Grasp the Gospel — Bible Comprehension Quizzes

Deuteronomy 12 Devotional

Worship on God's Terms

“There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your households shall eat and rejoice in all you do, because the LORD your God has blessed you.”Deuteronomy 12:7 (BSB)

Before Israel settles in the land, God tells them how not to worship. They are to tear down every Canaanite shrine on the hills and under the green trees, and not to worship the LORD in that way (12:2-4). The nations even burned their own children for their gods (12:31). Instead, Israel must bring their offerings to the one place the LORD will choose for his name (12:5). Worship is not left to each person's preference (12:8); God decides how he is approached.

Yet the chapter is full of joy. At that place, families, servants, and Levites are to eat in God's presence and rejoice in all he has blessed (12:7, 12, 18). The God who sets the terms of worship does it so that his people can feast with him. Jesus later told a Samaritan woman that a time was coming when true worshipers would worship the Father in spirit and truth, not on one mountain or in one city (John 4:21-23). You can come to worship expecting to rejoice.

To think about: Do you come to worship expecting to receive God's welcome and rejoice, or mainly as a duty to get through?

About Deuteronomy 12: The Place the Lord Will Choose

Israel must destroy every Canaanite place of worship and bring their offerings only to the place the Lord will choose for his name, rejoicing there with their households and the Levites. They may eat meat in their towns but must not eat blood or copy the nations' worship.

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