A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Deuteronomy · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII.
Verſ. 2. YE ſhall utterly deſtroy all the places wherein the nations which ye ſhall poſſeſſe ſerved their Gods, &c.]
That is, all their temples and chappels, and whatever other places they had, wherein they ſerved their idol-gods. And this God enjoyned them, firſt, to ſhew how he abhorred idolatry; and ſecondly, to prevent the Iſraelites being tempted to worſhip God in thoſe places. Nor doth it hence follow that we may not worſhip God in ſuch churches and chappels as have been polluted with idolatry but ought to pull them down, as ſome have thought; for this clauſe of this law i… judiciall, pecul…ar onelyonly to the Jews, as being chiefly intended to prevent their worſhipping God in any other place then that one which he had appointed, to which we in the dayes of the Goſpel are not tyed.
Verſ. 4. Ye ſhall not do ſo unto the Lord your God.]
That is, ye ſhall not ſacrifice to him in ſeverall places upon mountains and hills, &c. as the heathens ſerv… their Gods; but all your ſacrifices and offerings ye ſhall offer unto the Lord on…ly in that place which he ſhall chuſe for that ſervice: for ſo it follows in the two next verſes, But unt… the place which the Lord your God ſhall chuſe out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation ſhall ye ſeek, and thither ye ſhall bring your burnt-offerings and your ſacrifices, &c. Prayer and other ſpirituall duties of Gods worſhip they might even then perform in other places, both in publick and private; and therefore the Levites were purpoſely diſperſed here and there all the l…nd over, and they had their Synagogues in ſeverall places where they met together every Sabbath day to perform theſe holy duties; but their ſacrifices were all to be brought unto the place which God ſhould chuſe, which is meant of thoſe places where the tabernacle was placed for ſome time after they were come into the land of Canaan, ſuch as were Shiloh, and Nob, and other places; whence is that of the Prophet, Jer. 7. 12. Go ye now into my place which was in Shiloh, where I ſet my name at the first, and ſee what I did to it for the wickedneſſe of my people; but principally of the temple, which God choſe to be the ſettled place for ſacrifices, and it is called here the place which the Lord ſhould chuſe to put his name there, both becauſe it was to be called by his name, The houſe of God, and to be conſecrated to his worſhip and ſervice, and withall to prevent that carnall conceit of Gods dwelling in temples made with hands, to wit, as eſſentially included therein; whence it is alſo that the ſame San…tuary, which is here called the Lords habitation, or, dwelling-place, is elſewhere called his footstool, Pſal. 99. 5. As for the reaſons why the Lord did bind his people to offer up their ſacrifices in one place onelyonly which he would appoint, they were chiefly theſe two: firſt, becauſe hereby God would teach them that there was but one onelyonly way to obtain pardon of their ſinnes, and acceptance of any ſervice they did unto God, and that was by Chriſt their promiſed Meſſiah, of whom their tabernacle and temple was a type; and ſecondly becauſe hereby they might the better be kept to one unifo…m way of worſhipping God, and corruptions in his worſhip might be prevented, whereinto they might eaſily fall had they been allowed to offer their ſacrifices ſome in one place, and ſome in another: and for this cauſe it was that in after-times the Kings of Juda… were ſo often blamed, becauſe they did not remove the high places, but …uffered th… people to ſacrif…ce there.
Verſ. 6. And thither ye ſhall bring your burnt-offerings, and your ſacri…ices, and your tithes, &c.]
