Deuteronomy - Lesson 21

I have mentioned before that in the book of Deuteronomy we encounter many, many difficult texts. We had one of these in chapter 7, where we discussed the anathema on the Canaanites, whom they are supposed to wipe out. Well, our text this morning is about another anathema: Moses’ anathema for those who preach another gospel. And of course, my expressions here you will recognize come from Paul. I do read Paul and find him to be very worthy in the succession of prophets after Moses. 

In Galatians 1:6-9, the Apostle Paul had some shockingly harsh words for those who are making his work with the Galatian believers difficult. “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we are an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be damned. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be damned,” anathema estō. 

Well, have you ever wondered about Paul’s chutzpah in saying this? Who are you to say that? Well, if we let ourselves imagine that Paul might have viewed himself as the latest in the long line of prophets like Moses, whom we will talk about later this morning or early this afternoon, then the inspiration for his present comment is readily recognized. He didn’t make this notion up, nor even the expression. 

We find the grounds of Paul’s curse in Deuteronomy 13. The Septuagint version of Deuteronomy introduces us to this notion of anathema, at least as it was understood at the time that Deuteronomy was translated into Greek by the 70 rabbis in the mid-century BC in Alexandria in Egypt. It’s a translation by Jewish people for Jewish people who have lost the Hebrew language. But it reflects their understanding, Alexandrian understanding, of the Torah at that time. This chapter introduces us to the word “anathema” and seems to have provided Paul with a perfect analog, the perfect vocabulary, to what he is facing in his Judaizing detractors in Galatians. 

But the chapter division in our Bibles is quite unfortunate because chapter 12:29 belongs with this chapter. It sets the context for the discussion of Moses’ treatment of the danger of apostasy in ancient Israel. Chapter 12:29, “When Yahweh your God cuts off before you the nations whose land you are entering to possess, and you dispossess them and are settled in their land, guard yourselves.” Hear the preacher; he keeps saying this, just like Paul does to his readers, “Guard yourselves lest. Guard yourselves that you are not trapped into following them, after they have been destroyed before you. And guard yourselves that you do not inquire about their gods, by saying, ‘I wonder how these nations express their servitude to their gods.’” 

And I’ve deliberately interpreted the verb “to serve” in that sense. This is more than just liturgical cultic manipulation of offerings and whatever else. It’s about living life in the service of the suzerain. And so here, “‘I wonder how they serve their gods? I’d like to do the same. It seemed to work for them. It should work for us.’ But you shall not deal with Yahweh your God, the way they deal with their gods.” Or we should say, “Don’t treat Yahweh your God, the way they treated their gods, because they perform for their gods every abominable act that Yahweh hates. Indeed, they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.”

Well, it could lead you to that, because as we mentioned in an earlier note, in the ancient pagan world, to devote one’s children to the gods in a sacrifice, as a sacrifice, is perceived as the highest act of piety, whereas to God it is the lowest act of abomination. They do that, and this could happen even within the worship of Yahweh. 

But now he reminds us again. Chapter 13:1—this is actually Hebrew chapter 13:1, English chapter 12:32, “Everything I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.” Moses is here very self-consciously declaring canonical truth whose limits are set by his words. Just as the limits of the Decalogue were set by that concluding section in Deuteronomy, “God recited all these words until they were complete.” That’s it, finis, schluss. And that’s a separate document. 

And now, as he had done in chapter 4:2, Moses affirms that “the word I am giving you is canonical truth that you must take and accept the whole thing. It’s all or nothing. You do not add and you do not subtract.” 

Well, the first paragraph, this first paragraph, describes the circumstances in which the dangers described in verse 32 (or verse 30), will lurk, when Israel is enjoying the benefits of the Lord’s action on their behalf, when Yahweh will have cut off the seven nations, enemy nations (chapter 7:1). When the Israelites have entered into the land, dispossessed the Canaanites, and occupied their territory, and when they are flourishing in the land, we saw the problem of that already in chapter eight. There the issue was then, “Don’t forget to say thank you to Yahweh, don’t attribute your well-being to the other gods, and certainly don’t take credit for it yourself, see what my hands have done.” 

