Passage: Deuteronomy 13
In their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, the Israelites are reminded repeatedly that their relationship with God is a matter of life or death. With God they will live; without God they’ll die. This is the principle that undergirds most of the teaching that God gives his people through Moses in the Old Testament books of the Law. It’s a principle we have to keep in mind when we read passages like Deuteronomy 13.
In this section of his sermon, Moses tells his people how to respond to anyone who presents a religious alternative to the worship of the LORD. Moses says, "If anyone invites you to worship a god other than the LORD, you have to kill that person. It doesn’t matter if it’s your next door neighbor; someone you grew up with; your best friend; your husband or wife. If they try to entice you or any member of your community away from the LORD, they have to be permanently removed from among your people."
This strikes us as harsh. It seems unreasonable. It seems inordinately jealous. Why should God care so much if someone wants a different religion? Is God that insecure?
The answer, of course, is no. God’s not that insecure. But God has gone out of his way to save his people from certain death. In Deuteronomy 7 God’s people are told,
The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.
God wants to save his people. He is their only hope. Any path that leads away from God is a path that leads to certain death. God tells the Israelites, "If you’ve left me for another god, you’re already lost. If your neighbors or your family members have left me for another god, they can only drag others to destruction with them." They have to be removed.
God’s command for the Israelites to kill idolaters, needless to say, no longer applies to us. But our relationship with God is a life or death issue. With God we live. Without God, ultimately, we die. Evaluate your habits and relationships. If anything stands between you and God, set it aside. If you cannot maintain the habit or the relationship without losing your relationship with God, then choose God. Choose life.