Deuteronomy 16:22-17:16
If the children of Israel planted groves near their altars, this would lead to idolatry itself, and so they are warned against this as well. How careful we have to be to watch against the small beginnings of evil, for one thing leads to another. A grove of trees might not appear to be anything, but it was just copying the heathen, and God could not allow an imitation of idolatry to be mixed with worship to Him. This is a warning, surely, to Christendom with all its observances.
Again the children of Israel were told not to offer the lame and blemished animals to the Lord. These sacrifices figured Christ, and they must therefore be without blemish, for He is the holy, harmless, and undefiled Lamb of God. Then, too, it would not be fitting to offer blemished animals to the Lord, for He should have our best. It would be like men and women saying they want to enjoy the world while they have their health and strength, and then when they get old, after Satan has had their best, then they would like to be saved. It is indeed a sad decision.
Sin Measured by God’s Standards
The people are warned here against any among them who offered their sacrifices to the sun, the moon, or the stars. Any who did these things were to be put to death. Some people think very lightly about such things, but God measures sin by the standard of His own glory, and not by the thoughts of men. If a man were to murder someone, or steal, they would consider it an awful sin (and it is) but it is far worse to turn one’s back on God. You may be a respectable boy or girl, or man or woman, but remember this: if you are a Christ-rejecter, there is death and judgment before you, just as surely as death was the penalty for the one who forsook the true God in Israel. If there were any doubt of a man’s guilt, witnesses must be brought to prove it. There was to be no indifference to evil.
If a matter came up which was too hard for them to decide in one of their cities, they could take it to the place where the Lord’s name was to be placed, and then, when decided, they were to act upon the decision. This is an important consideration for us today, for the Lord has put authority in to the hands of those who are gathered to His precious name (Matthew 18:18) and we are responsible to recognize it even in a day of ruin. Authority does not mean infallibility — though needless to say no assembly has the authority to set aside the Word of God, but rather to act upon it. There is, however, the possibility of an assembly’s being mistaken in its judgment, and in this case we are to bow to their decision, while waiting upon God, as long as the truth of God is not given up.
Instructions for a King
Although the Lord Himself was Israel’s king, He knew beforehand that the people would want a man to be their king, so as to be like the nations around them. He therefore told them what the king was to do, and what he was not to do. He was not to have many horses. Horses were primarily used in battle in those days, and the nations were confident of victory if they had many horses, but God did not want His people to trust in horses, but in Him. These horses came from Egypt, and so we know there is much that comes from this world in which we might put our confidence, but the Lord would have us trust in Him. His Word says, “Some trust in chanots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7).
Further Meditations
1. Why were the children of Israel not to offer lame or blemished animals to the Lord?
2. What did Solomon do with horses? How does this show what was happening in his heart and his trust in God?
3. You might be refreshed by reading the simple and encouraging poem The Peace of a Perfect Trust.