Well, that is the context in which the danger lurks. This is not the danger of the desert experience. There’s not much evidence of idolatry in those days. There they had other issues, but this doesn’t seem to be the one. From chapter eight, we know that this is when you have to be on guard. 

Baalism was, above all else, the fertility religion of this land. Now, there were fertility religions all around, but Baal and Asherah, and a bunch of uniquely Canaanite deities…they’re really the same gods as you find elsewhere, only each country had its own name for them. In Israel, it was Baalism. 

When they are flourishing in the deity/nation/land covenant relationship, when that is fully operated, then people will be curious about, “Look, I wonder how the previous inhabitants served their gods because it worked for them.” And sometimes especially, I suppose if the rains don’t come for a few days, you say, “Maybe I am praying to the wrong god. Let’s go directly to the storm god. That’s when the native religion rears its ugly head and they will be tempted to seek security in the traditional gods of this land. When you move into another people’s land, you worship the gods of that land. “And maybe it’s because we’re not worshiping the gods rightly.” And so, this is the problem. 

Besides the materialistic preoccupation, the rituals associated with the images people can see and touch and be attracted to, perhaps the people were tired of the high ethical standards of Yahweh-ism, there is where the emphasis, “You can’t even touch, you can’t see your God; He’s stuck away in the holy of holies back there; we never see Him. Maybe this spiritual religion…” They get tired of it. And especially if you lack the Spirit of the God whom you are worshiping, you will certainly tire of trying to perform the spiritual, ethical side of it. 

In chapter 13, Moses unpacks the threat and its possible consequences in one of the most coherent and logically constructed subunits in all of Deuteronomy. If you are analyzing this text, you have no trouble figuring out the main points, the main sections. 

The close stylistic links between this text and the Hittite and neo-Assyrian treaty curses demonstrate that conceptually this chapter is completely at home in the second and first millennial world of the ancient Near East. 

So, let’s have a look at the structure. It divides into three parts, each of which subdivides into two parts. So, three parts (main parts) with two sub-points. 

Part one of each: an “if.” An “if” clause in the third person functions as the protasis for a long, complex sentence. “If this happens…” 

And then we have an apodosis in the second person: “If somebody does this, then you do this.” He changes person prescribing the Israel’s response to the conspirators that Yahweh requires of the Israelites. 

And of course, these are conspiracies. They are conspiracies against total allegiance to Yahweh. That’s the problem. They detract you from Shema Israel, Yahweh Eloheinu, Yahweh ‘Eḥad… “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your inner being, with all your person, and with all your resources.” Nothing left over for the other gods. 

And then we have actually a third part, a complex motive clause in each case begins with kî. In each case, that clause begins with “if, when” and then subdivides into two parts.

We have in each of these three paragraphs an introduction of the instigators of the sedition. And this is how we have to treat it. The parallels, especially with neo-Assyrian texts from the first century, which drive contemporary scholars largely to view Deuteronomy, to date all of this stuff to the period of the neo-Assyrians, the time of Josiah, and later. 

In the neo-Assyrian counterparts, they’re all political treaties, and the threat is declaring your allegiance to another person other than Esarhaddon with whom you have this treaty, or his son, Ashurbanipal, to whom you are to be loyal as well. So, this is sedition, getting people to be disloyal to the god of the treaty and going after other gods. 

Then you have the introduction of the instigators, then a quotation of their seditious speech, “Let’s go and serve other gods.” We’ll see the variations of this. 

The first part of the apodosis, the response, charges the hearers to resist the conspirators by not listening to them. And then the third demands diligent inquiry to ensure that rumors of sedition are true, and if you discover that they are true, it’s very harsh reaction. This is the ultimate evil. 

The second part calls for the execution of the leaders in the sedition. In ineffective rhetorical style, the commands increase in length with each new scenario, and the intensity becomes greater as one moves from the respective charges. The first one, you’ve got 7 words, then 17 words, and then 41 words. We’ll see how this works out in a moment. 

