Deuteronomy 12:27

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.

And thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, upon the altar of the Lord thy God,.... And on that only, even the altar of burnt offering: and the blood of thy sacrifices; one as well as another, not only of the burnt offerings, but of the sin offerings, trespass offerings, and peace offerings: shall be poured out upon the altar of the Lord thy God: either sprinkled on it, or poured out at the bottom of it; see Leviticus 1:1, and thou shalt eat the flesh; that is, of the peace offerings, for of them only might the people eat, and that only before the Lord.

De 12:26-32. Holy Things to Be Eaten in the Holy Place. 26. Only thy holy things which thou hast—The tithes mentioned (De 12:17) are not to be considered ordinary tithes, which belonged to the Levites, and of which private Israelites had a right to eat; but they are other extraordinary tithes or gifts, which the people carried to the sanctuary to be presented as peace offerings, and on which, after being offered and the allotted portion given to the priest, they feasted with their families and friends (Le 27:30).

On the promise for doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord, see Deuteronomy 6:18 . - In Deuteronomy 12:26 , Deuteronomy 12:27 , the command to offer all the holy gifts at the place chosen by the Lord is enforced once more, as in Deuteronomy 12:6 , Deuteronomy 12:11 , Deuteronomy 12:17 , Deuteronomy 12:18 ; also to prepare the sacrifices at His altar. קדשׁים, the holy offerings prescribed in the law, as in Numbers 18:8 ; see at Leviticus 21:22 . The "votive offerings" are mentioned in connection with these, because vows proceeded from a spontaneous impulse. לך יהיוּ אשׁר, "which are to thee," are binding upon thee. In v. 27, "the flesh and the blood" are in opposition to "thy burnt-offerings:" "thy burnt-offerings, namely the flesh and blood of them," thou shalt prepare at the altar of Jehovah; i.e., the flesh and blood of the burnt-offerings were to be placed upon and against the altar (see at Leviticus 1:5-9 ). Of the slain-offerings, i.e., the shelamim, the blood was to be poured out against the altar ( Leviticus 3:2 , Leviticus 3:8 , Leviticus 3:13 ); "the flesh thou canst eat" (cf. Leviticus 7:11 .). There is no ground for seeking an antithesis in ישּׁפך, as Knobel does, to the זרק in the sacrificial ritual. The indefinite expression may be explained from the retrospective allusion to Deuteronomy 12:24 and the purely suggestive character of the whole passage, the thing itself being supposed to be sufficiently known from the previous laws.

Deuteronomy 12:18 ; Deuteronomy 14:27 ; Deuteronomy 16:11 , Deuteronomy 16:14 ; Deuteronomy 18:6 ; Deuteronomy 26:12 ) does not assume that they were homeless, which would be at variance with the allotment of towns for them to dwell in ( Numbers 35 ); but simply implies what is frequently added in explanation, that the Levites had "no part nor inheritance," no share of the land as their hereditary property, and in this respect resembled strangers ( Deuteronomy 14:21 , Deuteronomy 14:29 ; Deuteronomy 16:11 , etc.). (Note: The explanation given by De Wette, and adopted by Riehm, of the expression, "the Levite that is within thy gates," is perfectly arbitrary and unfounded: viz., that "the Levites did not live any longer in the towns assigned them by the earlier laws, but were scattered about in the different towns of the other tribes.") And the repeated injunction to invite the Levites to the sacrificial meals is not at variance with Numbers 18:21, where the tithes are assigned to the tribe of Levi for their maintenance.