DO NOT WORSHIP OTHER GODS

Passage: Deuteronomy 12:29-13:18

Key verse: 4

NIV

29 The Lord your God will cut off(A) before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in their land,(B) 30 and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnared(C) by inquiring about their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.”(D) 31 You must not worship the Lord your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the Lord hates.(E) They even burn their sons(F) and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.(G)

32 See that you do all I command you; do not add(H) to it or take away from it.[a]

Worshiping Other Gods

13 [b]If a prophet,(I) or one who foretells by dreams,(J) appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, 2 and if the sign(K) or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, “Let us follow other gods”(L) (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” 3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet(M) or dreamer.(N) The Lord your God is testing(O) you to find out whether you love(P) him with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 It is the Lord your God you must follow,(Q) and him you must revere.(R) Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast(S) to him. 5 That prophet or dreamer must be put to death(T) for inciting rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. That prophet or dreamer tried to turn(U) you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil(V) from among you.

6 If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices(W) you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods”(X) (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, 7 gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), 8 do not yield(Y) to them or listen to them. Show them no pity.(Z) Do not spare them or shield them. 9 You must certainly put them to death.(AA) Your hand(AB) must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. 10 Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away(AC) from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 11 Then all Israel will hear and be afraid,(AD) and no one among you will do such an evil thing again.

12 If you hear it said about one of the towns the Lord your God is giving you to live in 13 that troublemakers(AE) have arisen among you and have led the people of their town astray, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods you have not known), 14 then you must inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly.(AF) And if it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done among you,(AG) 15 you must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. You must destroy it completely,[c](AH) both its people and its livestock.(AI) 16 You are to gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town(AJ) and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God.(AK) That town is to remain a ruin(AL) forever, never to be rebuilt, 17 and none of the condemned things[d] are to be found in your hands. Then the Lord will turn from his fierce anger,(AM) will show you mercy,(AN) and will have compassion(AO) on you. He will increase your numbers,(AP) as he promised(AQ) on oath to your ancestors— 18 because you obey the Lord your God by keeping all his commands that I am giving you today and doing what is right(AR) in his eyes.

Footnotes
  1. Deuteronomy 12:32 In Hebrew texts this verse (12:32) is numbered 13:1.
  2. Deuteronomy 13:1 In Hebrew texts 13:1-18 is numbered 13:2-19.
  3. Deuteronomy 13:15 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  4. Deuteronomy 13:17 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Warning Against Idolatry

29 “When (A)the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, 30 take care (B)that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’ 31 (C)You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every (D)abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for (E)they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.

32 [a] “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. (F)You shall not add to it or take from it.

13 “If a prophet or (G)a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and (H)the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God (I)is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall (J)walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and (K)hold fast to him. 5 But (L)that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. (M)So you shall purge the evil[b] from your midst.

6 (N)“If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or (O)the wife you embrace[c] or your friend (P)who is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ (Q)which neither you nor your fathers have known, 7 some (R)of the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other, 8 you shall (S)not yield to him or listen to him, nor (T)shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him. 9 But you shall kill him. (U)Your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. 10 (V)You shall stone him to death with stones, because he sought to draw you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 11 And (W)all Israel shall hear and fear and never again do any such wickedness as this among you.

12 “If you hear in one of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you to dwell there, 13 that certain (X)worthless fellows have gone out among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known, 14 then you shall inquire and make search and ask (Y)diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you, 15 you shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, devoting it to destruction,[d] all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword. 16 You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its open square and (Z)burn the city and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It shall be a (AA)heap forever. It shall not be built again. 17 (AB)None of the devoted things shall stick to your hand, (AC)that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of his anger and show you mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you, (AD)as he swore to your fathers, 18 if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, (AE)keeping all his commandments that I am commanding you today, and doing what is right in the sight of the Lord your God.

Footnotes
  1. Deuteronomy 12:32 Ch 13:1 in Hebrew
  2. Deuteronomy 13:5 Or evil person
  3. Deuteronomy 13:6 Hebrew the wife of your bosom
  4. Deuteronomy 13:15 That is, setting apart (devoting) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

1. It is the LORD you must follow (12:29-13:5)

The LORD promised to bless his people, driving out nations and giving them the land he had promised. He knew they would be tempted to become like the nations they drove out, worshipping their gods and living in their way. But they must follow the LORD's commands and obey him only. Even if a prophet arose advocating something other than the word of God, they should not follow such a prophet. They should rather purge such evil from among them, clinging to God and his word only.

2. Because you obey the LORD (6-18)

Those who worship other gods invite God's wrath on themselves. The penalty for rejecting the LORD was death. There is no life apart from God. When God's people repented and obeyed him, purging the evil from among them, then the LORD would turn and bless them. Then his people would live under his compassion and mercy. Then they would again be blessed in abundance. When they follow the commands of the LORD, then they worship him only.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for giving us your commands. Bless us to be God worshipping people who follow your word only.

One Word: Worship God and obey his word