Deuteronomy 12:13

12:5-32 The command to bring ALL the sacrifices to the door of the tabernacle, was now explained with reference to the promised land. As to moral service, then, as now, men might pray and worship every where, as they did in their synagogues. The place which God would choose, is said to be the place where he would put his name. It was to be his habitation, where, as King of Israel, he would be found by all who reverently sought him. Now, under the gospel, we have no temple or altar that sanctifies the gift but Christ only: and as to the places of worship, the prophets foretold that in every place the spiritual incense should be offered, Mal 1:11. Our Saviour declared, that those are accepted as true worshippers, who worship God in sincerity and truth, without regard either to this mountain or Jerusalem, Joh 4:21. And a devout Israelite might honour God, keep up communion with him, and obtain mercy from him, though he had no opportunity of bringing a sacrifice to his altar. Work for God should be done with holy joy and cheerfulness. Even children and servants must rejoice before God; the services of religion are to be a pleasure, and not a task or drudgery. It is the duty of people to be kind to their ministers, who teach them well, and set them good examples. As long as we live, we need their assistance, till we come to that world where ordinances will not be needed. Whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, we are commanded to do all to the glory of God.

And we must do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to the Father through him. They must not even inquire into the modes and forms of idolatrous worship. What good would it do them to know those depths of Satan? And our inward satisfaction will be more and more, as we abound in love and good works, which spring from faith and the in-dwelling Spirit of Christ.

(13, 14) Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest: But in the place which the Lord shall choose. —An attempt is made by some modern writers to establish a contradiction between this precept and the one in Exodus 20:24 : “In all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.” But they are not really contradictory. The choice of Jehovah makes the place of acceptance. He need not always choose the same spot-Either this law in Deuteronomy was written by Moses or it was not. If it was, it must be taken in the same sense as Exodus 20:24 . If it was the work of later times, the writer must have known perfectly that Jehovah had varied His choice from time to time, and therefore the injunction must still have the same sense. Rashi remarks upon the words “Take heed that thou offer not . . . in every place that thou seest”— i.e. which comes into thy mind—“but thou must offer at the command of a prophet, as, for instance, Elijah on Mount Carmel.” It seems clear that the general principle inculcated here is the same with that of Exodus 20 and of Leviticus 17. The choice of Jehovah makes the place of worship. Details may safely be left to the direction of the authorised Divine representatives at any given time. If the Jews themselves saw no difficulty or discrepancy in these Scriptures, is it any proof of wisdom for us to make difficulties? Do we not rather prove the imperfection of our own understanding?

Verses 13-16. - They were to beware of offering sacrifice in any place that might seem to them best; their offerings were to be presented only in that place which God should choose. But this did not imply that they were not to kill and eat in their own abodes whatever they desired for food, according to the blessing of Jehovah their God. Only they were to abstain from eating of blood (cf. Genesis 9:4 ; Leviticus 7:26 ); that they were to pour on the earth as if it were water. Burnt offering ; this is named instar omnium , as the principal offering. Whatsoever thy soul lusteth after . To "lust," in old English, means simply to will, choose, desire; it is the same word as "list," or, as it is sometimes spelt, "lest," and does not, as now, imply anything evil. As of the roebuck, and as of the hart ; probably the gazelle and fallow deer. As these were animals that could not be offered in sacrifice, the distinction between clean and unclean, on the part of the eaters, did not come into consideration. Deuteronomy 12:13

Nor the other things mentioned above, this one and most eminent kind being put for all the rest, as is usual; for being all expressed before, it was needless to repeat them again. In every place that thou seest, to wit, with complacency and approbation, which thou thinkest very fit and proper for such a work, as one might possibly judge of some high places, or groves, or gardens.

