“These
are the statutes and ordinances that you must diligently observe in
the land that the Lord,
the God of your ancestors,1
has given you to occupy all the days that you live on the
earth.”
“You must demolish completely all the places where the nations whom you are about to dispossess served their gods,2 on the mountain heights, on the hills, and under every leafy tree. Break down their altars, smash their pillars, burn their sacred poles with fire, and hew down the idols of their gods, and thus blot out their name from their places.3 You shall not worship the Lord your God in such ways.4 But you shall seek the place that the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes as his habitation to put his name there.5 You shall go there,bringing there your burnt-offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and your donations, your votive gifts, your freewill-offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and flocks. And you shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your households together, rejoicing in all the undertakings in which the Lord your God has blessed you.”6
“You shall not act as we are acting here today, all of us according to our own desires,7 for you have not yet come into the rest and the possession that the Lord your God is giving you. When you cross over the Jordan and live in the land that the Lord your God is allotting to you, and when he gives you rest from your enemies8 all around so that you live in safety, then you shall bring everything that I command you to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name:9 your burnt-offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and your donations, and all your choice votive gifts that you vow to the Lord. And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God,10 you together with your sons and your daughters, your male and female slaves, and the Levites who reside in your towns (since they have no allotment or inheritance with you).”11
“Take care that you do not offer your burnt-offerings at any place you happen to see. But only at the place that the Lord will choose in one of your tribes12—there you shall offer your burnt-offerings and there you shall do everything I command you.”13
1 The narrative turns back to layin gout the commandments that Israel has been urged to follow
“You must demolish completely all the places where the nations whom you are about to dispossess served their gods,2 on the mountain heights, on the hills, and under every leafy tree. Break down their altars, smash their pillars, burn their sacred poles with fire, and hew down the idols of their gods, and thus blot out their name from their places.3 You shall not worship the Lord your God in such ways.4 But you shall seek the place that the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes as his habitation to put his name there.5 You shall go there,bringing there your burnt-offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and your donations, your votive gifts, your freewill-offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and flocks. And you shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your households together, rejoicing in all the undertakings in which the Lord your God has blessed you.”6
“You shall not act as we are acting here today, all of us according to our own desires,7 for you have not yet come into the rest and the possession that the Lord your God is giving you. When you cross over the Jordan and live in the land that the Lord your God is allotting to you, and when he gives you rest from your enemies8 all around so that you live in safety, then you shall bring everything that I command you to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name:9 your burnt-offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and your donations, and all your choice votive gifts that you vow to the Lord. And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God,10 you together with your sons and your daughters, your male and female slaves, and the Levites who reside in your towns (since they have no allotment or inheritance with you).”11
“Take care that you do not offer your burnt-offerings at any place you happen to see. But only at the place that the Lord will choose in one of your tribes12—there you shall offer your burnt-offerings and there you shall do everything I command you.”13
1 The narrative turns back to layin gout the commandments that Israel has been urged to follow
2
Related to the 1st and 2nd commandments out of
the 10
3
Not subtley stated.
4
Making clear that it is not just the foreign gods, but the methods
of worship that are wrong.
5
Interesting – emphasizing that there is only one God by ensuring
that his worship is in only one place?
6
Connecting back to God's provision, the joyfulness of the meal
should not be forgotten.
7
Quite strong – in what way are the all acting according to their
own desires? In sacrifices?
8
The “rest” from enemies, if it ever happened, ended up being
very short-lived.
9
The specificity of the place emphasized again.
10
Rejoicing emphasized again, in the midst of all these regulations.
11
Side-note on the lack of Levitical inheritance again. Why?
12
Yet again the specificity of place.
13
Likely trying to maintain a clear line between YHWH -worship and
other gods
Take-home: The specificity of worshipping God alone is emphasized by allowing only one place for worship.
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