Deuteronomy 12:5
Instead, you must seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to establish as a dwelling for His Name, and there you must go.
Sermons
Destruction of Monuments of IdolatryJ. Orr Deuteronomy 12:1-5
Centralization in WorshipR.M. Edgar Deuteronomy 12:4-14
The Gospel of the Holy PlacesS. Mather.Deuteronomy 12:5-6
Public WorshipJ. Orr Deuteronomy 12:5-9
Characteristic Signs of Jehovah's WorshipD. Davies Deuteronomy 12:5-28














A necessity of our spiritual life. Prompted by a community of privileges, interests, feelings, hopes, duties, temptations, aspirations; "One Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:3-7). It is required in it -

I. THAT GOD BE PRESENT WITH HIS PEOPLE. We meet in his Name. His presence is promised (Matthew 18:20). Without that presence sought and obtained, worship is in vain.

II. THAT IT BE PURE AND SCRIPTURAL. Not "will-worship" (Colossians 2:23); not corrupted by the ingrafting upon it of heathen superstitions. Christianity has often been thus corrupted. The papal mariolatry and worship of images, with the wholesale importation into Christianity of rites and ceremonies drawn from paganism, is a glaring instance. God forbids any mixture of the old worship with the new. The very names of the gods of the Canaanites were to be destroyed (ver. 3). Worldliness, not less than superstition, may intrude itself into worship, and destroy its purity (John 2:13-17; James 2:2, 3).

III. THAT IT BE ORDERLY. (Ver. 8.) Paul pleads for order in the Christian Church (1 Corinthians 11., 12.).

IV. THAT IT GIVE EXPRESSION TO THE VARIED WANTS OF THE RELIGIOUS NATURE. (Vers. 6, 7.) The prescribed sacrifices constituted a complex medium for the expression of the complex life and aspirations of the nation. It is to be noted that, save on days specially devoted to the remembrance of sins, a predominatingly joyful tone pervaded the services. This tone of joy should characterize yet more decidedly the services of Christians, coming before the Lord, as they are commanded to do, "to offer up spiritual sacrifices" (Philippians 4:4; Colossians 3:16; 1 Peter 2:5).

V. THAT IT BE ASSOCIATED WITH REMEMBRANCE OF THE POOR. (Vers. 7, 12, 18; Deuteronomy 16:11, 14.) One of the first effects of Christ's love in a heart should be to open it up in sympathy and kindness to all in need (Acts 2:45; Acts 4:34, 35; Romans 15:25; 1 Corinthians 12:26; 2 Corinthians 8:9.). - J.O.

Unto His habitation shall ye seek.
I. God was pleased to choose out certain places to stand in A SPECIAL RELATION OF HOLINESS UNTO HIMSELF under the Old Testament. This holiness of places was two-fold, either transient and merely for the present time, or else more permanent.

1. The transient holiness of places was where the Lord gave visible appearances of Himself in His glorious majesty to the eyes of His servants; such places were holy during the time of such Divine appearances (Exodus 3:5; Exodus 19:11-25; Joshua 5:15 2 Peter 1:18).

2. There was also a more abiding holiness of places under the law.(1) The land of Canaan (Zechariah 2:12).(2) The cities of refuge.(3) The tabernacle, the temple, the ark, and all the places where they came (2 Chronicles 8:11).(4) Jerusalem was very eminent as being the place of the temple, and ark, and all the public worship thereunto belonging (Psalm 76:2; Psalm 87:2).

II. What is THE GROUND OF THIS HOLINESS OF THESE PLACES, AND HOW ARE WE TO CONCEIVE OF IT?

1. The Lord is said to choose these places to set His name there, and therefore they are called His habitation.(1) Here were the standing symbols and tokens of His presence.(2) In these places were visible appearances of His glory upon special occasions (Exodus 40:34; Numbers 12:5; 1 Kings 8:10, 11; Isaiah 6:1).(3) These places had their typical significations of Christ and Gospel mysteries.(4) These places were appointed by God to be parts, yea, principal parts, of His worship (Exodus 20:24; Ezekiel 20:40).(5) They were, by God's appointment, the seat of all the public church worship of those times.

2. "Thither shalt thou seek," i.e. for answers and oracles from the holy places, and from the priest by Urim and Thummim (Exodus 25:22; Numbers 7:8, 9; Numbers 27:21).