Moses points out that heretofore they had not observed the prescribed order in their worship, because during their migratory life in the wilderness it had been impossible to do so. During their wanderings there were doubtless times when the tabernacle was not set up for days together, and when the daily sacrifice Numbers 28:3 , together with many other ordinances, were necessarily omitted (compare Joshua 5:5 ). This consideration must be carefully borne in mind throughout Deuteronomy. It illustrates the necessity for a repetition of very much of the Sinaitic legislation, and suggests the reason why some parts are so urgently reiterated and impressed, while others are left unnoticed. Moses now warns the people that as they were about to quit their unsettled mode of life, God's purpose of choosing for Himself a place to set His Name there would be executed, and the whole of the sacred ritual would consequently become obligatory. The "rest and safety" of Canaan is significantly laid down Deuteronomy 12:10-11 as the indispensable condition and basis for an entire fulfillment of the Law: the perfection of righteousness coinciding thus with the cessation of wanderings, dangers, and toils.

13–19. Third Statement of the Law of the One Sanctuary In the Sg. address and with phrases characteristic of that form. In substance much the same as the two previous statements, the zebaḥim being curiously omitted from the list of offerings. Deuteronomy 12:15 f. are clearly a later insertion. We see from this statement how a law tended in the hands of the deuteronomists to grow both in content and form. Deuteronomy 12:13 . Take heed to thyself ] See on Deuteronomy 6:12 . burnt offerings ] ‘Olôth alone without zebaḥim . This may have been the original form of the law. Contrast Deuteronomy 12:6; Deuteronomy 12:11 . in every place that thou seest ] Peculiar to this statement: i.e. every sacred place used as such by the Canaanites on the conspicuous positions described in Deuteronomy 12:2 . Thou seest , cp. Ezekiel 20:28 , when I had brought them into the land … then they saw (or looked out for ) every high hill and every thick tree and offered there , etc. Deuteronomy 12:14 . See on Deuteronomy 12:5 : here in one of thy tribes instead of out of all thy tribes . Deuteronomy 12:15-16 . Notwithstanding … Only ] Both = Heb. raḳ , used to introduce exceptions or qualifications to the laws, 10 times, and 10 more in the rest of the book (see on Deuteronomy 10:15 ). On the contents of these verses see Deuteronomy 12:20-25 which they anticipate, disturbing at the same time the list of offerings begun in Deuteronomy 12:13-14 and continued in Deuteronomy 12:17 .

The immediate connection of Deuteronomy 12:17 with Deuteronomy 12:14 is clear. On these grounds Deuteronomy 12:15-16 are generally taken as a later insertion. Note, too, the Pl. ye shall not eat in 16. The Pl. does not occur in the rest of this statement of the law and may well be due to the hand that has made this addition; as so many of these sporadic changes of address are found in editorial additions. The LXX confirms the Pl. here: the Sam. Sg. may be due to harmonising. Deuteronomy 12:17 . Direct continuation of Deuteronomy 12:13-14 , completing the list of offerings to be brought to the one altar. On the contents see on Deuteronomy 12:6; Deuteronomy 12:11 : the phraseology is however, characteristic of the Sg. passages. Thou mayest not ] Heb., lit. thou shalt not be able : in the sense thou must or darest not only in Sg. passages: here, Deuteronomy 16:5 , Deuteronomy 17:15 , Deuteronomy 22:3 , or with he , Deuteronomy 21:16 ; Deuteronomy 22:19 ; Deuteronomy 22:29 ; Deuteronomy 24:4 . within thy gates ] Thy homestead or town of residence: used almost exclusively with Sg. ( Deuteronomy 5:14 , Deuteronomy 12:17 f., 21, Deuteronomy 14:21 ; Deuteronomy 14:27-29 , Deuteronomy 15:22 , Deuteronomy 16:11 ; Deuteronomy 16:14 , Deuteronomy 17:8 , Deuteronomy 24:14 , Deuteronomy 26:12 , Deuteronomy 31:12 , cp. Deuteronomy 28:57 ). Only one Pl. passage has it, Deuteronomy 12:12 . Deuteronomy 12:18 . See on Deuteronomy 12:5; Deuteronomy 12:7; Deuteronomy 12:12 . Deuteronomy 12:19 .