Moses now begins his third sermon in which the Lord commands Israel to destroy all the places of pagan worship, Deuteronomy 12:1-2 / Deuteronomy 11:16-17.
The reason for this was to keep them from being deceived and turning away from the Lord to serve the gods of Canaan, Deuteronomy 12:29-31 / Exodus 20:24. If they did turn away from the Lord, they would be on the receiving end of the Lord’s anger.
This destroying of the pagan gods also included destroying all their altars, which could be found in the high mountains, hills, and under the green trees, Deuteronomy 12:3 / Deuteronomy 7:5.
The Canaanites thought that they were closer to their god on high mountains and hills, hence, why they set their places of worship in high places, Deuteronomy 12:3. The Canaanites also created plantations of trees as places of worship, Romans 1:25.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘In various instances, the names of whole mountains, valleys, and districts were borrowed from the gods worshipped there.’
Sadly, the Israelites didn’t totally destroy these tree plantations when they entered the land, and so, they became a snare to Israel, Jeremiah 2:20 / Ezekiel 18:6 / Hosea 4:13.
They are commanded to burn and cut them to down the ground and they were to also totally destroy the names of these pagan gods out of the land, Deuteronomy 12:3.
The reason for destroying the names of these gods, was simply so that they could establish the Name of the Lord in Canaan. Israel wasn’t to worship God in the way the Canaanites worshipped their gods, Deuteronomy 12:4; that is, Israel wasn’t to build shrines, plant trees, or make idols in reference to their worship of God.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The religion of the Canaanites was human; its modes of worship were of man’s devising. It fixed its holy places on the hills in the vain thought of being nearer heaven, or in deep groves where the silence and gloom might overawe the worshipper. But such superstitious appliances were not worthy of the true religion. God had revealed Himself to people in it and manifested among them His immediate presence and power. He would Himself assign the sanctuary and the ritual of His own service.’
Notice that while the Canaanite gods were scattered everywhere, the Lord, however, would be worshipped and served at one location of the Lord’s choosing, Deuteronomy 12:5 / Deuteronomy 12:11 / Deuteronomy 12:14 / Deuteronomy 12:18 / Deuteronomy 12:21 / Deuteronomy 12:26 / John 4:24.
Some commentators believe that this one place was to be a permanent place, that is, Jerusalem; however, notice that the one place isn’t mentioned. The place was probably revealed and announced once a year by God to be in the area of a different tribe. Every year, the place would be moved, to show no favouritism among the tribes, Deuteronomy 12:5 / Deuteronomy 12:14.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘How could any people have followed the moveable tabernacle for forty years, giving the demonstration that God’s name had been recorded in at least the ‘forty-two stations’ of the wilderness wanderings! Moreover, there is the strongest statement in Exodus 20:24 on this subject, ‘In every place where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.’ The obvious meaning of ‘the place’ in this passage is ‘any place.’
In the location of God’s chooses, Israel are to bring their burnt offerings and sacrifices, tithes and special gifts, what they have vowed to give and their freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks, Deuteronomy 12:6.
In the presence of God, they and their families shall eat and rejoice in everything they have put their hand to, because God has blessed them, Deuteronomy 12:7. God once again tells Israel of the great blessings of Canaan, it’s the land flowing with milk and honey, and it will be Israel’s inheritance, and Israel will experience peace from their enemies, Deuteronomy 12:8-10.
Moses, once again, reminds Israel that God would choose a place ‘as a dwelling for his Name’, Deuteronomy 12:11 / Deuteronomy 12:5 / Deuteronomy 12:14 / Deuteronomy 12:18 / Deuteronomy 12:21 / Deuteronomy 12:26 / John 4:24.
God enabled Israel to eat the good of the land in their homelands, however, when they made vows or offerings of thanksgiving to the Lord they were to eat it before Him in the one place of God’s choosing, Deuteronomy 12:11. In other words, all the acts of worship done by Israel were to be done at the one place for the one God.
When Israel came together for worship, it would be a time of great rejoicing, but notice, that the rejoicing is actually commanded, Deuteronomy 12:12 / Deuteronomy 12:18. The New Testament commands exactly the same for Christians, Philippians 4:4 / Thessalonians 5:16.
Moses reminds Israel not to forget the Levites in that they had no inheritance of land, Deuteronomy 12:12 / Deuteronomy 12:19, and so because they had no inheritance, they were dependent upon the offerings of the people for food as they labour at the tabernacle.
And once again, Israel is warned not to make sacrifices to the Lord God in places other than ‘the place the LORD will choose in one of your tribes,’ Deuteronomy 12:13-14 / Deuteronomy 12:5 / Deuteronomy 12:11 / Deuteronomy 12:18 / Deuteronomy 12:21 / Deuteronomy 12:26 / John 4:24.
Israel may slaughter their animals in any of their towns and eat as much of the meat as they want, as if it were gazelle or deer, according to the blessing the LORD your God gives them, Deuteronomy 12:15. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it, Deuteronomy 12:15.
