HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 542
D EU T ERO N O MY 1 3
26 “Take your sacred gifts and your offerings given to fulfill a vow to the place the Lord
chooses. 27 You must offer the meat and blood of
your burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord your
God. The blood of your other sacrifices must be
poured out on the altar of the Lord your God, but
you may eat the meat. 28 Be careful to obey all my
commands, so that all will go well with you and
your children after you, because you will be doing
what is good and pleasing to the Lord your God.
29 “When the Lord your God goes ahead of
you and destroys the nations and you drive
them out and live in their land, 30 do not fall
into the trap of following their customs and
worshiping their gods. Do not inquire about
their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations worship their gods? I want to follow their example.’
31 You must not worship the Lord your God the
way the other nations worship their gods, for
they perform for their gods every detestable act
that the Lord hates. They even burn their sons
and daughters as sacrifices to their gods.
32*“So be careful to obey all the commands I
give you. You must not add anything to them or
subtract anything from them.
A Warning against Idolatry
1*“Suppose there are prophets among
you or those who dream dreams about
the future, and they promise you signs or miracles, 2 and the predicted signs or miracles occur.
If they then say, ‘Come, let us worship other
gods’—gods you have not known before—3 do not
listen to them. The Lord your God is testing you
13
• Mercy & Grace
D E U T E R O NO MY 1 3 :1 7 -1 8
These verses make it clear that God’s
mercy is extended to those whose hearts
are sincere. The Israelites were headed for
a land that, much like our society today,
was infested with materialism, the craving
of creature comforts and “the good life.”
God is not interested in sharing his mercy
with those who simply need a quick fix
for the problems their sinful lifestyles have
created. Such people have no intention
of accepting God’s mercy as a new
lease on life; they are simply looking for
a way to save themselves from deserved
consequences.
God wants to show us abundant
mercy, but he is looking for those who will
gratefully accept it and allow it to change
the way they live. Do you want God’s
mercy as a quick fix or as a permanent
new way of life?
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to see if you truly love him with all your heart and
soul. 4 Serve only the Lord your God and fear him
alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice,
and cling to him. 5 The false prophets or visionaries who try to lead you astray must be put to
death, for they encourage rebellion against the
Lord your God, who redeemed you from slavery
and brought you out of the land of Egypt. Since
they try to lead you astray from the way the Lord
your God commanded you to live, you must put
them to death. In this way you will purge the evil
from among you.
6 “Suppose someone secretly entices you—
even your brother, your son or daughter, your
beloved wife, or your closest friend—and says,
‘Let us go worship other gods’—gods that neither
you nor your ancestors have known. 7 They might
suggest that you worship the gods of peoples
who live nearby or who come from the ends of
the earth. 8 But do not give in or listen. Have no
pity, and do not spare or protect them. 9 You must
put them to death! Strike the first blow yourself,
and then all the people must join in. 10 Stone the
guilty ones to death because they have tried to
draw you away from the Lord your God, who
rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of
slavery. 11 Then all Israel will hear about it and
be afraid, and no one will act so wickedly again.
12 “When you begin living in the towns the
Lord your God is giving you, you may hear
13 that scoundrels among you are leading their
fellow citizens astray by saying, ‘Let us go worship other gods’—gods you have not known
before. 14 In such cases, you must examine the
facts carefully. If you find that the report is true
and such a detestable act has been committed
among you, 15 you must attack that town and
completely destroy* all its inhabitants, as well
as all the livestock. 16 Then you must pile all the
plunder in the middle of the open square and
burn it. Burn the entire town as a burnt offering
to the Lord your God. That town must remain
a ruin forever; it may never be rebuilt. 17 Keep
none of the plunder that has been set apart for
destruction. Then the Lord will turn from his
fierce anger and be merciful to you. He will have
compassion on you and make you a large nation, just as he swore to your ancestors.
18 “The Lord your God will be merciful only
if you listen to his voice and keep all his commands that I am giving you today, doing what
pleases him.
Ceremonially Clean and Unclean Animals
“Since you are the people of the Lord
your God, never cut yourselves or shave
the hair above your foreheads in mourning for the
14
12:32 Verse 12:32 is numbered 13:1 in Hebrew text. 13:1 Verses
13:1-18 are numbered 13:2-19 in Hebrew text. 13:15 The Hebrew
term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or
people to the Lord, either by destroying them or by giving them
as an offering; similarly in 13:17.