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WORD OF WISDOM
JUDGEMENTS ~ (1.) The secret decisions of God's will (Psalm 110:5; 36:6).
(2.) The revelations of his will (Exodus 21:1; Deuteronomy 6:20; Psalm 119:7-175).
(3.) The infliction of punishment on the wicked (Exodus 6:6; 12:12; Ezek. 25:11; Revelation 16:7), such as is mentioned in Genesis 7; 19:24,25; Judges 1:6,7; Acts 5:1-10, etc.

Source: Easton's Bible Dictionary

Deuteronomy 12:1 These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth.

The Israelites are charged not to bring the rites and usages of idolaters into the worship of God; not under colour of making it better. We cannot serve God and mammon (Matt 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon); nor worship the true God and idols; nor depend upon Christ Jesus and upon superstitious or self-righteous confidences.

This divine command was founded on the tendencies of human nature; for to remove out of sight everything that had been associated with idolatry, that it might never be spoken of and no vestige of it remain, was the only effectual way to keep the Israelites from temptations to it.

My dear people, please do not think these scriptures apply only for the Israelites. These scriptures have more meaning today, as we have been so very slack in removing all the places of idol worship. We are so busy trying to please other men that we forgot who our true God is.

There is a God, and there is but one God, arise those great fundamental laws, That God is to be worshipped, and He only, and that therefore we are to have no other God before Him: this is the first commandment, and the second is a guard upon it, or put a hedge about it. To prevent a revolt to false gods, we are forbidden to worship the true God in such a way and manner as the false gods were worshipped, and are commanded to observe the instituted ordinances of worship that we may adhere to the proper object of worship.

We must not think that our worship of God is instituted only to be our work in the years of our servitude, our entertainment in the places of our solitude, and our consolation in affliction; no, when we come to possess a good land, still we must keep up the worship of God in Canaan as well as in a wilderness, when we have grown up as well as when we are children, when we are full of business as well as when we have nothing else to do.

Let it never be said of this holy land that it had been thus polluted, but let all these dunghills be carried away, as things they were ashamed of. The safety of their religion; let none be left remaining, lest profane unthinking people, especially in degenerate ages, should make use of them in the service of the God of Israel. Let these pest-houses be demolished, as things they were afraid of. He begins the statutes that relate to divine worship with this, because there must first be an abhorrence of that which is evil before there can be a steady adherence to that which is good, Rom. 12: 9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. The kingdom of God must be set up, both in persons and places, upon the ruins of the devil's kingdom;
they cannot stand together, nor can there be any communion between Christ and satan.

While we are here in our state of trial, we must continue in our obedience, even to the end, and never leave our duty, nor grow weary of well-doing.

God's Blessings to each of you,
LJG/rECj

THINK ON THIS
Feb 26 1840 - Scottish clergyman Robert Murray McCheyne wrote in a letter:
'Our soul should be a mirror of Christ; we should reflect
every feature: for every grace in Christ there should be a
counterpart in us.

Source: Today in Christian History