Imagine being lost at sea in a small boat, with no land in sight. You know the nearest island is somewhere to the northeast, but how do you know if you are traveling toward it? You need a compass that points to true north so you can steer your boat in the right direction.

The Compass of Scripture

Scripture was the compass God gave to Israel. It contained truth that would always steer them in the right direction. They needed that because there were falsehoods all around them . . . false gods and false prophets.

The problem was that even false prophets were right sometimes.

“If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, ‘Let us follow other gods’ (gods you have not known) ‘and let us worship them,’ you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer.” Deuteronomy 13:1-3

How would Israel know this was a false prophet? They would know because Scripture was the compass and worshiping an unknown god broke the first of the Ten Commandments. Remembering the truth of Scripture would steer them away from that disaster.

A prophet can get some things right and still not be God’s representative. The question is whether or not what they say completely lines up with Scripture.

Standing Strong 

It was one thing to stop listening to a false prophet, but what about a family member or close friend who invited an Israelite to try another god?

Moses said, “Do not yield to them or listen to them. Show them no pity. Do not spare them or shield them. You must put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, because they tried to turn you away from the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 13:8-9

Remember that there were many ways to deal with sinners before the death penalty was used. Justice dictated that an Israelite would try to turn an errant family member back to true worship long before extreme measures had to be taken.

On the other hand, God applied the death penalty to the sin of worshiping false gods which tells us how serious it was to him.

Insidious Sins

There were some sins that struck so deeply at the core of righteousness in Israel that God said they deserved death. God hated the sin of murder because no one had the right to arbitrarily end a life God had given.

He hated sexual sin because it broke the sacred bonds of marriage and destroyed families. Sexual sin destroyed the lives of people God wanted protected and he was willing to put perpetrators to death over it.

Idolatry and worshiping false gods were other insidious sins God hated. Someone might introduce a small idolatrous practice into the community, then one thing led to another until whole families turned away from God.

God told Israel not to follow each other into that kind of sin. It was better to break the relationship than be enticed into idolatry.

The Problem with Idolatry

Moses told the Israelites that if they heard of a town where idolatry was taking root, they should go and investigate the charge carefully. If it was true, they should destroy the town, kill all of the people, and burn all of the plunder as a burnt offering to God. The town was to remain a ruin forever. Anything from that town that turned up later was to be destroyed.

Here are some reasons that God hated idolatry.

1. It was an insult to God that people would venerate an inanimate object over the God who made them, gave them life, and could hear their prayers.
2. Idols stole people from God. He loved people, and if they gave their affections to a false god, he lost the relationship he could have had with them.
3. When people created an idol they also created its character, personality, and powers. Sinful ideas, conjured from the minds of sinful people, led to sinful worship practices. Wicked people used idols to control others and cause them to sin.
4. Ultimately, an idol’s escalating demands led to grosser and grosser sins. People died for the sake of appeasing an idol.
5. Satan took control of idol worship and used it to steal, kill and destroy people.

Idol worship symbolized the cosmic battle that has gone on in the spiritual realm since the beginning of time. When people bowed down to idols, Satan won.

Debts and Debtors

In Israel there were going to be hard-working people who needed a helping hand. Maybe the family breadwinner died or was disabled. Someone’s business failed or the livestock died. There were many reasons why people would fall on hard times and need to borrow money. But God said,

“There need be no poor among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.” Deuteronomy 15:4-6

Every seven years all of the debts among the Israelites were cancelled. This meant that if a needy man borrowed 500 shekels in the sixth year and only managed to repay a little of it, the debt went away in the seventh year. He owed nothing more on his loan.

Besides that, God told people with money to go ahead and lend, and not be tightfisted when someone in need asked for a loan.

“Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.” Deuteronomy 15:10-11

Indentured Servants

Sometimes, all a person could offer was his or her labor in exchange for food and shelter. A monetary loan was of no use because if they didn’t have land or a business to invest in, they couldn’t use the loan turn a profit and repay the debt. People who sold themselves into indentured service were released in the seventh year.

The person they served was to send them away with gifts from his fields, threshing floor and winepress. They were released with dignity and the means to start over as thanks for their service. The Israelites were to remember that once they had all been slaves, but when they left Egypt, God blessed them with plunder from the Egyptians.

“Do not consider it a hardship to set your servant free, because their service to you these six years has been worth twice as much as a hired hand. And the Lord will bless you in everything you do.” Deuteronomy 15:18

Some indentured servants loved their masters so much that they wanted to stay and serve them for the rest of their lives. In those cases, the master pierced their ears as a mark of belonging. They were then called bondservants, bound to their masters for a lifetime.

In Romans 1:1, the Apostle Paul referred to himself as a bondservant of Christ. His ear was not pierced, but on his body he bore many other scars that marked his service to Jesus.

God Loved a Party

Most of the rest of today’s reading is a reiteration of various laws we have read before, but Moses also defines the three important festivals that all of the men of Israel were required to attend. Women and children were also invited, but it was understood that sometimes they couldn’t come due to childbirth and care of little children.

God wanted his people to enjoy themselves at these festivals.

“Be joyful at your festivals – you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns.” Deuteronomy 16:14

Having debts cancelled and servants released every seven years kept Israel from developing a crushed underclass that could not break out of poverty. Everyone could hold their heads up and enjoy being together.

The biggest festival was the one that followed the summer harvest and it was a powerful reminder that God had once again provided enough for everyone to share. Even the most vulnerable people in society, orphans and widows, foreigners and landless priests, got to enjoy the goodness God had provided.

We have read about the perils of idol worship and the joy of giving today. What did the Lord impress most on your heart as you read?