Deuteronomy 13:1 – 11 “If a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you, and if the sign or wonder he has spoken to you comes about, but he says, “Let us follow other gods (which you have not known) and let us worship them,” you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. For the LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul. You are to follow the LORD your God and fear Him. Keep His commandments and listen to His voice; serve Him and hold Him fast.
Such a prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he has advocated rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way in which the LORD your God has commanded you to walk. So you must purge the evil from among you.
If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (which neither you nor your fathers have known, the gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the earth to the other), you must not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity, and do not spare him or shield him.
Instead, you must surely kill him. Your hand must be the first against him to put him to death, and then the hands of all the people. Stone him to death for trying to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such a wicked thing among you.”
Signs and wonders! Remember that when Moses and Aaron first went to Pharaoh in Egypt, Pharaoh refused to listen to them because his own magicians could duplicate some of the signs that Moses performed. It was only when the magicians failed and could no longer copy the miracles that Moses was doing that the magicians themselves advised Pharaoh that this was truly the hand of God. Throughout the ages, there have been those who could do magic of one kind or another, sometimes by slight of hand and sometimes through demonic power.
Notice that God is warning the Israelites that indeed, prophets may arise whose prophecies are fulfilled. But the test of a true prophet is whether or not he leads people closer to the One True Living God or farther away. God is warning the Israelites that they must not compromise and that even if such a prophet is their closest relative or loved one, he or she must die by stoning. God even warns that anyone who realizes that a relative or loved one is a false prophet must throw the first stone and neither pity nor protect them. Failure to purge the evil as soon as it appears will only allow more evil to flourish. Tolerating evil only allows it to multiply and to become worse.
APPLICATION: Any gardener can tell you about thistles. Thistles might look pretty for awhile, but if not rooted out as soon as possible, they can take over a garden. The root systems for thistles are extensive and failure to eradicate the roots will only allow the thistles to grow back.
Evil is like thistles; it has long tough roots and must be eradicated quickly. Many times we try to ignore evil in hopes that it will somehow go away, but we are only giving that evil a chance to grow.
Each of us needs to search our own hearts to see where we have tolerated evil. Do we criticize others sharply, excusing ourselves by calling it discernment? Do we indulge in food, shopping, or some forms of entertainment, telling ourselves that we deserve it? Are we so addicted to our cell phones and tablets that we ignore the needs of those around us?
Proverbs 4:23 tells us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” We must guard our hearts and minds! Philippians 4:8 tells us, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
God warned the Israelites not to tolerate any evil whatsoever. We too should be careful. Guard your heart!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Help us to guard our hearts and to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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