Deuteronomy 12:15-28

hey hey good morning good morning welcome to coffee and devotions this morning we are at Deuteronomy chapter 12 the second half of the chapter so we're going to be looking at verses 15 through 28 so 15 through 28 have a little bit at the end there for next time but this morning we're going to be looking at meat right figure out what God's talking about with meat here and the Liberty the people have in the Old Testament with me with meat let's have some coffee we'll pray and we'll get into God's word let's pray father we thank you so much for what a blessing it is to get to follow you we thank you for your word Lord we thank you for the joy it is to get to read it lord it's in our language we can understand it and father we thank you for that blessing Lord we pray that your spirit would please help us to take it seriously to understand what it means for us and that we would follow after you in Jesus's name we pray amen all right so we are at the second half of Deuteronomy 12 starting at verse 15 here we go however you may Slaughter and eat meat within all your Gates whatever your heart desires according to the blessing of the Lord your God which he has given you the unclean and the clean may eat of it of the gazelle and of the deer alike Only You shall not eat the blood you shall pour it on the earth like water you may not eat eat within your Gates the tithe of your grain and of your new wine or your oil of the firstborn of your herd or of your flock of of any of your offering which you vow of your free will offerings or of the heave offerings of your hand but you must eat them before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord your God chooses you chooses you and your sons and your daughter your male and female servants and the levite who is within your Gates and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all to which you put your hands take heed to yourself that you do not forsake the levite as long as you live in your land when the Lord your God enlarges your border as he has promised you and you say let me eat meat because you long to eat meat you may eat as much as meet as you as your heart desires if the place where the Lord your God chooses to put his name is too far from you then you may Slaughter from your herd and from your flock which the Lord has given you just as I have commanded you and you may eat within your Gates as much as your heart desires just as the gazelle and the deer are eaten so you may eat them the unclean and the clean alike may eat them only be sure that you do not eat the blood for the blood is a life you may not eat the life with the meat you shall not eat it you shall pour it out on the earth like water you should not eat it that it may go well with you and your children after you when you do what is right in the sight of the Lord only the holy things which you have and you and your vowed offerings you shall take and go to the place which the Lord chooses and you shall offer your burnt offerings the meat and the blood on the altar of the Lord your God and the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of the Lord your God and you shall eat the meat observe and Obey these words which I command you that it may go well with you and your children after you when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God well we need to ask ourselves three questions a what's this about B what's the best verse to summarize us and see what are we called to do a what is this about remember last time Ellie and I were here we were talking about how they're going to go into the promised land and they're not to worship God like the pagans not with their Idols not anything like that they're to go to the Tabernacle and that's where they're supposed to worship they're supposed to worship where God wants when God wants and how God wants but what if they're not at the temple right what what or the Tabernacle what if what if they're just at home and they want to have a barbecue are they allowed to eat meat now remember in the ancient world eating meat was a huge luxury and it happened almost exclusively at Temple type Services religious type services and the Lord says here hey look if you want to eat meat go ahead it doesn't matter if you're clean or unclean at your house you want to have a barbecue Slaughter the fatted lamb cook it have fun it's it's yours go ahead and do it right that that's that's fully up to you your sons your daughters your maid servants your your children go ahead have a great time it's yours but but if it's a vow if it's the firstborn which the Lord had declared as his own if it was the first fruits if it was something that was supposed to be devoted to the Lord if it was a tithe that was not supposed to be eaten in their home that must be taken to the Tabernacle even if they lived a long way away right you can have all the meat you want that's your that's your own but if it's the Lord's you go to the Tabernacle and that's where you make your sacrifices that's where you offer the meat that's where you get to eat the meat your yourself as well now no matter what you know in the Israelite economy you don't eat the blood right because the life is in the blood no matter what if you're home that's the only stipulation right but the point here is that they're not supposed to forget the levite they're not the supposed to forget that it is at the Tabernacle that that's where they Worship the Lord not on every high place not to any other God not to any of this other stuff no no no no no they go to the Tabernacle this is how they're going to show part of their Covenant loyalty to the Lord their God who is their King and their Sovereign so that's what this is about right this eating of meat and and it's important right because it's it's a cultural contextual thing for them so what's the best verse to summarize this well uh I have verse 15 underlined I think verse 15 is a really good one to summarize that I also have part of verse 18 underlined right but you must eat the meat before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord your God chooses you and your son and your daughter your male servant and your female servant the levite who is within your Gates and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all to which you put your hands what is SE calling what are we called to do well you rejoice in the good things the Lord has given you and in your rejoicing are you the type of person who gives unto the Lord with a cheerful heart right we we give to the Lord in a way that shows God you have given me these things these are yours and it's wonderful it's marvelous thank you so much and do you give it to him now I got to say there are people though who think oh I can go Worship the Lord however I want and do whatever I want whenever I want because well God is Spirit he's everywhere he's all times but the problem is God actually gives us some Direction ction in worship even in the New Covenant right not to forsake the assembling of ourselves right as is the manner of some but we need to encourage each other and provoke each other unto love and Good Deeds right don't don't uh Don't Starve the ox who's treading the grain right that's Paul's direction towards the people in the early church to pay their their young Pastor who's working for them right this is the way in which the Lord still gives us directions in the New Testament and the point is there's a communal aspect when people still get together and we partake of the sacraments and we worship God together as a living Temple a House of Prayer it's our blessing to do with great joy to worship him with gladness to sing of his goodness to sit under his word to not forsake the assembly so this is what the Lord is saying they to worship him when and how and where he chooses they are to do so with great joy joy and when they go home they're to rejoice in all the good things that God has given them do you do that do you come to his house with joy for his goodness and do you rejoice in your house for all the good things he's given you let's be those who give thanks always and at all times let's pray father thank you so much for the joy you have given us in Jesus Christ thank you for the hope we have in him thank you for all the good things that you have poured out in our lives Lord there are so many we are a richly blessed people God we pray that you would please let us be marked by gratitude and thankfulness father we pray that we would worship you in spirit and in truth as you have called us to in Jesus's name amen but may God worship may God bless you as you worship Him and as you love him and as you rejoice in all his goodness to you I'll see you next time bye