Oct 6

Written by: Russell
Thursday, October 06, 2011 8:16 AM 

Deuteronomy 13

In this chapter the Lord deals with apostasy. The turning away from the one God given faith. What is significant here is 1) The thoroughness of the dealing with the apostate person /s; 2) The fact that the apostate may even be able to perform a supernatural sign to support his / her apostasy. Here Satan is using the age old desire of the Israeli for a miraculous sign to prove that a certain thing is of the Lord. And the test is not whether there is a miraculous sign or wonder (miracle) or not, but whether the thing can be tested by the clear teaching of God's Word or not.

In this particular instance, the apostate was striving to turn Israelis from following the Lord. Now, that even a child in Sunday School would know is wrong. But many adults who have neglected the study of the Scriptures would follow that one who has performed a miracle (whether real or fraudulent) simply because of the miracle.

Not knowing the Scriptures can be likened to placing a toddler in a room filled with sweets. Some of them being poisoned, and labelled as such. The parents of that child would have a heart attack. They know that there is nothing preventing that toddler from taking a poisoned sweet. The toddler cannot tell the difference between the poisoned and the non-poisoned sweet.

Today the average person is a spiritual toddler. They have no discernment whatsoever. They are swayed by personality, an agreeable church atmosphere, by what their carnal flesh prefers. And there are abundant 'churches' using such means to attract those that are spiritually dead, or at best spiritual toddlers.

The Lord's provision in this spiritually precarious world is two-fold:

1. The Bible. The Lord has given us the Bible to be a physical revelation of that which is real, that which is true. He has promised to preserve that revelation (Matthew 24:35).

2. The Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14). i.e. The Lord Himself is striving to show us the way. He uses the Bible to open our eyes to that which is real and true. He uses others that He has opened those truths to, together with the Bible, to lead others to that which is real and true.

Each individual starts out spiritual dead and ignorant. And depending on whether or not they allow themselves to be led by the Holy Spirit. As He attempts to lead them to know and understand what He says is real and true. Will depend on whether their minds are opened to God's truths or not.

Scriptures Referred To Above:

Mat 24:35   Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Deu 13:1-18
1  If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
2  And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
3  Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
4  Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
5  And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.
6  If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;
7  Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth;
8  Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him:
9  But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.
10  And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
11  And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you.
12  If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities, which the LORD thy God hath given thee to dwell there, saying,
13  Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known;
14  Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you;
15  Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword.
16  And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the LORD thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again.
17  And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers;
18  When thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD thy God.

Deuteronomy 13

In this chapter the Lord deals with apostasy. The turning away from the one God given faith. What is significant here is 1) The thoroughness of the dealing with the apostate person /s; 2) The fact that the apostate may even be able to perform a supernatural sign to support his / her apostasy. Here Satan is using the age old desire of the Israeli for a miraculous sign to prove that a certain thing is of the Lord. And the test is not whether there is a miraculous sign or wonder (miracle) or not, but whether the thing can be tested by the clear teaching of God's Word or not.

In this particular instance, the apostate was striving to turn Israelis from following the Lord. Now, that even a child in Sunday School would know is wrong. But many adults who have neglected the study of the Scriptures would follow that one who has performed a miracle (whether real or fraudulent) simply because of the miracle.

Not knowing the Scriptures can be likened to placing a toddler in a room filled with sweets. Some of them being poisoned, and labelled as such. The parents of that child would have a heart attack. They know that there is nothing preventing that toddler from taking a poisoned sweet. The toddler cannot tell the difference between the poisoned and the non-poisoned sweet.

Today the average person is a spiritual toddler. They have no discernment whatsoever. They are swayed by personality, an agreeable church atmosphere, by what their carnal flesh prefers. And there are abundant 'churches' using such means to attract those that are spiritually dead, or at best spiritual toddlers.

The Lord's provision in this spiritually precarious world is two-fold:

1. The Bible. The Lord has given us the Bible to be a physical revelation of that which is real, that which is true. He has promised to preserve that revelation (Matthew 24:35).

2. The Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14). i.e. The Lord Himself is striving to show us the way. He uses the Bible to open our eyes to that which is real and true. He uses others that He has opened those truths to, together with the Bible, to lead others to that which is real and true.

Each individual starts out spiritual dead and ignorant. And depending on whether or not they allow themselves to be led by the Holy Spirit. As He attempts to lead them to know and understand what He says is real and true. Will depend on whether their minds are opened to God's truths or not.

Scriptures Referred To Above:

Mat 24:35   Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Deu 13:1-18
1  If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
2  And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
3  Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
4  Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
5  And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.
6  If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;
7  Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth;
8  Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him:
9  But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.
10  And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
11  And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you.
12  If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities, which the LORD thy God hath given thee to dwell there, saying,
13  Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known;
14  Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you;
15  Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword.
16  And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the LORD thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again.
17  And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers;
18  When thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD thy God.