Here Moſes reckons up all thoſe holy things which they were to bring to the place which God ſhould chooſe for thoſe ſervices: where firſt, by ſacrifices are meant all other ſacrifices beſides burnt-offerings, as …nne-offerings, treſpaſſe-offerings, &c. ſecondly, by tithes are meant not thoſe ordinary tithes which were yearly paid to the Levites (for they were not brought to the temple, but were paid to the Levites in their ſeverall habitations throughout the land) but a ſecond tithe, the tithe of that which remained after the firſt tithe was paid to the Levites; for that, or the money for which they had ſold it, they carryed up yearly to Jeruſalem, and there with thoſe tithes ſo carried in kind, or with ſuch things as they bought with the money, they kept a holy feaſt before the Lord, as is largely expreſſed, chap. 14. 22, 27. thirdly, by the h…ave-offerings of their hands are meant all the ſeverall firſt-fruits which they brought in their hands, and heaved them before the Lord▪ and then left them to the prieſts for their portion; fourthly, by vows and freewill-offerings are meant all ſuch ſacrifices or offerings as they ſhould extraordinarily bring, either upon ſome vow they had made, o… freely and of their own accord; and laſtly, the firstlings are the firſt of that their herds and flocks brought forth, for theſe alſo they carried up to the temple, as is evident Numb. 18. 17, 18. where it is ſaid that their bloud was to be ſprinkled upon the altar, and the fat was to be burnt for an offering made by fire, and then the …leſh was given to the prieſts for their portion.
Verſ. 7. And there ye ſhall …at before the Lord your God, and ye ſhall rejoyce, &c.]
That is, when you carry your ſacrifices and offerings and other things before mentioned to the place which the Lord ſhall chooſe, there ye ſhall feaſt with your holy things, and rejoyc… together before the Lord. But here yet for the fuller underſtanding of this place we muſt note, firſt, that the meaning is not that they might eat of all the holy things before mentioned; for the burnt-offerings were wholly burnt upon the altar, and of ſome other ſacrifices none but the prieſts might eat; but the things here intended, wherewith the people were to fea…t, were the tithes and the peace-offerings; ſecondly, that it is ſaid that they ſhould eat theſe things before the Lord their God, becauſe they were to eat them, though not in the prieſts court, yet in the place where the tabernacle firſt and temple afterwards ſtood, the place of Gods ſpeciall preſence, to wit, in Jeruſalem, which is therefore called the holy city, Matth. 4. 5. thirdly, that by all things they put their hand unto (Ye ſhall rejoyce in all that you put your hand unto) is meant all the good things they had gotten by the labour of their hands through Gods bleſſing, and ſo had in the power of their hands to uſe as they had occaſion, and that becauſe of all that they had they carried ſtill ſomething by way of tithes or ſacrifices unto Jeruſalem: and ſo this phraſe is ordinarily uſed in the Scripture▪ as chap. 15. 10. the Lord thy God ſhall bleſſe thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto, and ſo in many other places; and fourthly, that the drift of this place ſeems to be partly this, Having told them in the foregoing verſe, that when they came to be ſettled in the land of Canaan they were to carry all their ſacrifices and offerings, &c. to that one place in the land which the Lord their God ſhould chooſe, that they might not think much of the labour and charge which this would put them to, eſpecially thoſe that dwelt farre off, he addes this by way of encouragement, There ye ſhall eat before the Lord your God, &c. as reckoning their glad enjoying of Gods preſence there an abundant recompence for all their charge and labour.
Verſ. 8. Ye ſhall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatſoever is right in his own eyes.]
That is, here we live looſe and at liberty for the duties of the ceremoniall Law, to which you muſt be ſtrictly tyed when you come to be at reſt in Canaan; many ſacrifices and rites and feaſts by reaſon of your unſettled eſtate cannot here be preciſely obſerved, and ſo every man doth in a manner what he liſts, but when you come to be ſettled in the land of Canaan you muſt not think to do thus, &c. See verſ. 9. 10.
Verſ. 12. And ye ſhall rejoyce before the Lord your God, ye, and your ſonnes, and your daughters, &c.]
Hereby it appears that though the males onelyonly were bound three times a year to appear before the Lord, Exod. 23. 17. yet at thoſe times the maſters of families were wont alſo of their own accord to carry their wives, daughters, and maidſervants with them, as Elkanah we ſee did, 1. Sam. 1. 4.