So here we are. We’ve got a synopsis of the three seditious scenarios, disloyal scenarios, in Deuteronomy 13 identified on the basis of who the instigator of the sedition is. 

In case number one, the instigator is a prophet. “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams comes along and tells you, ‘Let’s go serve other gods.’” 

In the second one, it’s a family member, “If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or the wife you embrace, or your friend who is your own person, who is as your own person entices you secretly, saying…” So, we’re moving from a professional, person with a professional attachment to deities that’s a prophet, to a member of the family. 

And then the last case is the city rabble. “If you hear in one of your cities that Yahweh your God is giving you to dwell in there, that certain worthless fellows, sons of Belial…” (sons of nastiness). And of course, the New Testament talks about we were sons of perdition and, you know, sons of wrath, which means we are the natural heirs getting what we want. Well, here, sons of Belial, it puts them in the class like sons of the prophets who are supposedly doing good stuff. These guys are nasty guys. 

“If certain worthless fellows have gone out among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying…” And then he will follow that “saying” up in each case with a quotation, “This is what they’re saying.” This is the seductive, have drawn away, have sucked you in. And that’s the problem with idolatry; it sucks you in. 

Well, these are the instigators. “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams.” Now the difference between prophecy and dreamer of dreams, these are overlapping categories. As we will see in chapter eight, there were many different means by which the ancients sought to learn the minds of their gods. And here, “prophet or dreamer of dreams,” I think, functions as shorthand for the whole list of categories you will find in chapter 18 of people who are trying to make contact.

But here they come on the scene as prophets, and they give you a sign and a wonder. And later, Moses will say to the Israelites in chapter 18, “If a prophet shows up among you, let his words be accompanied by signs and wonders.” 

So, it’s like the magicians at the time when God was having Moses get the Israelites out of Egypt, they can do lots of things that true prophets do. And just because a sign accompanies the prophecy or the dream doesn’t by itself guarantee its veracity. But that’s what—well, even in Jesus, they came to Jesus and said, “Give us some signs and some wonders, and then we’ll believe you.” And He won’t get drawn into that, of course. 

And then the second category, you’re a member of your family, though, even “the wife you embrace,” don’t let them seduce you into following another god secretly. Of course, you would never do it out in the open. Now we’re in the house, within the household. “We don’t want the neighbors to say, but in this house, we are not serving the Lord (Joshua’s words). We are serving other gods.” 

And of course, the last category are the nasties, people in the city. And now we look like we are getting mob rule. The crowd is saying, “Let’s do this.” And they have all been sucked in and they had inhabitants of the city are saying. 

And so here you have their induction speech. This is their attraction. The first one is very simple, “Let us go after gods,” and then he adds, “which you have not known.” That’s Moses’ insertion. “You know nothing about those gods. You’ve never had a relationship with them. You know that others serve them, but they’re not your gods.” 

“And let us serve them.” And again, that word “serve” here, “Let us become their vassals.” They were slaves of Egypt. God brought them out to be His vassals, an honorific role being His agents of grace and light to the world. But now “Let us serve them,” really turns back into, “Let us become enslaved again to the other gods because they are not liberating deities.” 

The second one is longer here. “Let us go, and let us serve other gods, let’s become vassals to other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known, some of the gods of the people who are around you, whether near you or far off, from one end of the earth to the other.” 

And now it’s like chapter four, “Do research to see if anything like this has ever happened before, God’s great grace in bringing us out of Egypt. Has any other God ever tried that? Go from one end of the earth, one end of the heavens to the other…” And of course, the answer there is, “There’s no other god like Yahweh.” Here they are so desperate to worship other gods that they’re going to go and seek whatever god there is out there, just to be sure. Just to be sure. 

And then the last one is back to the simple. The people of the crowd are simply shouting, “‘Let us go and let us serve other gods,’ which (Moses’ insertion) you have not known.” “You’ve got no business with those gods. They are not your gods. They may be the gods of the land…” 

Well, the apodosis then gives us the required prescribed response. We talked earlier before the session started. What does it mean to listen? Well, “You shall not listen to the words of the prophet,” not even to the sound of the words, let alone the message they are communicating, “Don’t listen to the words of the prophet or that dreamer of dreams for Yahweh your God is testing you.” 

