Deuteronomy 12:5-7

To this point, we have been considering the spiritual priesthood and what that priesthood eats, and now we will take a side trip regarding eating because eating is a significant part this Feast.

God told Israel there would be a central place of worship where God would place His name, and that is where the pilgrimage feasts would be kept. He did not want Israel to do these things on their own because He knew their worship would devolve into something outside of His intent. He goes on in verse 8 to forbid every man doing what is right in his own eyes. So, He gave instructions that all their sacrifices and offerings had to be brought to the central location, and the Feast is included in that.

Verse 7 contains a critical phrase. The Israelites were not just to eat the sacrifices and offerings at the central location, but they were to eat “before the LORD [their] God.” That phrase means more than just that the LORD was at the central location. It means that He was the focus and the reason for what they were doing—the rejoicing and so forth.

If you look down to verse 18, it contains the same basic wording. It says that the tithes and offerings cannot be eaten within one’s gates (that’s in verse 17), but had to be eaten before the LORD. And the rejoicing also had to be “before the LORD,” again meaning that it was done with respect to Him. The rejoicing was because of Him—because of His work and His blessing. The rejoicing was not an end unto itself.

Deuteronomy 12:1-9

In Deuteronomy 12:1-9, there are instructions regarding things that the Israelites were to change in their worship of God whenever they came into the land. (Deuteronomy was written just shortly before they began to take over the land.)

"Do not blend the worship of Me with idolatry—with something that is foreign to My nature; something that is foreign from or different from My plan, My purpose, My way."

That place became Jerusalem. It was not there at first. It was at a couple of other places, the most noteworthy being Shiloh. But wherever God placed the tabernacle and then the temple, that is where His name was. That was the center of worship.

Why did God want these places destroyed? Because He wanted there to be no temptation to idolatry; no joining together of the way the people of the land worshipped their god with the way God wanted His people to worship Him. He did not want His way to be diluted by anything that was foreign to His purpose, to His plan. So He specifically designates that there is to be only one place.

Deuteronomy 12:1-10

As we just read there in the book of Deuteronomy 12:8-9, Moses told the people, "You shall not do as we are doing here today—every man doing what is right in his own eyes," as they crossed over into the Jordan. From that point forward, they should have been coming into the place of rest. They should have been finding the peace that God would give them, which comes with His blessing in the land of promise and peace for those who would obey His voice. It was truly the land of peace that comes from living the Word of God.

Deuteronomy 12:6-8

What is He talking about here? God is talking about a central place of worship for all of Israel. They were not allowed to make offerings any old place they wanted to, regardless of the occasion, no matter how important they might have thought it. They were not free to make offerings.

Do you see what God was doing? He was organizing a national religion that had one headquarters, and it was there the offerings had to be made.