Fo – Do Not Worship Other Gods 29: 16-29

Do Not Worship Other Gods
29: 16-29

Do not worship other gods DIG: What did Moses see in the future? Explain how spiritual adultery would become like a root of bitterness for Isra’el. What responsibilities of the revealed things of Torah place on the Israelites and their children? Was the threat of devastation inevitable? Why? Why not?

REFLECT: How does God hold you personally responsible for your secret sin? Can you spot a spiritual imposter? Are you on the lookout for false doctrine within the Church today? On a scale of one to ten, how much do you trust God when disaster strikes in your life? If you don’t like your answer, how can you change that?

Isra’el’s obedient or disobedient conduct would determine exactly what they received from God’s hand. In other words, the threat of devastation was possible, but not inevitable.

The day before Moses died.

Moses describes the painful consequences, for the individual and for the nation, of failing to obey the covenantal stipulations (to see link click Bi – The Stipulations of the Covenant). His warning here suggests that God’s chosen people had been tempted by idolatry and had committed spiritual idolatry in the past. That reality adds weight to Moshe’s concern that Isra’el might do the same thing in the future. Thus, Moses looks to the future from the perspective of his time (29:16-21) and then looks back hypothetically from some future day (29:22-28).⁶³⁴ These verses echo Moshe’s earlier warning that Isra’el should worship ADONAI alone (see Cv – Beware of Idolatry).

From Moshe’s perspective, looking to the future (29:16-21): This short section contains several of the elements of the Near Eastern treaty pattern (see Ah – Treaty of the Great King), namely, the historical prologue (verses 16-17), a statement of the general principle (verse 18), and the threat of the curse falling on the disobedient person (verses 19-21).

Moses reminded the people of the gross idolatry they witnessed while enslaved in Egypt and then while traveling through the wilderness. You yourselves know how we lived in Egypt and how we passed through the countries on the way here. You saw among them their detestable images and idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold (29:16-17). This is what happens when you forsake the Word of God. It is human nature to worship something. Even if it is only themselves. However, to worship anything or anyone other than the one true God is idolatry. Therefore, Moshe asks the Israelites to be diligent in this regard.

Moshe warns individual Israelites against thinking that since the nation was involved in a covenantal relationship with YHVH that their own personal conduct was not essential to the fate of the nation.⁶³⁵ Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from ADONAI our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison (29:18). Here we see the same zeal that Paul had. Both of these men were so very protective of the flock that ADONAI had entrusted to them. The sin of idolatry spreads from person to house to clan, as the poisonous branch with bitter fruit infects the whole tree, like the spreading of a false teaching within the body of Messiah. Later, Paul would have the same concern: Now the Ruach clearly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, following deceitful spirits and the teaching of demons (First Timothy 4:1).⁶³⁶

The danger of the people’s harboring an unfaithful group or individual is now seen. Such a person or persons would not be able to hide from the effect of the curse, Ha’Shem would hold each person accountable.⁶³⁷ When such a person hears the words of this oath and they invoke a blessing on themselves, thinking, “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way,” they will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry (29:19). This expression appears to be a proverbial observation employing a figure of speech called a merism, which suggests the totality by referring to two polar elements. Not only will the judgment fall on the covenantal rebel, but also on the whole nation because they allowed themselves to be swept away by idolatry. Like their father the Adversary, they are arrogant narcissists. They remove all true blessings and bring destruction.

To highlight the severity of the divine judgment this person will experience, Moses makes several powerful statements. ADONAI takes this very seriously, and will never be willing to forgive them; His wrath and zeal will burn against them. All the curses written in this book will fall on them, and ADONAI will blot out their names from under heaven. ADONAI will single them out from all the tribes of Isra’el for disaster, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this scroll of the Torah (29:20-21). John would echo the same sentiment at the end of his book (see the commentary on Revelation Gd – If Anyone Adds to the Words of this Book, God Will Add to Them the Plagues Described). Moses already understood those words and warned Isra’el about the sanctity of the Scriptures.

