Deuteronomy 12:4

“Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God.”

Deuteronomy 12 is part of Moses’ final sermon to the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land. In this chapter, Moses gives them instructions regarding the proper worship of God. Let’s examine the context leading up to verse 4 to gain a better understanding.

In Deuteronomy 12:1-3, Moses tells the Israelites that when they enter the land God has given them, they are to destroy all the places where the nations they dispossess have served their gods-whether high mountains, hills, or under leafy trees. This is to ensure that the Israelites do not adopt the idolatrous practices of the nations around them.

Now, let’s focus on verse 4: “Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God.”

This verse serves as a warning against imitating the worship practices of the pagan nations they are displacing. The Israelites were not to worship God in the same manner as the idolaters worshiped their false gods. God desired pure and sincere worship from His chosen people.

The verse implies that the worship of God should be distinct and set apart from the practices of the pagan nations. It is a call for the Israelites to worship God according to the specific instructions and regulations He had given them. They were not to offer sacrifices to God in the same way that the idolaters offered sacrifices to their gods.

This command has a broader implication for believers today. It reminds us that our worship of God should not be influenced by the practices and customs of the world around us. We are called to worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24), offering our devotion and praise according to His revealed will in the Bible.

In the New Testament, we see that God desires our worship to be centered on Jesus Christ, who is the perfect sacrifice and our High Priest. Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.”