The Necessity of Accountability
Scripture: Deuteronomy 13:6-11
6 “Suppose someone secretly entices you—even your brother, your son or daughter, your beloved wife, or your closest friend—and says, ‘Let us go worship other gods’—gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known. 7 They might suggest that you worship the gods of peoples who live nearby or who come from the ends of the earth. 8 But do not give in or listen. Have no pity, and do not spare or protect them. 9 You must put them to death! Strike the first blow yourself, and then all the people must join in. 10 Stone the guilty ones to death because they have tried to draw you away from the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of slavery. 11 Then all Israel will hear about it and be afraid, and no one will act so wickedly again."
Observations:
God didn't play around with the idea of His people ever worshiping any other god but Him. He even went so far as to enact a public law that if anyone even so much as hinted at the idea of following after another god in your hearing, you were obligated not only to report them but you were to participate in their public execution regardless of who they were (even your own family), to ensure that even the thought of following any god but the Lord was stopped immediately. At first, the idea sounds like a very cold, harsh community where everyone is suspicious of one antoher and afraid for their lives. But when you think about it, If this command was actually ever followed, it wouldn't likely need to be repeated very long. In fact, if people would have simply obeyed the first commands they had already been given (Exodus 20:3)then this law would have been obsolete. But the sad reality was, not only did God's people fail to keep the first commandment, they also failed to preserve the purity of their devotion to God as a people due to a lack of accountability. Somebody somewhere failed to be their neighbor's safety net when it came to temptation and as a direct result, one generation later the entire nation fell away from God (Judges 2:11).
Application:
Truth is we are all our brothers' keeper. God never intended for us to go through this life flying solo. We should never underestimate the importance of developing the kind of relationships that help keep us in check when it comes to the temptations all around us that continually draw us away after other "gods". If we're not careful, not only can we personally be led astray but without someone else there to protect us from the deadly consequences of sin, we might also lead others away from a right relationship with God. As followers of Jesus, we have been called to defend not only our own faith but the faith of our brothers and sisters in Christ. " Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. 13 You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God." (Hebrews 3:12-13).
Prayer:
Father, we truly desire to be the kind of people who are devoted to you in mind, body, spirit, and soul. Help us cultivate the kind of relationships that will protect us from sin and keep us devoted to Your Word and grant us the humility to accept the correction we need when we need it most. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
6 “Suppose someone secretly entices you—even your brother, your son or daughter, your beloved wife, or your closest friend—and says, ‘Let us go worship other gods’—gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known. 7 They might suggest that you worship the gods of peoples who live nearby or who come from the ends of the earth. 8 But do not give in or listen. Have no pity, and do not spare or protect them. 9 You must put them to death! Strike the first blow yourself, and then all the people must join in. 10 Stone the guilty ones to death because they have tried to draw you away from the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of slavery. 11 Then all Israel will hear about it and be afraid, and no one will act so wickedly again."
Observations:
God didn't play around with the idea of His people ever worshiping any other god but Him. He even went so far as to enact a public law that if anyone even so much as hinted at the idea of following after another god in your hearing, you were obligated not only to report them but you were to participate in their public execution regardless of who they were (even your own family), to ensure that even the thought of following any god but the Lord was stopped immediately. At first, the idea sounds like a very cold, harsh community where everyone is suspicious of one antoher and afraid for their lives. But when you think about it, If this command was actually ever followed, it wouldn't likely need to be repeated very long. In fact, if people would have simply obeyed the first commands they had already been given (Exodus 20:3)then this law would have been obsolete. But the sad reality was, not only did God's people fail to keep the first commandment, they also failed to preserve the purity of their devotion to God as a people due to a lack of accountability. Somebody somewhere failed to be their neighbor's safety net when it came to temptation and as a direct result, one generation later the entire nation fell away from God (Judges 2:11).
Application:
Truth is we are all our brothers' keeper. God never intended for us to go through this life flying solo. We should never underestimate the importance of developing the kind of relationships that help keep us in check when it comes to the temptations all around us that continually draw us away after other "gods". If we're not careful, not only can we personally be led astray but without someone else there to protect us from the deadly consequences of sin, we might also lead others away from a right relationship with God. As followers of Jesus, we have been called to defend not only our own faith but the faith of our brothers and sisters in Christ. " Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. 13 You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God." (Hebrews 3:12-13).
Prayer:
Father, we truly desire to be the kind of people who are devoted to you in mind, body, spirit, and soul. Help us cultivate the kind of relationships that will protect us from sin and keep us devoted to Your Word and grant us the humility to accept the correction we need when we need it most. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
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