September 4, 2019
Set Apart for Him
Deuteronomy 16:13-22
Mikaela Mathews
Central Truth
We are called to radical living that gives pause to the pagan, significance to our situations, and glory to God.
Key Verse | Deuteronomy 16:15b
"[T]he LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful."
Deuteronomy 16:13-22
The Feast of Booths
13 You shall keep the Feast of Booths seven days, when you have gathered in the produce from your threshing floor and your winepress. 14 You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns. 15 For seven days you shall keep the feast to the LORD your God at the place that the LORD will choose, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.
16 Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God that he has given you.
Justice
18 You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. 19 You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. 20 Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
Forbidden Forms of Worship
21 You shall not plant any tree as an Asherah beside the altar of the LORD your God that you shall make. 22 And you shall not set up a pillar, which the LORD your God hates.
Dive Deeper | Deuteronomy 16:13-22
"Oh, I didn't know you were a Christian," my friend said.
I felt a wave of guilt. We had been friends for over a year. Although I wasn't living a life of obvious sin, I clearly wasn't living a fruitful one.
I tried to excuse myself, but the truth was that I just wanted to live as comfortably as possible. I was living like everyone else: going to class, making good grades, and discovering my career—all noble things, to be sure. But, I wasn't living differently to show everyone watching how good my God is.
Today's passage may feel a little jumbled. We've got a seven-day festival, judges who should be immune to bribery, and a command to not worship other gods. But with all of these laws, we get a peek at God's heart for His people: to live a life separated for Him.
In all of these ways, the Israelites were to look different from the rest. While the Israelites were partying because of God's provision, the pagans could wonder what was making them so happy. When the judges sought the good of all people even at a cost to themselves, the pagans could wish they lived in that system of fairness. And, when the Israelites worshiped only one God, the pagans could ask them why they ignored a goddess the pagans put faith in.
These laws were not made solely to be fulfilled out of obligation. They were a desperate call for those who did not know God to come and see His wonder.
The beginning of Romans 12:2 says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind . . . ." When we refuse to live like the world, we can live transformed by the goodness of God. And transformed people help transform people. If you want to impact your family, your workplace, heck—even this generation, start by living a life separated for God. I promise it'll be worth it.
Discussion Questions
1. If you feel tempted to look like the rest of the world in how you treat other people or live your life, ask God to show you how you can be set apart for His glory.
2. How can you rejoice in His provision? Try writing down every day for the next 30 days one thing God has given to you.
3. Are you currently in a situation in which you should seek justice? Are you actively ensuring that all people are treated fairly under your authority?
4. Are there any idols in your life you are worshiping over Jesus? How can you turn off those distractions and keep your eyes fixed on Him?