Take Heed… | Sunday, March 6, 2022

If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder... saying, "Let us go after other gods"... you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 13:1–3)

When the world cannot curse the people of God, it tries to seduce them into cursing themselves.

A Covenant Treaty Between God and Israel

It's hard to believe we began studying the book of Deuteronomy more than two years ago. When I first started teaching through it, I shared something worth repeating now: this fifth book of the Bible follows a literary pattern very similar to a covenantal treaty between two groups of people during the middle to end of the second millennium BC, in the ancient Near East. These treaties were called suzerain-vassal treaties. They outlined the covenantal relationship between a sovereign king (the suzerain) and a subordinate (the vassal). In Deuteronomy, God is the sovereign ruler, and Israel is His covenanted people.

At this point in the book—chapters 12 through 26—we are in the condition and stipulation section of the covenant. The stipulations establish the conditions by which God and His people would maintain their relationship: the guidelines that would bolster the relationship, and what would nullify it.

"I Do": The Vows of the Covenant

If you are married, you entered a covenant relationship with your spouse and vowed to uphold its conditions. You probably answered "I do" when the officiant asked whether you would take this person to love and honor, to cherish in sickness and health, in joy and sorrow, in adversity and prosperity, forsaking all others, as long as you both shall live. In responding "I do," you vowed to uphold the stipulations of that covenant.

The children of Israel vowed themselves to God, and God vowed Himself to them. Back at Mount Sinai, when Moses brought them out of Egypt, they made this vow. In Exodus 19 they said, "Everything that God has said, we will do." And in Exodus 24:7, after receiving the Ten Commandments, Moses read the book of the covenant in their hearing, and they said, "All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient." As you read through the books that follow, you discover that faithfulness to these conditions is key for all the benefits and blessings of being in covenant with God. Those blessings are conditioned upon faithfulness.

Two Great Pitfalls: Forgetfulness and Unfaithfulness

As Israel prepares to enter the promised land, Moses warns them of two major pitfalls: forgetfulness and unfaithfulness. While traveling through the wilderness, they were one people gathered in one place, with the tabernacle of God centrally located in their camp. God provided mightily and miraculously—manna every single day, water out of rocks. And they had Moses, who had a connection with God where God would speak to him as a man speaks to a friend, available to answer their questions and mediate their problems.

But now they would go into the land and no longer have all of that. So Moses cautions them, because they would be prone to forget and to wander. Forgetting God and turning away from Him would result in a curse.

We see this clearly in Deuteronomy 27. Beginning at verse 9, Moses and the priests said, "Take heed and listen, O Israel: This day you have become the people of the LORD your God. Therefore you shall obey the voice of the LORD." Six tribes were to stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people, and six on Mount Ebal to curse. Then the Levites pronounced curse after curse: "Cursed is the one who makes a carved or molded image... Cursed is the one who treats his father or his mother with contempt..." Down through verse 26 there are about twelve curses, and after each one, all the people were to answer, "Amen."

Take Heed: Curses and Blessings

It's important to understand that it's not all curses. All the people agreed: we enter this relationship, and we understand that if we don't follow God's laws, we will reap the curses. But there were also many blessings for those who remember, observe, and obey the conditions of the covenant. Because that's true, throughout Deuteronomy the children of Israel are told to take heed to God's law.

Deuteronomy 4:9 says, "Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen." Verse 19 warns them not to be driven to worship the sun, moon, and stars. Verse 23 says, "Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant." And Deuteronomy 11:16 is key: "Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods." Last week in chapter 12, we read those words three times—take heed, take heed, take heed.

A Personal Charge to Each Individual

Each time this command is given, it's interesting that it is spoken singularly to the individual, not in the plural. Moses addresses all the people, but he says to each one: you be cautious, be aware, be on guard. This teaches us that I must beware lest I forget and wander from the Lord as my God. This is important for two reasons.

First, this is a charge to me personally. It is not my job to police you. We often think we must keep an eye out for everyone else and point out where they fall short, but really I need to make sure I am walking in alignment with God's Word. Paul writes in Romans 14:4, "Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand." We've been informing on each other since we could talk—not a day goes by that one of my four kids isn't reporting on a sibling's indiscretion. But God tells us to keep our focus on ourselves.

