Joyful Worship and Gratitude

Hey, good morning, good morning, welcome to Coffee and Devotions. This morning we are at Deuteronomy chapter 12, the second half of the chapter. So we're going to be looking at verses 15 through 28. So 15 through 28, a little bit at the end there for next time. But this morning we're going to be looking at meat, right? Figure out what God's talking about with meat here and the liberty that people have in the Old Testament with meat. Let's have some coffee. We'll pray and we'll get into God's word. Let's pray.
Father, we thank you so much for what a blessing it is to get to follow you. We thank you for your word. Lord, we thank you for the joy it is to get to read it. Lord, it's in our language. We can understand it. And Father, we thank you for that blessing. Lord, we pray that your Spirit would please help us to take it seriously, to understand what it means for us, and that we would follow after you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Alright, so we are at the second half of Deuteronomy chapter 12, starting at verse 15. Here we go.
However, you may slaughter and eat meat within all your gates. Whatever your heart desires according to the blessing of the Lord your God which he has given you, the unclean and the clean may eat of it, of the gazelle and of the deer alike. Only you shall not eat the blood, you shall pour it on the earth like water. You may not eat within your gates the tithe of your grain and of your new wine or your oil, of the firstborn of your herd or of your flock. of any of your offering which you vow of your free will offerings or of the heave offerings of your hand but you must eat them before the lord your god in the place which the lord your god chooses you chooses you and your sons and your daughter your male and female servants and the levite who is within your gates and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all to which you put your hands. Take heed to yourself that you do not forsake the Levite as long as you live in your land. When the Lord your God enlarges your border, as he has promised you, and you say, let me eat meat, because you long to eat meat, you may eat as much meat as your heart desires. If the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, then you may slaughter from your herd and from your flock which the Lord has given you, just as I have commanded you. And you may eat within your gates as much as your heart desires, just as the gazelle and the deer are eaten. So you may eat them, the unclean and the clean alike may eat them.
Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life. You may not eat the life with the meat. You shall not eat it, you shall pour it out on the earth like water. You should not eat it that it may go well with you and your children after you when you do what is right in the sight of the Lord.
Only the holy things which you have and your vowed offerings you shall take and go to the place which the Lord chooses. And you shall offer your burnt offerings, the meat and the blood, on the altar of the Lord your God. And the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of the Lord your God, and you shall eat the meat. Observe and obey these words which I command you, that it may go well with you and your children after you, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God." Well, we need to ask ourselves three questions. A, what's this about? B, what's the best verse to summarize this? And C, what are we called to do? A, what is this about?
Remember last time Ellie and I were here, we were talking about how they're going to go into the promised land and they're not to worship God like the pagans, not with their idols, not anything like that. They're to go to the tabernacle and that's where they're supposed to worship. They're supposed to worship where God wants, when God wants, and how God wants. But what if they're not at the temple, right? What are the tabernacle? What if they're just at home and they want to have a barbecue? Are they allowed to eat meat?
Now, remember in the ancient world, eating meat was a huge luxury and it happened almost exclusively at temple type services, religious type services. And the Lord says here, Hey, look, If you want to eat meat, go ahead. It doesn't matter if you're clean or unclean. At your house, you want to have a barbecue, slaughter the fatted lamb, cook it, have fun. It's yours. Go ahead and do it. That's fully up to you, your sons, your daughters, your maidservants, your children. Go ahead. Have a great time. It's yours.
But if it's a vow, if it's the firstborn, which the Lord had declared as his own, if it was the first fruits, if it was something that was supposed to be devoted to the Lord, if it was a tithe, that was not supposed to be eaten in their home. That must be taken to the tabernacle.
Even if they lived a long way away, right, you can have all the meat you want that's your own, But if it's the Lord's, you go to the tabernacle and that's where you make your sacrifices. That's where you offer the meat. That's where you get to eat the meat yourself as well. Now, no matter what, you know, in the Israelite economy, you don't eat the blood, right? Because the life is in the blood, no matter what. If you're home, that's only stipulation, right?
The point here is that they're not supposed to forget the Levite. They're not supposed to forget that it is at the tabernacle that that's where they worship the Lord. Not on every high place, not to any other god, not to any of this other stuff. No, no, no, no, no. They go to the tabernacle.
This is how they're going to show part of their covenant loyalty to the Lord, their God, who's their king and their sovereign. That's what this is about, right? This eating of meat. And it's important, right? Because it's a cultural, contextual thing for them. What's the best verse to summarize this? Well, I have verse 15 underlined. I think verse 15 is a really good one to summarize that. I also have part of verse 18 underlined. Right.
But you must eat the meat before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord your God chooses you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your gates. And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all to which you put your hands. What is he calling? What are we called to do? Well.
Do you rejoice? in the good things the Lord has given you. And in your rejoicing, are you the type of person who gives unto the Lord with a cheerful heart? We give to the Lord in a way that shows, God, you have given me these things. These are yours and it's wonderful. It's marvelous. Thank you so much. And you give it to him.
Now, I gotta say, there are people, though, who think, oh, I can go worship the Lord however I want and do whatever I want, whenever I want, because, well, God is spirit, he's everywhere, he's all times, but the problem is God actually gives us some direction in worship, even in the new covenant.
Not to forsake the assembling of ourselves, as is the manner of some, but we need to encourage each other and provoke each other unto love and good deeds. Don't starve the ox who's treading the grain. That's Paul's direction towards the people in the early church to pay their young pastor who's working for them. This is the way in which the Lord still gives us directions in the New Testament and The point is there's a communal aspect when people still get together and we partake of the sacraments, we worship God together as a living temple, a house of prayer. And it's our blessing to do with great joy, to worship him with gladness, to sing of his goodness, to sit under his word, to not forsake the assembly. So this is what the Lord is saying there, to worship him when and how and where he chooses.
They are to do so with great joy. And when they go home, they're to rejoice in all the good things that God has given them. Do you do that? Do you come to his house with joy for his goodness? And do you rejoice in your house for all the good things he's given you?
Let's be those who give thanks always and at all times. Let's pray. Father, thank you so much for the joy you have given us in Jesus Christ. Thank you for the hope we have in him. Thank you for all the good things that you have poured out in our lives. Lord, there are so many. We are a richly blessed people. God, we pray that you would please let us be marked by gratitude and thankfulness. Father, we pray that we would worship you in spirit and in truth as you have called us to in Jesus's name. Amen. May God bless you as you worship him and as you love him and as you rejoice in all his goodness to you. I'll see you next time. Bye.