Deuteronomy 18-22; life for the nation of Israel would be quite different than living in the Wilderness or Egypt. God was giving Israel the Promised Land, all they needed to do was live as the people of Yahweh; the many warnings were not heeded and Israel became prisoners in their own land.
After learning how to observe holidays and festivals, Moses reiterates the requirements for life in the Canaan land and the temptation to become like the inhabitants. God had chosen Israel to be His people, they and we are called to be “a peculiar people.” I have said this in sermons before – peculiar not weird. But then again I guess Believers are a bit weird.
When we take a close look at the kind of people living in the Promised Land, we find that every sort of cultic practice was acceptable and being routinely done. Even today, in our global culture we find many if not all of these spiritual, cult expressions having taken root in our lives to the extent we do not even think about their assistance or impact on daily life. God calls the “detestable things.” But when people are forbidden to do something, it seems there is this insatiable appetite to do that brewery prohibited thing. While we might try to discount or excuse the behaviors and actions as just the world being the world; if we look deeper at the root of the behavior, we will find that they are “spiritual” forces of darkness at work [Ephesians 6:10-18]. Believers must remember that “Lucifer, Satan, the Father of lies and the prince and power of the air is real and seeks to “steal, kill, and destroy.” [John 10:10a]
The list of forbidden behavior in the Promise Land by Israel – divination, omens, casting spells, mediums, spiritist, calling up the dead, witchcraft and sorcery. Quite a list of evil behavior. I have to admit it is a very “dark” list of topics. Now let us remember that because of Canaanites living in such a manner, they were being annihilated. We also must remember the testimony of Rahab in Joshua 2, the people knew that Yahweh was God. They lived in fear for 40 years of the Israelite’s, for they knew that God had given them the land. However, Israel lived in faithlessness for 40 years, never living in the Promise of God. My point, the tribes of Canaanites, Hivities, Jebusites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites were warned to “move out” but they remained in the Land God had promised. Te list of actions and spiritual cult behavior is the reason the tribes of Canaan was being evicted and destroyed. As Romans 1 tells us, even though they knew God, they refused to worship God as God; so God gave them over to the futility of their minds. There was nothing good about the depraved tribes and their sensuality of religions. Moses brings a strong warning not to get involved with the people and their cultic practices. Yeah i know Israel doesn’t listen. Sadly, neither do we today. A question we must ask is why are we looking around for “other gods” when we have the Great I AM who has done all things for our holiness and salvation? Why, because we are a fleshly and sensual people. My generation coined the phrase – “if it feels good do it.” Sad to say most of mankind leans this way of life.
Life in the Promised Land was built on obedience to the Law given to Moses. Instructions of how to handle civil crimes; creating “sanctuary cities” for the manslaughter killings. We find that Moses really is describing the civil government to be established in the Promised Land with Judges and courts. In chapters 19-22 we have explicit instructions of how to live in the new land.
When thinking about living “In the world, but not of the world,” we need to remember that while we live and have our being here for a time; we are only passing through. We are to be as pilgrims on a journey, our journey end at the throne of God who is the builder and protector is God. I do think today we [believers] have become too acquainted with how the World lives, that we have forgot who we are suppose to be. The adage “there is more world in the church, then church in the world” rings oh so true. This should not be. Will we be courageous to live like people of God or like people in the Word. The World is passing away – let’s hold on to the things of the world with a lose grip, and be the peculiar people – salt and light in the Land we live.
preachbetweenthelines 