Second, this is a charge to humility. When questioned about our morality, we're quick to say, "Well, I'm a really good person," judging ourselves by people who are worse off. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:12, "Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." And Solomon says in Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." So I must not arrogantly think I have everything going perfectly while standing in judgment over others.

From Forgetfulness to Seduction

As we come to Deuteronomy 13, the caution shifts—from being forgetful and wandering, to actually being deceived and led away from faithfulness. I am prone to forget and to drift, and so are you. We can easily find ourselves out of the way by neglect. But it is equally easy, and perhaps more dangerous, to be seduced and deceived away from faithfulness to God by somebody else.

In the book of Numbers, the Moabite king Balak sought to hire the prophet Balaam to curse Israel. As the story plays out, Balaam realizes he cannot curse them, because they are God's blessed and chosen people. So Balaam tells Balak: I can't curse them from above, but you can seduce them into bringing God's curse upon themselves.

Revelation 2:14 tells us Balaam taught Balak to put a stumbling block before Israel. Instead of amassing an army of soldiers, Balak sent an army of prostitutes from the temples of Moab's idols to hang out near Israel's camp. Numbers 25 records, "The people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods... So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel."

The Danger of Being Seduced

It is entirely possible to forget the Lord and follow other things. But it is more likely that we will be seduced to walk away from the Lord and begin to worship and serve other things. This is exactly what Paul feared. In 2 Corinthians 11:3 he writes, "I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."

So if I summarize the simple point of Deuteronomy 13, it's this: I must beware of the seductive deception of the world and its ways. Whether you lived 3,400 years ago or here in 2022, this is vital. The point is not that we become fearful and separatists, cutting ourselves off and becoming a cloistered, monastic community of isolationists. Christians have done that throughout history, but I don't think that's what God wants. We should simply be aware and cautious. Moses tells us to guard against and deal decisively with three distinct seductive snares: false prophets, deceptive dreamers, and corrosive relationships.

Guard Against False Prophets and Deceptive Dreamers

Look at Deuteronomy 13:1–3. If a prophet or dreamer gives you a sign or wonder that comes to pass, but then says, "Let us go after other gods," you shall not listen, "for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul."

This may seem simple in 2022—we may think we don't have dreamers telling us to follow other gods. But not so fast. You don't have to look far back in history to see many led astray by charismatic dreamers and visionaries. In every generation there are dozens of such deceivers. They may not explicitly say, "Let's serve other gods," but they will lead you to become lukewarm, to value the values of this world more than the kingdom of God, to be devoted to something that seems good but isn't from God.

It is easier than you think to be seduced into becoming a do-gooder committed to a cause rather than a God-honoring disciple committed to Christ and His kingdom. Many causes may indeed be worthy, but they are not God, and they are not to be exalted over God. Some causes seem so right and good, yet we can be sucked into a bondage where those things become our idols. This is a test of our faith and our faithfulness.

Loving God With All Your Heart

The greatest commandment, according to Jesus, is found in Deuteronomy 6—the Shema, named for the first Hebrew word, shema, meaning "hear." "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." Don't listen to the false prophet; devote yourself to loving God.

What does that love look like practically? In Deuteronomy 13:4, right after describing this love, Moses lists six actions, six verbs: you shall walk after the LORD your God, fear Him, keep His commandments, obey His voice, serve Him, and hold fast to Him. My love for God should be evident in the way I act. If your spouse says "I love you" but is cruel, unkind, or unfaithful, you will question whether their words are true. So it is with God.

How do you display that you love God? You walk after Him, fear Him, keep His commandments, obey His voice, serve Him, and hold fast to His word. We are to love God actively, not just passively. We receive His love—1 John 4:19, "We love Him because He first loved us"—but 1 John 3:18 says, "Let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth." Jesus warned in Matthew 24:4, "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many."

Guard Against Corrosive Relationships

Moses also cautions against caustic, corrosive, corrupting relationships—and these may be more dangerous than false prophets and dreamers. Often the deceptive dreamer is fairly easy to spot. But more dangerous is a person we have a close relationship with who becomes corrosive.

