Deuteronomy 13 Test: Difference between revisions

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[[Category:Teachings]][[Category:Tests]]
[[Category:Teachings]][[Category:Tests]]
The Deuteronomy 13 Test is one of several tests in the Bible for distinguishing between true and [[:Category:False Teachings|false teachings]].  According to the test laid out in [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+13&version=AKJV Deuteronomy 13], idolatry is rebellion against God's Law, and a person is either serving God '''and''' keeping his commandments, '''or''' following other gods.  And there is no such thing as serving God without keeping God's Law.  Anyone who causes others to not keep God's Law fails this test and is therefore a false teacher.
The [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+13&version=AKJV Deuteronomy 13] Test is one of several tests found in the [[Bible]] to distinguish between true and false teachers or [[Prophets|prophets]] (as well as between true and false teachings).  Deuteronomy 13 defines serving God as keeping [[Torah|his law]], and defines [[Idolatry|idolatry]] as rebellion against or the rejection of his law.  Typically, the Deuteronomy 13 Test refers to only one aspect of the test described in the chapter that it is named after, but there are multiple aspects to this test.  The first aspect involves God testing us by allowing the prophecies, signs, and wonders of a false prophet or teacher to come true.  The purpose of this test is to see if we will keep God's commandments or if we will follow the false prophet or teacher into rebellion against God's commandments.  The second aspect of the test concerns whether the teacher or prophet openly leads people into idolatry.  The third aspect of the Deuteronomy 13 Test (which is what is usually being referred to) checks to see if a teacher or prophet is teaching obedience to or rebellion against God's Law.  If it's the latter, then the teacher or prophet fails the test and is therefore a false teacher.


== Teachers/Prophets ==
All must be tested against Deuteronomy 13.  This includes all who contributed to the content of the Bible, even [[Jesus]] himself and [[The Twelve Disciples|his disciples]]. A person is tested against Deuteronomy 13 after passing the [[Deuteronomy 18 Test]] and before being tested against any other Scripture.  All teachings and interpretations of [[Scripture]] are tested against Deuteronomy 13 first.
"<span style="color:red;">If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.</span>" - [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+13%3A1-3&version=AKJV Deuteronomy 13:1-3]


God may allow or cause a false prophet's or false teacher's signs or wonders to come true in order to test you to see if you love God with all of your heart and all of your being.  The signs and wonders coming true do '''not''' mean that the teachings or the teacher or prophet are from God.  Assuming that they are from God because of their signs or wonders is a grave error.
== Text ==
"If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, 'Let us follow other gods' (gods you have not known) 'and let us worship them,' you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer.  The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.  It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere.  Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.  That prophet or dreamer must be put to death for inciting rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery.  That prophet or dreamer tried to turn you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow.  You must purge the evil from among you." [[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+13%3A1-5&version=NIV Deuteronomy 13:1-5; NIV]]


"<span style="color:red;">Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.  And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the Lord thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.</span>" - [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+13%3A4-5&version=AKJV Deuteronomy 13:4-5]
"If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, 'Let us go and worship other gods' (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), do not yield to them or listen to them.  Show them no pity.  Do not spare them or shield them.  You must certainly put them to death.  Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people.  Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.  Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil thing again." [[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+13%3A6-11&version=NIV Deuteronomy 13:6-11; NIV]]


There is no difference between loving God, serving God, and keeping his commandments/Law.  And there is no difference between idolatry and rebellion against God's Law.  Therefore, a prophet or teacher does not have to outright say "let us follow after other gods".  A prophet or teacher merely has to teach people not to keep God's Law in order to be leading people into idolatry.  Thus one is either keeping God's Law '''or''' practicing idolatry.  There are no other options.
== Definitions ==
The text presents only two possible options:  Serve God '''and''' keep his Law, '''or''' follow other gods.  In this way, God has defined rebellion against his commandments as serving other gods, so that one is only truly serving God if they are keeping his Law.  Therefore, the one who rebels against God's Law does not love, follow, or serve God even if that person claims to do those things.  Such a person serves other gods.


== Family/Friends ==
== Deuteronomy 12 ==
"<span style="color:red;">If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; 8 thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him:  but thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.  And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.  And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you.</span>" - [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+13%3A6-11&version=AKJV Deuteronomy 13:6-11]
[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+12%3A32&version=NIV Deuteronomy 12:32] warns us not to add to or subtract from what God has commanded, but to do all he commanded.  The entirety of the chapter that it is in warns us not to worship God the way that the pagans worship their gods.  And that we are to worship God as he commanded us to worship him.  It is also a warning against idolatry.  It can be argued that adding to or subtracting from God's commands is also a form of idolatry, since the command against it is between two major passages warning against idolatry.  Subtracting from God's commands is an obvious form or rebellion against God, as the person who subtracts from what God commanded has rejected what he or she has subtracted.  And the one who calls something "sin" that is not contrary to any of God's commands is guilty of adding to God's commands.
 
Nobody is exempt from this test.  Leading people away from obedience to God's Law is not to be tolerated from even your own family members or from your best friends.
 