Oh, now we have another test. It is that internal test. How do you respond when prosperity hits? We saw this in chapter eight. “He is testing you to know,” not that He doesn’t know what’s in your heart, but to expose, to prove that everybody knows and that you know, “Whether or not you love Yahweh.” 

And again, we would need to insert here, you demonstrate love for Yahweh, “with your whole being, with your heart, your inner being, with your whole being. You walk after Yahweh, your God, you fear Him, you keep His commands, you listen to His voice, you serve Him, and you hold fast to Him.” 

This is the allegiance, remember? You fear Him in that spectrum that we showed several times already. Trusting awe, allegiance to Yahweh alone. His voice we listen to, Him we serve, to Him we hold fast. 

In the second instance, if it is your family member who’s doing, “You shall not yield to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him.” Notice this is in the context of worshiping secretly in your house. Don’t hide the problem. Don’t conceal the problem person. No pity here. 

Now it becomes obvious that the same disposition that the Israelites were supposed to have toward the Canaanites in chapter seven (show them no mercy), they are supposed to show toward their own family members. This gets really, really, tough here if it is at home. 

And in the third case, if the mob is out here trying to get the whole city into this, “Then you shall inquire, and explore, search, ask diligently. Then look, if it’s true and if it is confirmed that such an abomination has been perpetrated…” 

But of course, he’s anticipating the ultimate solution, which is ḥāram. But you don’t do that lightly. You do it only after you have actually confirmed that this abomination is being perpetrated here. So, it’s not like God has fun slaughtering people, nor does He want people to have fun slaughtering people. This is very serious business and you don’t walk into it glibly. 

But now you notice what they do with the instigators. And here’s what is the variation in the length of the solution. Just a few words in the first one. Double the number of words in the second one. And then it’s a long exposition in the third. 

“That prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death.” Period. That’s it. These are people who come in from outside. They’re presumably aliens. They could be Israelites, but they come into the community and they say, “Let us go after other gods.” Put them to death. Finished. 

The middle one. If it’s your family member, “But you shall kill him. Your hand shall be first against him to put him to death.” Don’t pawn this off on somebody else. 

I am so glad that when we get to the command concerning the rebellious son that Moses spares father and mother the pain of executing their own son for irresponsibility and rebellion. There, he says, “The elders, you go and do it.” 

But here, if it is somebody in your own household who is leading you astray, you “stone him to death with stones.” Of course. I guess that’s what it means, but again, Hebrew likes to have the verb and the object of the verb within the same sentence. It’s bad English style, but it’s Hebrew. 

But the last one. “You shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, devoting it to destruction.” This is ḥāram 'ēṯ. “All who are in it and its cattle,” because they have all been contaminated by the germ. “You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of the open square and burn the city, and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to Yahweh your God.” 

This is a sacred moment. I mentioned the other day that the word ḥāram comes from the same semantic field as qōḏeš, qāḏaš, to sanctify. But in this case, it is not sanctified so that people can use it for proper duty, but is to sanctify so radically that no human being can ever touch it because it’s gone, it’s all burnt up. God has exclusive right to it. 

“But treat it as an offering. It shall be a heap forever. It, the city, shall never be built again. None of the devoted things shall stick to your hands.” And that’s the problem with evil. It’s a germ that’s communicable. Purity is not communicable, but impurity is. And that’s what we have here. So, this is radical surgery and it’s not just superficial sanitizer. Get rid of the business. Let none of these ḥāram things. 

And of course, this reminds us again, that if we have trouble with God commanding the Israelites to slaughter Canaanites for evil, we should remind ourselves that there’s a lot more attention in Scripture to what God needs to do with evil people of His own than with outsiders. The center of gravity is clearly this. You don’t hear many people fussing about that, but they say, “How can God tell one people to commit genocide against another people?” And now we discover it’s not about genocide; it’s not about race. It is about the radicality of the evil. 