However, Israel must not eat the blood or pour it out on the ground like water, Deuteronomy 12:16. They mustn’t eat in their own towns the tithe of their grain and new wine and olive oil, or the firstborn of their herds and flocks, or whatever they have vowed to give, or their freewill offerings or special gifts, Deuteronomy 12:17.
Instead, Israel are to eat them in the presence of God at the place the LORD your God will choose, Deuteronomy 12:18 / Deuteronomy 12:5 / Deuteronomy 12:11 / Deuteronomy 12:14 / Deuteronomy 12:21 / Deuteronomy 12:26 / John 4:24.
Everyone, including their sons and daughters, male and female servants, and the Levites from their towns are commanded to rejoice before God in everything you put their hand to, Deuteronomy 12:18 / Deuteronomy 12:12 / Philippians 4:4 / 1 Thessalonians 5:16.
What appears to be implied here is an annual gathering together of all the tribes to demonstrate their unity, a time when they can all come together to offer their sacrifices to the Lord as one. The men of the nation were to appear there three times a year at the Passover, Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles, Exodus 23:14-17 / Exodus 34:18-23.
Israel is to be careful not to neglect the Levites as long as they live in their land, Deuteronomy 12:19 / Deuteronomy 12:12. When God has enlarged their territory as promised, and they crave meat and say, they would like some meat, then they may eat as much of it as they want, Deuteronomy 12:20.
All that God was commanding was the place where the offerings were to take place, not the construction of a facility, such as a temple. Since the tabernacle was to be a mobile sanctuary that could and would be moved among the tribal territories in order to maintain the work of the priests among all the tribes, no official permanent sanctuary was to be built.
Notice again, Moses alludes to the ‘the place where the LORD your God chooses to put his Name’, Deuteronomy 12:21 / Deuteronomy 12:5 / Deuteronomy 12:11 / Deuteronomy 12:14 / Deuteronomy 12:18 / Deuteronomy 12:26 / John 4:24.
Notice also, that God uses the word, ‘if’, Deuteronomy 12:21, which implies that the establishment of the place would be different on each occasion it was established, Deuteronomy 14:24.
If the place for the annual offerings was in the tribal area of an extreme southern or northern area, then they could kill and eat their offerings at the gates of villages near to them, Deuteronomy 12:21 / Leviticus 17:3.
Israel may eat the slaughtered animals as they would a gazelle or deer, they may eat both the ceremonially unclean and the clean Deuteronomy 12:22. However, they are not permitted to eat the blood, because the blood is the life, Leviticus 17:11, and they must not eat the life with the meat, Deuteronomy 12:23.
They mustn’t eat the blood but pour it out on the ground like water, Deuteronomy 12:24. They mustn’t eat the blood if they want things to go well with them and their children because they will be doing what is right in God’s eyes, Deuteronomy 12:25.
Notice again, Moses alludes to the ‘the place where the LORD your God chooses’, Deuteronomy 12:26 / Deuteronomy 12:21 / Deuteronomy 12:5 / Deuteronomy 12:11 / Deuteronomy 12:14 / Deuteronomy 12:18 / John 4:24.
Israel are to present their burnt offerings on the altar of God, both the meat and the blood, Deuteronomy 12:27. The blood of their sacrifices must be poured beside the altar of God, but they may eat the meat, Deuteronomy 12:27.
God’s people were to be a distinctive and holy people, Deuteronomy 7:6, and they must hear and obey God’s will only. They weren’t to submit to their own will or the will of the Canaanites, hence why Moses warns them to ‘be careful’, Deuteronomy 12:28 / Deuteronomy 11:16, they can’t worship God as the Canaanites worshipped their gods, Deuteronomy 12:29 / 1 Kings 20:23 / 2 Kings 17:26 / John 4:24.
Moses points out one big difference between the way the Israelites are to worship and the way the Canaanites worshipped, Deuteronomy 12:30-31, that is, the Canaanites had no problem sacrificing their own children in fire to their supposed deities; this particular god was named Molech, Deuteronomy 12:31 / Leviticus 18:21 / Deuteronomy 18:10 / Jeremiah 32:35.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘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!’
Sadly, Israel in the future would now only worship this god called Molech, but they would also promote the worship of this god. Solomon indorsed the worship of Molech by building a temple to this idol, 1 Kings 11:7.
King Ahaz sacrificed his own son to Molech, 2 Kings 16:3. The northern tribes of Israel worshipped Molech, 2 Kings 17:17, King Manasseh sacrificed his son to Molech, 2 Kings 21:6. Molech worship continued right up until King Josiah destroyed the idol, 2 Kings 23:10.
This act was an abomination to God, and so, Moses commands Israel that they should do everything God has commanded; they should not add or take away anything from God’s commands, Deuteronomy 12:32 / Deuteronomy 4:2.