From a distant future perspective, looking back (29:22-28): Moses believed that the curses described in Chapters 27 and 28 would fall on Isra’el. Your children who follow you in later generations and foreigners who come from distant lands will see the calamities that have fallen on the land and the diseases with which ADONAI has afflicted it. The whole Land will be a burning waste of salt and sulfur – nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it. The Land flowing with milk and honey (6:3) will be stripped of any evidence of fertility and abundance – a reversal of God’s provision for the Promised Land.⁶³⁸ It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and their allies Admah and Zeboyim, which ADONAI overthrew in fierce anger. Because of Isra’el’s future spiritual adultery, YHVH will bring such severe judgment against His people that future Israelites and pagans will ask in bewilderment: Why has ADONAI done this to this Land? Why this fierce, burning anger (29:22-24)?

And the goyim will answer: It is because this people abandoned the covenant of ADONAI, the God of their ancestors, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt. They went off and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given them. Even though the incomparable God, the only God of the universe, chose to establish a covenantal relationship with the nation of Isra’el, His chosen people abandoned that unique relationship and pursued gods that had done nothing for them. Therefore, ADONAI’s anger burned against this Land, so that he brought on it all the curses written in this book. In furious anger and in great wrath ADONAI uprooted them from their land and thrust them into another land, as it is now (29:25-28). All this for the opportunity to worship lifeless and powerless pieces of wood and stone.⁶³⁹

Reflection: Although Chapters 28 and 29 are clearly forward-looking, it would be incorrect to regard them as near historical prophecy in the strictest sense of the term. They represent the threat of covenantal curse and in this last section in particular (29:22-28), a hypothetical future scenario. Will Isra’el’s experience of covenantal curse result in every disease or calamity listed in Chapter 29? Will the Land of Promise be absolutely void of vegetation? No. Isra’el’s experience in the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles certainly did not bring about those disastrous results to the degree envisioned in these passages. It seems that this last section of Chapter 29 presents what might happen to Isra’el, not what would happen inevitably. Isra’el’s obedient or disobedient conduct would determine exactly what they received from God’s hand. In other words, the threat of devastation was not a sure thing. It was possible, but not inevitable.⁶⁴⁰

Live faithfully in the light of God’s revelation (29:29): Then Moses rests his case. He doesn’t really know exactly what will happen in the future to Isra’el, but he does what every godly person should do. He or she should completely rely on God. The secret things belong to ADONAI our God, but the words revealed to us in the Torah belong “to us and to our children,” that we may follow them forever (29:29). YHVH is the ultimate judge; God knows the heart of each individual. This verse interrupts the flow of the text. It comes suddenly, and it seems that ADONAI allows the human writer, Moses, to express his deep feelings, and his faith as he gives it all to God. For who has known the mind of ADONAI (Romans 11:33-34)? As Job would say: Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him (Job 13:15 NKJV).⁶⁴¹

There are 10 places in the Hebrew Bible that have dots above the letters, and Deuteronomy 29:29 where we read, “to us and to our children,” is one of these places. These are, according to ancient Jewish tradition, places that hold secrets within these words. “Secrets” means that in the plain meaning of these words not all that is intended is revealed or visible. This principle is true about any coded texts, but they are not often marked with a specific mark, like dots above the letters. So, this idea is not new in any context and in any texts. Yeshua was teaching in parables precisely for the same reason. This is what Yeshua told His apostles when they asked Him why He was using parables to teach: He answered, saying: Because it has been given to you to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it has not been given to them (Matthew 13:10-11). Yes, God has secret things, things that He chose not to reveal to us. But why do we, as finite, limited, and weak humans want to enter into the secrets when we don’t even understand the revealed things of God that are explicitly written for our instruction and faith?

Why do we, who don’t even know the basics, want to delve into what God forbids us, and into something that has no practical daily application for us? Why enter into the dark, unclear, unexaminable dangerous field full of landmines? It is important to leave the things that are not clearly delineated and clearly spelled out in the Word of God. To leave them until the LORD reveals His secrets loud and clear. However, YHVH did not leave Moshe in the valley of despair at that time. Next, God gave him the hope of the restoration of the wayward nation (see Fp – Restoration After Repentance).

Dear Great Heavenly Father, We praise You for You are Awesome! Praise You that when life looks bleak, lonely and sad – there is a hope that is sure! Your Word is that hope. Yeshua is Your Word and He is in heaven preparing an eternal home for all who love Him. In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you may also be (John 14:2-3).

We love You and long for the day when we will join the living creatures and elders in heaven in praising and worshiping You– for You are so worthy! And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the One seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before the One seated on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever. And they throw their crowns down before the throne, chanting, “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power” (Revelation 4:9-11a). In Yeshua’s holy name and His power of resurrection. Amen