Well, then you have the rationale. Notice that in the last one, there’s no rationale. That’s all been given in earlier instructions on how to deal with the Canaanites and why you deal with the Canaanites that way. So that’s all been given. We don’t have to talk about that anymore. You know what this means. 

But with respect to if people are seduced by dreamers and prophets, “Because he has taught rebellion against Yahweh, your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” Notice he keeps reminding them of the gospel, “You are heirs of the gospel. Don’t go there. Why would you go there? They’ve done nothing for you. Gods that have eyes but don’t see, and ears that don’t hear, and mouths that don’t speak. But we have a God who has no eyes, ears, nose or mouth and yet He speaks and He acts. And we are here because of what He’s done for us.” That’s the scandal of idolatry. 

“Who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the slave house to make you leave the way in which Yahweh your God…” It should be ‘make you live.’ “Have you live in the way in which Yahweh your God commanded you to walk.” Why would you give that up? 

In the second case, where is your brother, your sister, your father, your mother, because he sought to suck you away, like a vacuum cleaner, away from Yahweh your God who brought you out of the land. Notice he reminds you of the gospel again. “Why would you go after other gods who have done nothing for you?” 

And then you have the aim of the response. “So you shall purge the evil from your midst.” Get rid of the member. And the first case, it’s the prophet, the professional who comes in from the outside, purge the evil from them is by killing the person who was promoting this sedition. 

In the second case, “And all Israel shall hear and fear.” Now you know what this fear means. This is fear of punishment as motive. This one is fear of punishment. But don’t transfer now this meaning to every other occurrence of the word in the book of Deuteronomy. It is more than, it is more than that elsewhere in the book. But here to purge it out of your midst objectively, but subjectively, to let the people of Israel know this is appropriate and give them reason never to try such wickedness again. It’s a prophylactic against future apostasy. 

But of course, the last one. Now this one, he really fleshes out, “…that Yahweh may turn from the fierceness of His anger and show you mercy.” This is amazing. Why do you get rid of this? Why do you burn the city that has gone wholeheartedly after the pagan values and wholeheartedly repudiated Yahweh? It’s for the sake of the nation. It’s like cancer surgery where you have to take off that little bit of a collection of cells that’s gone crazy and is threatening to eat up the whole body. No. Cut it out. “…that Yahweh may turn from the fierceness of His anger and show you mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you as He swore to your fathers, if you listen to the voice of Yahweh your God.” 

And how do you listen? Oh, not just with headphones and your own, this beautiful music and it entertains me as I’m going for my walk along the prairie path in Chicago. No, it’s not just about a relaxing thing. It’s about harkening. Paying attention to and adjusting one’s life according to the voice of Yahweh who speaks. Other gods don’t speak. Yahweh has spoken. “And you listen to the voice by keeping all the commands I command you today and do what is right in the sight.” 

And I don’t have the Hebrew in front of me in this instance, but I am sure this again is do the right. Not just generic, “what’s right.” You eat an apple rather than broccoli. That’s better than whatever. It’s not just generic “right.” In most instances, it is the right, which is devotion to Yahweh alone, the supreme command. That’s the big issue. “Whom then will we serve?” is always the issue. 

Well, the significance of Deuteronomy 13. This text specifies more specifically and drastically than any other in the book, and probably any other in the First Testament, the seriousness of idolatry in the eyes of God. It’s a problem. It is not just another religion that has something to offer, something to teach us, something whatever. No, it’s the competitor to the truth. It is the competitor. 

The narratives offer many illustrations of this disposition. You have the Levites’ zeal for Yahweh in the golden calf episode, which becomes the foundation of the Lord setting the Levites apart, at least according to the narrative. This contributes. I’m sure, in the mind of God, He had set the Levites apart earlier, but this is the public confirmation that they are the people. The Levites’ zeal. They have qinah, passion, for God alone. There’s one. 

Phinehas’ stand against the worshipers of Baal of Peor, which will have happened only about two weeks ago when Moses is saying this. That will have been fresh in their minds. These people survived that fiasco because they stayed true to God. 

