Online Bible Audio/Readings Links (ESV)
6/8 Reading Portions: Deuteronomy 12; Psalms 97-98; Isaiah 40; Revelation 10
Deuteronomy 12:4
“You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way.”
LAW
As we’ve been reading Deuteronomy these past few weeks, and in a few devotionals, we’ve explored some aspects of the law and how we approach it by God’s grace, let’s consider another aspect of the Law of Moses as it relates to the Grace and Truth of Jesus Messiah— worship. The law says Israel must surely destroy all vestiges of idolatry from the Promised Land (Deut 12:2). Altars must be torn down, its pillars dashed to pieces and burned, and every carved image must be chopped down so that the names of those false gods are destroyed from out of the land (Deut 12:3). Israel was commanded not to worship YHVH God in the way those nations worshiped (Deut 12:4). In Galatians 3:24, the apostle tells us that the law was a “guardian” (ESV) or “schoolmaster to bring us to Christ” (KJV) —that is, a pedagogue from the Greek word. Literally, the law was a servant in the household that took the little child by the hand and walked him to a tutor. In other words, the law leads the child of faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. The root of idolatry lies in the worldly corruption of our mortal flesh. It is a spiritual matter. As an individual child of God, you and I must seize the areas of our lives where altars opposing Christ and His gospel have been established. With an army of prayers made to the Father in Jesus’ name, we must dash the pillars of these altars and high places to pieces, and bring them to the cross of Christ, where the fire of God’s wrath poured out upon Jesus for sin may burn these pillars down. Then we, ourselves, must be crucified with Christ as we live by faith in Jesus (Gal 2:20), in order to chop down these idols and false gods within, so that the Triune God may be worshiped truly and faithfully, seasoned with the salt of gospel grace. Hallelujah! What a Savior!
The Law is a temptation, too,
When we do not perceive,
We’re justified by Christ alone,
Else fleshly works deceive.