Look at Deuteronomy 13:6. "If your brother... or your son or your daughter, the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul, secretly entices you, saying, 'Let us go and serve other gods'... you shall not consent to him or listen to him... but you shall surely kill him." The language is a challenge, especially in 2022, and no, I do not believe God wants us to capitally punish those who lead us astray. This hard language is synonymous with the suzerain-vassal treaties of that period—it was meant to be heavy and weighty because these are the conditions of the covenant. We don't kill people who might lead us astray, but we must deal decisively with anyone or anything that might lead us astray, even if it's someone we love.

Such individuals are often the most dangerous because they're harder to deal with decisively. In 23 years of serving in a church, too many times to count I've seen people led astray or made toxic by a corrupting connection. A caustic relationship is a friend or family member who begins to come between you and the Lord. This effect is often subtle, going unnoticed until the corrupting work is so pervasive it is almost unfixable.

The Silver Bridge

On December 15, 1967, the U.S. Highway 35 bridge connecting West Virginia and Ohio suddenly collapsed into the Ohio River, killing 46 people and severely injuring nine others. Ultimately it was determined that small cracks and corrosion—rust in the suspension chain—caused the collapse. Those cracks went unnoticed for years until it was too late.

The same can happen in your life. We are broken, fallen individuals with cracks in our character that make us susceptible. When the slow drip of a toxic relationship gets in, it can lead to a collapse of our faith and faithfulness. Sometimes the corroding influence is gossip, sometimes false teaching from a friend or family member, sometimes a pull toward something immoral or addictive like alcohol or drugs. Like the draw of Balak and the Moabites, we can find ourselves far from God and deep in idolatry because of the corrosive influence of someone close to us.

Dealing Decisively With the Sword of the Spirit

How do you deal decisively? Look at Deuteronomy 13:12–18. If corrupt men have enticed a city to serve other gods, "then you shall inquire, search out, and ask diligently. And if it is indeed true... you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it... so that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of His anger and show you mercy."

Are we going to strike with a physical sword and burn the caustic thing as an offering? No—but spiritually, maybe. Hebrews 4:12 says, "The word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit... and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." I must strike to destroy anything that will distract and deceive with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

If a relationship is distracting or deceiving you, you must be willing to cut it off decisively. Maybe that someone is a person—or maybe it's Fox News or CNN, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, or Instagram, talk radio or a podcast. Paul says in Colossians 2:8, "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men... and not according to Christ."

Let Him Be Accursed

Probably the direct corollary to Deuteronomy 13 is Galatians 1:6–9. Paul writes, "I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel... But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached, let him be accursed." That word "accursed" is the Greek anathema—that person is effectively damned. This is heavy language. If someone is deceiving or pulling you away from devotion to the Lord, that person needs to be cut off with the Word of God—with the desire that they would repent and turn to the Lord.

In 1 Corinthians 5:11, Paul says, "I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person." These are hard words to apply because we think it would be unloving. But recognize that the influence of someone not walking with the Lord will very likely pull you away from your devotion. It is much easier to pull someone down than to pull someone up. It's been said that you become the average of the five people you spend the most time with. If you spend time with people who are caustic and corrosive, they will probably turn you toxic.

A Warning to Those Who Cause Stumbling

If you are the person distracting someone from devotion to God, the Scriptures are very clear. Jesus said in Mark 9, "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off... If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off... And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire—where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched."

These are incredibly heavy words from Jesus, from Paul, and from Moses. Beware that you do not forget and wander into idolatry—that's what we saw in Deuteronomy 11 and 12. But also beware of the seductive, deceptive world and those who might lead you astray. Strike decisively to cut off anything that might corrode or distract, and put away the evil from your midst. Do what is right in the eyes of the Lord your God—and when you do, as we'll continue to see through Deuteronomy, you will experience God's blessing.

Closing Prayer

Father God, I pray that You would work in our lives, because there are clearly all kinds of influences in this world that can seduce us. We are in a battle against the world, our own flesh, and the enemy, the devil. Lord, in that battle, help us to stand strong, and having done all, to stand—putting on the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, and the belt of truth, and shodding our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, taking up the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit. May we be ready to deal decisively with anything that would distract or remove our focus from You, cutting those things off, that we would be a people wholly committed to You. And as we are wholly committed to You, cause us to shine brightly with Your glory and grace to a world in desperate need of Your goodness. For we ask this in Jesus' name, amen.