Deuteronomy 17
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Deuteronomy 17:2-7, If a man or woman living among you in one of the towns the Lord gives you is found doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God in violation of his covenant, and contrary to my command has worshiped other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or the moon or the stars in the sky, and this has been brought to your attention, then you must investigate it thoroughly. If it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, take the man or woman who has done this evil deed to your city gate and stone that person to death. On the testimony of two or three witnesses a person is to be put to death, but no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting that person to death, and then the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from among you.
This is hard stuff, friends. So, if someone is found to be worshiping other gods, in the case mentioned it's the astral cult, then it is the community's responsibility to investigate it and bring that individual to justice. The requirement is that at least two witnesses see that yes, this person is in fact committing idolatry. Why so harsh? Because when someone worships another god or gods, then they are breaking covenant; they are essentially making the whole community break covenant with God and so it takes the whole community to help put things right.
As I read this, once again I'm reminded how thankful I am to be living under the New Covenant and not the Mosaic Covenant. Are we that different from the Israelites? Don't we also sin and put things before God? I'm not worshipping the sun and the stars but I do, without even thinking about it at times, prioritize other things before God. Let's be real. We need to be overwhelmingly thankful for the cross of Christ which makes it possible for us to be in relationship with a holy God. Because the reality is we are all sinners, we are all deserving of consequences. We need to overwhelmingly grateful for being able to go boldly before the throne of his grace and lay down our mess-ups, our needs, our problems, and our pains. Thank you so much, Jesus.
Let's pray...Lord Jesus, Forgive us for the many ways we sin and fall short. We may not worship the sun and stars, but we are worshiping things besides you. Help us to live our lives in a way that is fully dedicated to you, with you firmly at the center. We are so grateful, Jesus, for all you do and who you are. More of you, less of me. Amen.