSES 5-9
God did not want them worshiping Him like the pagans worshiped their gods, on the high places, in the groves but He would pick out a place that He is to be worshiped, and it will be Jerusalem! When they entered the land the tabernacle was set up in Shiloh and then it was moved to Gilgal and eventually Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem!
Today in the church much of what we see that is called worship is man-centered, it is self-centered, it is experience driven. The worship tries to pump people up like they are at some kind of sporting event. But folks, worship is never about us, it is about the LORD! That is where our focus needs to be. Many leave a time of worship saying, “I feel great. That was great music!” Instead of coming before Almighty God and just praising Him and thanking Him for what He has done, enjoying being in His presence. You see, real worship is measured by how God was honored and worshiped and not how I feel! I like the way that Spurgeon put it. He wrote, “Singing should be congregational, but it should never be performed for the credit of the congregation. ‘Such remarkable singing! The place is quite renowned for its musical performances!’ This is a poor achievement. Our singing should be such that God hears it with pleasure - singing in which there is not so much art as heart, not so much of musical sound as of spiritual emotion.” That is what it is about folks, may we not forget that. Worship is about God and not us!
VERSES 10-14
For the children of Israel God has a specific place they were to worship Him and that would be in the Temple. It was a place of sacrifice, of worship, of rejoicing. There was great joy and celebration at the feast days. Folks, there should be joy as we come before the Lord!
The problem today is people don’t feel God has a place to worship Him by, but I disagree. I believe the church is the place where the brethren are to gather together and worship God. But 70% of people today feel that you should not attend church, you should not attend worship service out of a sense of duty but only if it “meets your needs.” In fact, 80% believe you can be a good Christian without attending church. I once again disagree. Paul reminds us in Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” If you don’t you are hurting the body of believers and you are disobeying the Lord. “Lighten up Joe, I can worship God on the golf course!” Yes you can, but again, I believe the local church is where the brethren are to gather to worship God as a body of believers.
And folks, when we come to church to worship the Lord we should be filled with joy! Paul reminds us in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” Keep in mind that Paul was in prison when he wrote that about rejoicing in the Lord! And in I Thessalonians 5:16 he wrote, “Rejoice always.” And as we have read here in Deuteronomy, we are not to come before God murmuring and complaining. Yes, there are those times that are difficult, I am not negating that. But for the most part, we had a fight with the wife, the kids were acting like demons this morning, I am mad at this person or whatever and we come to church like it is a funeral service and that is wrong!
Spurgeon put it like this, “All Christian duties should be done joyfully; but especially the work of praising the Lord. I have been in congregations where the tune was dolorous to the very last degree; where the time was so dreadfully slow that one wondered whether they would ever be able to sing through the 119 Psalm; whether, to use Watt’s expression, eternity would not be too short from them to get through it; and altogether, the spirit of the people has seemed to be so damp, so heavy, so dead, that we might have supposed that they were met to prepare their minds for a hanging rather than for blessing the ever-gracious God.” (Charles Spurgeon, Praise Thy God, O Zion). If you don’t feel like rejoicing in the Lord, you can’t bring yourself to do that, then do it out of His command because it is our duty to worship Him!
VERSES 15-28
Moses is instructing them not to follow the pagan practices. You see, almost every animal that was slaughtered was offered to one of the many pagan gods. But the Lord, through Moses, is telling them that not every animal that is slaughtered is sacrificed unto Him. You could eat the meant anywhere, not the blood because the life is in the blood. But if you were sacrificing to the Lord, you could not do it anywhere you wanted, God had a place that the sacrifices were to be made.
VERSES 29-32
The warning is simple, follow the Lord and don’t be lead astray with those pagan practices. Don’t let curiosity, sinful curiosity bring you into captivity!
Tragically the Canaanites would offer their children to the god Molech. They would heat up this bronze statue of this god and place their infants in the outstretched arms, the burning hot arms of this god and they would beat drums loudly to drown out the screams of these children! And the children of Israel did not heed this warning from God and they even practiced this child sacrifices to this god. Let me show you what I mean with a few verses.
At the least, Solomon sanctioned the worship of Molech, building a temple to this idol (1 Kings 11:7).
King Ahaz of Judah gave his own son to Molech (2 Kings 16:3).
One of the great crimes of the northern tribes of Israel was their worship of Molech, leading to the Assyrian captivity (2 Kings 17:17).
King Manasseh of Judah gave his son to Molech (2 Kings 21:6).
Up to the days of King Josiah of Judah, Molech worship continued, because he destroyed a place of worship to that idol (2 Kings 23:10).
Before we get too smug, over 50 million babies have been murdered in their mother’s womb to the god of pleasure and we call it abortion! It is time to wake up, to worship God as He desires, to destroy those idols and false worship places, those practices like we see happening in the emerging church, the seeker friendly church, the purpose driven church and others. What is the key? Look at verse 32 as we close this evening, “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.” May we hear the things of God, may we learn the things of God, may we keep the things of God, may we do the things of God for in doing so there is great joy and satisfaction as we live out our lives as a living sacrifice to the LORD!