3. "Thither shalt thou come," i.e. at all the appointed festivals, three times a year (Exodus 23:14, 17), and whensoever they offered sacrifice (ver. 6).Lessons:

1. The cessation of this holiness of places under the New Testament (John 4:21-23; Matthew 18:22; 1 Timothy 2:8; Malachi 1:11). Every place is now a Judaea, every house a Jerusalem, every congregation a Zion.

2. Learn to present your worship unto God by Jesus Christ, for He is the true Temple and Tabernacle (Hebrews 7:25; 1 Peter 1:21; John 14:6; Colossians 3:17).

3. Remember that there is a church worship (Acts 2:42; Acts 20:7).

4. Labour everyone, that his soul may be a habitation for the Lord, a temple of the Holy Ghost.

(S. Mather.)

People
Levites, Moses
Places
Beth-baal-peor, Jordan River
Topics
Choose, Dwelling, Entered, Establish, Habitation, Hast, Hearts, Marked, Seek, Tabernacle, Thither, Tribes
Outline
1. Monuments of idolatry to be destroyed
4. The place of God's service to be kept
15. Blood is forbidden
17. Holy things must be eaten in the holy place
19. The Levite is not to be forsaken
20. Blood is again forbidden
26. and holy things must be eaten in the holy place
29. Idolatry is not to be enquired after

Dictionary of Bible Themes
Deuteronomy 12:5

     5340   house
     6622   choice
     8626   worship, places

Deuteronomy 12:1-7

     5378   law, OT

Deuteronomy 12:2-6

     7435   sacrifice, in OT

Deuteronomy 12:2-7

     7442   shrine

Deuteronomy 12:4-6

     5415   money, uses of

Deuteronomy 12:4-7

     8315   orthodoxy, in OT

Deuteronomy 12:4-25

     4478   meat

Deuteronomy 12:5-6

     7366   freewill offering
     8488   tithing

Deuteronomy 12:5-7

     5042   name of God, significance

Library
The Eating of the Peace-Offering
'But thou must eat them before the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto.'--DEUT. xii. 18. There were three bloody sacrifices, the sin-offering, the burnt- offering, and the peace-offering. In all three expiation was the first idea, but in the second of them the act
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Exposition of the Moral Law.
1. The Law was committed to writing, in order that it might teach more fully and perfectly that knowledge, both of God and of ourselves, which the law of nature teaches meagrely and obscurely. Proof of this, from an enumeration of the principal parts of the Moral Law; and also from the dictate of natural law, written on the hearts of all, and, in a manner, effaced by sin. 2. Certain general maxims. 1. From the knowledge of God, furnished by the Law, we learn that God is our Father and Ruler. Righteousness
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Promise in 2 Samuel, Chap. vii.
The Messianic prophecy, as we have seen, began at a time long anterior to that of David. Even in Genesis, we perceived [Pg 131] it, increasing more and more in distinctness. There is at first only the general promise that the seed of the woman should obtain the victory over the kingdom of the evil one;--then, that the salvation should come through the descendants of Shem;--then, from among them Abraham is marked out,--of his sons, Isaac,--from among his sons, Jacob,--and from among the twelve sons
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

The King --Continued.
The second event recorded as important in the bright early years is the great promise of the perpetuity of the kingdom in David's house. As soon as the king was firmly established and free from war, he remembered the ancient word which said, "When He giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety, then there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause His name to dwell there" (Deut. xii. 10, 11). His own ease rebukes him; he regards his tranquillity
Alexander Maclaren—The Life of David

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
THE FALL OF NINEVEH AND THE RISE OF THE CHALDAEAN AND MEDIAN EMPIRES--THE XXVIth EGYPTIAN DYNASTY: CYAXARES, ALYATTES, AND NEBUCHADREZZAR. The legendary history of the kings of Media and the first contact of the Medes with the Assyrians: the alleged Iranian migrations of the Avesta--Media-proper, its fauna and flora; Phraortes and the beginning of the Median empire--Persia proper and the Persians; conquest of Persia by the Medes--The last monuments of Assur-bani-pal: the library of Kouyunjik--Phraortes
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8

Deuteronomy
Owing to the comparatively loose nature of the connection between consecutive passages in the legislative section, it is difficult to present an adequate summary of the book of Deuteronomy. In the first section, i.-iv. 40, Moses, after reviewing the recent history of the people, and showing how it reveals Jehovah's love for Israel, earnestly urges upon them the duty of keeping His laws, reminding them of His spirituality and absoluteness. Then follows the appointment, iv. 41-43--here irrelevant (cf.
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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