Today’s passage: Deuteronomy 13
Helpful thoughts:
- Moses gives Israel instructions concerning people who would lead Israel to worship false gods.
- False prophets would test Israel. They were to be punished by death.
- Close family and friends would be so difficult to turn down. And they would be so emotionally difficult to convict and punish. They were to be punished by death.
- An entire city/village who followed the teaching of false prophets or the encouragement of “worthless fellows” would be strategically difficult to convict and punish. They were to be punished to death (Not just the people, but the entire infrastructure of the city).
- The Lord, He is God (1 Kings 18:38-40). We are to have no other Gods (Deuteronomy 5:7).
- Remember, we do not live in Old Testament Israel and Deuteronomy 13 is not the law of our land. It was the law for Israel under the Old Covenant.
Questions to consider:
- How is the balance of the providence of God and the responsibility of man displayed in verse 3? Even though God allowed Israel to be tested, what was still true of the false prophets’ desires and actions?
- How difficult would it have been to report, convict and execute in all the ways prescribed in this chapter (Even your wife, children, best friend, etc.)? How significant then must this command be? How destructive must idolatry be for a loving God to command such weighty measures to preserve the purity of His people under the Old Covenant?
- Who are the gods of the culture you live in? In what ways do the culture and modern day “false prophets” and “worthless fellows” entice us to follow those false gods? How can we keep our eyes turned to Jesus and worship Him alone?