Or Elijah versus the prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel. What a triumphant moment that was when the fire zapped Elijah’s sacrifice. That is a sign and a wonder proving who is God in Israel. 

Or Josiah versus the Manassite installations in Jerusalem and Judah and his extension of the pogrom against idolatry to the Northern Kingdom. What’s Josiah doing in chapter 23? Extending the reforms, the cleansing, the purging to Samaria, which is an Assyrian province. He got no business up there, that’s not his kingdom. But I have a feeling he is thinking theologically and spiritually, “This is all part of the kingdom that God gave to David. I am a son of David on the throne of David, and I am, we are, responsible for the spiritual well-being of the whole business.” Politically, it’s off base, but theologically on track. 

But the narratives also recount several cases that seemed to turn Deuteronomy 13 upside down. Here’s one: Gideon, when he destroys the altar of Baal in his father’s backyard, chapter six. When he tore down the altar of Baal and the image of Asherah, the townspeople demanded the death of the one who had torn down the altar of Baal. You can tell where their allegiance is. 

And, of course, Gideon’s father, Joash, gives this lame excuse, “If Baal is really a god, let him defend himself.” Well, if that’s how weak your commitment is to Baal, why do you have this altar in your backyard? Or is it front yard? We don’t know. But, in any case, here, it’s completely tipped over. It’s the pagans demanding the death of the, shall we say, “reformer.”

Or, the townspeople of Anathoth, who attacked Jeremiah for denouncing the nation’s treachery of going after Baal, Jeremiah 11. 

Or, Jeremiah’s enemies, imprisoning him for preaching sedition because he encourages submission to Babylon. No, he’s preaching loyalty. They walk by the temple and they see the inscription Hêḵāl Yahweh, the temple of the Lord. And they walk by and say, “The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.” That’s their mantra. But they’re all going after Baal; they live just like everybody else. 

There’s also New Testament evidence for the same agenda. “If anyone does not love Yahweh, a curse be on him. Maranatha. Come, O Lord!” 

1st Corinthians, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach another gospel,” we start off here, “let him be eternally condemned! And as we’ve already said, I say again: if anybody is preaching another gospel, let him be eternally condemned!” 

Or, 2 Peter 2:1, “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who brought them – bringing swift destruction on themselves.”

Or, Jesus’ woes on the scribes and Pharisees, whom He had earlier identified as false prophets who lead the people astray. No wonder. Well, even as we speak, in Wheaton right now, our colleagues are meeting with our Jewish rabbi friends. (I missed that. This is mixed, you can be there in person or you can be zooming in. And I’m missing that conversation today.) But even, I understand why our Jewish friends are so upset with Jesus. Because He applies to these people the saying, “Woe to you!” That’s what it is. That’s what a woe is. 

But idolatry may settle in more subtle, subtly but equally seductively. In other ways, it’s not obvious. Apostasy is not restricted to the worship of physical idols, made of wood or stone or precious metal. 

You know Tim Keller, his great book on idols. Insightfully, he identifies idolatry as, quote, “Whatever you look at and say in your heart of hearts, ‘If I have that, then I’ll feel my life has meaning, and then I’ll know I have value, then I’ll feel significant and secure. But if I don’t, suicide’s the response. Life has no meaning. It’s empty.’” 

Or, Job 31. And this is all religious language. “If I placed my confidence in gold or called fine gold my trust, if I’ve celebrated because my wealth is so great…” (sounds like Deuteronomy 8), “or because my own hand has acquired so much, or if I have gazed at the sun when it was shining, or the moon moving in splendor, so that my heart was seduced, secretly enticed, and I threw them a kiss, this would be a crime deserving of punishment, for I would have denied God above.” 

Well, in the New Testament, if we had time, we would go to the foolish rich man who said, “I’m going to tear down, I don’t have barns big enough to hold all the stuff that he’s had, that produced.” You idiot, you fool, you’ve lost it all. It’s seduction. 

This is the word of the Lord. May we stay true to Him.