Deuteronomy 12:1 "These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth." (Read verses 1-4)
Rules! Why do we have to have rules?!? As children, we could not
wait to get out from under the "rule" of our parents. We couldn't
wait until we were "grown up" and did not have to live by
"rules". Who needs rules anyway, right? Well, we all learn as
we "grow up" that rules are absolutely necessary. There was a time
when there was no rule in the nation of Israel. We read in Judges 21:25,
"In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was
right in his own eyes." That sounds so nice, but there is a problem
with that logic. The wise man Solomon was inspired of God to tell us, "The
way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is
wise." When we are left to our own devices, or our own way, we do
foolish things, but there is wisdom in the counsel (instructions, statutes,
judgments) of the Lord.
These are the instructions of the Lord for Israel when they were going into the
Promised Land. First, they were to destroy all the places where the nations had
worshiped and served their gods. They were to search the land on the mountains,
the hills, and under every tree to make sure they found all of these places.
Second, they were to overthrow their altars. There could be no place left for
sacrifice to a false idol. Then they were to break down the pillars, or statues
of their gods. They were not to leave any place for false worship to take
place. Usually this worship occurred within a grove of trees. Those places were
to be burned. They were to completely eradicate the very name of their idols
from that place.
Why was that necessary? God understands the flesh of man. He understands
the tendency of His people to be easily swayed from true worship into a false
worship of idols. We all might read that and say, "That could never
happen to me." Yet, the truth of the matter is that we can easily lean
upon the gods of this world and place our dependency upon that. There are many
things which the mind can set up as an idol in our lives. We can even have the
idol of ourselves and our own thoughts to become that solid "pillar"
that we will not release.
God told the people, "Leave no evidence of false worship behind."
Leave nothing for their children to later ask, "What is this?"
Even that very question could open the door of their minds. They were to
completely "destroy the names of their gods" out of the land. But
then He added, "Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God."
(Deuteronomy 12:4) To the contrary of destroying the name of God, they
were to set up a memorial after they crossed the Jordan River for their
children to later ask, "What means these stones?" That was to
open the door for them to teach their children about the Lord God bringing them
out of captivity into the great land of Promise.
As I contemplate these verses, I am brought to the point of searching my own
heart to see if I have set up pillars in my life to the idols of the world. Or,
do I have a memorial unto the Lord and all that He has done for me. I do
need rules (the counsel of the Lord) in my life that I might walk in the paths
of my Lord.