Deuteronomy 12:31

31._Thou shalt not do so. _From these words we may gather what it is not to make to one’s self the gods of others, viz., to bid farewell to all the inventions of men, and to pay attention to this one thing — what God commands. For why does God desire to be worshipped by His elect people, otherwise than the nations were in the habit of serving their gods, except because there ought to be a notable distinction, so that religion may not be confused? And surely unless men cleave to God’s word, so as resolutely to determine that nothing else is permitted to them except what is there taught, they will not only be vacillating, but. they will receive indiscriminately whatever comes in their way. We must then hold fast to this, “Thou shalt not do so;” and our minds must be restrained by this curb, lest any superstition which may defile the service of God should insinuate or establish itself. He a...

5-32 The command to bring ALL the sacrifices to the door of the tabernacle, was now explained with reference to the promised land. As to moral service, then, as now, men might pray and worship every where, as they did in their synagogues. The place which God would choose, is said to be the place where he would put his name. It was to be his habitation, where, as King of Israel, he would be found by all who reverently sought him. Now, under the gospel, we have no temple or altar that sanctifies the gift but Christ only: and as to the places of worship, the prophets foretold that in every place the spiritual incense should be offered, Malachi 1:11. Our Saviour declared, that those are accepted as true worshippers, who worship God in sincerity and truth, without regard either to this mountain or Jerusalem, John 4:21. And a...

Verse Deuteronomy 12:31. _THEIR SONS AND THEIR DAUGHTERS THEY HAVE BURNT IN THE_ _FIRE_] Almost all the nations in the world agreed in offering human victims to their gods on extraordinary occasions, by which it is evident that none of those nations had any right notion of the Divine nature. How necessary, then, was the volume of revelation, to teach men what that religion is with which God can be well pleased! The _Hindoos_ to this day offer human victims to their goddess _Cali_, and at the temple of _Jaggernaut_; and yet, notwithstanding this, there are found certain persons who, while they profess Christianity, are absolutely unwilling to send the Hindoos the Gospel of Christ, because they think it would not be _politically_ wise! But the wisdom of this world has ever been foolishness with God; and in spite of all this infidel poli...

EXPOSITION ANNOUNCEMENT OF PARTICULAR LAWS. CHAPTERS 12-26. Moses, having in his first address cast a glance at the events which had transpired between Sinai and the plains of Moab, and in his second recapitulated what had happened at Sinai, repeated the Decalogue, and urgently counseled the people to be obedient to the Divine commandment, and steadfast in their adherence to Jehovah as their God and King; proceeds now to set forth certain laws which it specially behooved them to observe. These are for the most part the same as those already recorded in the previous books; but a few are new, and are to be found only here. No special order or plan of exposition is here observed; the speaker uses that freedom of discourse which was fitting in a popular address. One or two historical narratives are interpolated; but the address as a whole is hortatory, and is designed to dir

THOU SHALT NOT DO SO UNTO THE LORD THY GOD,.... Not serve and worship him after the manner of the Gentiles, nor introduce their rites and customs into his service, used by them in the worship of their gods: FOR EVERY ABOMINATION WHICH HE HATETH HAVE THEY DONE UNTO THEIR GODS; as murder, adultery, c. which God has expressed his aversion to, and indignation at one instance of the former sort is given here: FOR EVEN THEIR SONS AND THEIR DAUGHTERS THEY HAVE BURNT IN THE FIRE TO THEIR GODS; not only men have they sacrificed to them, but such near relations; and not only caused them to pass through the fire, but burnt them in it; so the Carthaginians are said to do, who learned this inhuman practice from the Phoenicians; they were a colony of the inhabitants of this land of Canaan. Of the Phoenicians Porphyry says i, that in great calamities, as war or pestilence, they sacrificed to Saturn s...

8. THE PLACE OF WORSHIP CHAPTER 12 _ 1. The overthrow of false worship (Deuteronomy 12:1)_ 2. The true place of worship (Deuteronomy 12:5) 3. Concerning eating and the blood (Deuteronomy 12:15) 4. Warning against the abominations of idolatry (Deuteronomy 12:29) The law, and love as the fulfilment of that law, was the main subject of the words of Moses up to the close of the eleventh chapter. The Chapter s which follow also contain expositions of the different statutes, as well as exhortations to obedience and warnings against departure from Jehovah. How s

BURNT. burnt up. See App-43....

Transition to the Laws in 13 (and those in Deuteronomy 16:21 to Deuteronomy 17:7) When settled in W. Palestine Israel shall not inquire into the manner of the worship of the local deities, and so be enticed to imitate it in the worship of their own God, for the Canaanites in their worship practise every abomination to Jehovah: they even burn their children to the gods. Here we meet one of the greater difficulties raised by the order of the laws in the code. For unless this short passage be merely one of the many exhortations, which, like a chorus, break in upon both the narratives and the laws of D, it is meant as an introduction to the laws against seducers to idolatry, which follow in ch. 13. Yet, as such, it is abrupt and incomplete;...

_VER._ 31. _THEIR SONS AND THEIR DAUGHTERS THEY HAVE BURNT,_ &C.— To what we have said of this horrid custom on Leviticus 20:1; Leviticus 20:27 we shall only add, that it was notoriously practised by the Carthaginians, who, it is certain, derived it from the Phoenicians, the ancient inhabitants of Canaan; and at last it overspread all nations, and prevailed even among the refined Greeks themselves. See Banier's Mythol. book 3: ch. 10. But what is more surprising, we find the Israelites themselves, notwithstanding this admonition, seduced to commit the same abomination; Psalms 106:37. Ezekiel 37:28. Dr. Chandle

LESSON TEN DEUTERONOMY 12:29 TO DEUTERONOMY 13:18; DEUTERONOMY 17:2-13 2. ONE GOD: DEATH PENALTIES FOR APOSTASY (Deuteronomy 12:29 to Deuteronomy 13:18; Deuteronomy 17:2-13) 29 When Jehovah thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest in to dispossess them, and thou dispossessest them, and dwellest in their land; 30 take heed to thyself that thou be not ensnared