Verſ. 15. Notwithstanding, thou mayeſt kill, and eat fleſh in all thy gates, whatſoever thy ſoul lust…th af…er, according to the bleſſing of the Lord, &c.]
This is added to explain yet more fully what difference they were to make between the fleſh they might eat of thoſe beaſts which they offered to the Lord, and that which they did eat at other times; to wit, that they might eat the fleſh even of thoſe cattel which they uſed to ſacrifice, no leſſe then the roe-buck and the hart, that is no leſſe then thoſe that were not appointed for ſacrifice, and that in all places where they dwelt both clean and unclean perſons might eat of them, according to the bleſſing of the Lord, that is, according as through Gods bl…ſſi…g they could provide for themſelves (ſo allowing a lib…rall uſe of the creatures to the rich, but reſtraining all profuſe riot, and keeping men within the limits of their abilitie) but yet …hat which they offered as a holy ſacrifice or offering to the Lord, that they might eat no where, but in the place which the Lord ſhould chooſe.
Verſ. 16. OnelyOnly ye ſhall not eat the bloud, &c.]
See the note upon Gen. 9. 4.
Verſ. 17. Thou mayeſt not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy …ine, or of thy oyl, or the firstlings of thy herds, &c.]
Concerning theſe tithes ſee the note upon verſ. 6. The greateſt difficultie in theſe words is concerning the firſtlings here mentioned to wit, how they can be here reckoned amongſt thoſe things which the people muſt onelyonly eat before the Lord in the place which he ſho…ld chooſe, ſince it is evident that the firſtlings of their herds and ſtocks were holy to the Lo…d, and ſo that which remained of them, after the bloud was ſprinkled and the fat burnt upon the altar, belonged ſolely to the prieſts, Numb. 18. 17, 18. But to this an anſwer may be given which may fully ſatisfie, to wit, that the firſtlings here ſpoken of are not thoſe firſ…lings elſewhere intended, which as holy things …onſecrated to God were allotted for the prieſts portion; but the firſtlings here mentioned were either the female firſtlings (for they were onelyonly the male firſtlings which the Lord challenged as his due, Exod, 13. 12.) or the firſt-born after thoſe firſt which were given to the Lord, which were indeed the firſt that were the owners; or the chief and beſt of their lambes and kids and calves, called here the firſtlings onelyonly by way of excellencie.
Verſ. 21. If the place which the Lord …hy God hath choſen to put his name there be too farre from thee, &c.]
The meaning of this paſſage is not, that if the place choſen of God for ſacrificing were near hand they muſt not eat of their herd or flock in their own houſes, but alwayes carry them to the tabernacle or temple; for who can think that the Jews dwelling near to Jeruſalem did never eat of their h…rds and flocks in their own dwellings? either therefore this clauſe hath refere…e to that which follows, verſ. 26. and the meaning then is onelyonly this, That though the place which God had choſen, &c. were very farre from ſome of their d…ellings, and they might therefore think it too hard a task to carry their ſacrifices ſo farre, yet ſo it muſt be, though they might kill and eat for their own re…eſhing whatſoever th…y deſired at home (as is granted again in theſe firſt words) yet their ſacrifices they muſt carry to that holy place though never ſo farre from them; or elſe the meaning is, that when they had a purpoſe to offer peace-offerings, and by way of thankfulneſſe for ſome mercy to rejoyce together, if the holy place were too farre from them, they might (having withall perhaps ſent the price of redemption thither) feaſt t…gether with their cattel kild for food, onelyonly they muſt be then ſure not to eat them as holy things, but even as they would eat of the roe-buck or the hart. But the firſt reſolution of this doubt I take to be the beſt.
Verſ. 27. And the bloud of thy ſacrifices ſhall be poured out upon the altar of the Lord thy God, and thou ſhalt eat the fleſh.]
That is, the fleſh of thy peace-of…erings; for onelyonly the fleſh of thoſe ſacrifices was eaten by the owners, Lev. 7. 15.