== Cities ==
"<span style="color:red;">If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities, which the Lord thy God hath given thee to dwell there, saying, Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known; then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you; thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword.  And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the Lord thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again.</span>" - [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+13%3A12-16&version=AKJV Deuteronomy 13:12-16]
 
Rebellion against God's Law is such a serious matter that God has commanded the complete destruction of any city that goes after other gods, as well as the complete destruction of all of the inhabitants of that city, leaving no survivors and never rebuilding said city.
 
Contrary to the claims of those who hate God and hate what is just, this passage does '''not''' say to destroy a city in which a few troublemakers '''try''' to lead people into serving other gods.  This is about cities who listen to said trouble-makers and rebel against God.  In other words, the city did not do what [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+13%3A1-5&version=AKJV Deuteronomy 13:1-5] or [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+13%3A6-11&version=AKJV Deuteronomy 13:6-11] prescribed concerning those who lead people away from obedience to God's Law, but instead listened to such people and fell into idolatry.
 
== Reiteration of Definition ==
"<span style="color:red;">And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers; when thou shalt hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the Lord thy God.</span>" - [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+13%3A17-18&version=AKJV Deuteronomy 13:17-18]
 
It is reiterated that serving God '''is''' keeping God's Law and doing what is right in his eyes.  Anyone who does not keep God's Law is, by definition, serving other gods.
 
== How to Implement ==
Because we live in idolatrous nations, who's laws are not the Law of God, it is impossible to enforce these rules as written.  But we can implement the principals behind these rules in order to protect the Body of the Messiah from false teachings.
 
=== In Compliant Churches ===
For a Church that teaches obedience to God's Law, anyone who is in said Church should be dealt with in accordance with the procedures set forth in [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+18%3A15-17&version=AKJV Matthew 18:15-17].  These procedures are to be used for those who attend the Church as well as for Church leaders.  Also, nobody who is not in the Body of the Messiah should be attending the Church in the first place.
 
=== In Non-Compliant Churches ===
For a Church that rebels against God's Law, you will be unable to fully-implement Matthew 18:15-17.  But you can still try to prove to your pastor in private that he is leading his Church into error.  This should be done lovingly and with respect.  If the pastor is willing to listen (he is more likely to listen if you can prove from the New Testament that he is in error), then with gentleness and respect, present your evidence to him.  If the pastor is unwilling to listen, or even doubles-down on the [[:Category:Heresies|heresy]], then the best course of action is to leave that Church and find a Church that follows God's commandments.  Though it will be very difficult (if not impossible) to find one.
 
If you are unwilling to leave, that does not in any way mean that you yourself cannot keep God's commandments, or that you cannot teach your household to keep God's commandments.  If people notice that you do things differently than the rest of the Church, and ask you about it, then answer them with gentleness and respect, as commanded in [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+3%3A15&version=AKJV 1st Peter 3:15].  Though in these cases, you should avoid using Deuteronomy 13 as your answer.  You should use exclusively New Testament passages (eg: following the example of Jesus) as your answers, but should remain truthful answers.

Latest revision as of 03:29, 22 September 2021

The Deuteronomy 13 Test is one of several tests found in the Bible to distinguish between true and false teachers or prophets (as well as between true and false teachings). Deuteronomy 13 defines serving God as keeping his law, and defines idolatry as rebellion against or the rejection of his law. Typically, the Deuteronomy 13 Test refers to only one aspect of the test described in the chapter that it is named after, but there are multiple aspects to this test. The first aspect involves God testing us by allowing the prophecies, signs, and wonders of a false prophet or teacher to come true. The purpose of this test is to see if we will keep God's commandments or if we will follow the false prophet or teacher into rebellion against God's commandments. The second aspect of the test concerns whether the teacher or prophet openly leads people into idolatry. The third aspect of the Deuteronomy 13 Test (which is what is usually being referred to) checks to see if a teacher or prophet is teaching obedience to or rebellion against God's Law. If it's the latter, then the teacher or prophet fails the test and is therefore a false teacher.

All must be tested against Deuteronomy 13. This includes all who contributed to the content of the Bible, even Jesus himself and his disciples. A person is tested against Deuteronomy 13 after passing the Deuteronomy 18 Test and before being tested against any other Scripture. All teachings and interpretations of Scripture are tested against Deuteronomy 13 first.

Text

"If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, 'Let us follow other gods' (gods you have not known) 'and let us worship them,' you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. That prophet or dreamer must be put to death for inciting rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. That prophet or dreamer tried to turn you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you." [Deuteronomy 13:1-5; NIV]

"If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, 'Let us go and worship other gods' (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), do not yield to them or listen to them. Show them no pity. Do not spare them or shield them. You must certainly put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil thing again." [Deuteronomy 13:6-11; NIV]

Definitions

The text presents only two possible options: Serve God and keep his Law, or follow other gods. In this way, God has defined rebellion against his commandments as serving other gods, so that one is only truly serving God if they are keeping his Law. Therefore, the one who rebels against God's Law does not love, follow, or serve God even if that person claims to do those things. Such a person serves other gods.

Deuteronomy 12

Deuteronomy 12:32 warns us not to add to or subtract from what God has commanded, but to do all he commanded. The entirety of the chapter that it is in warns us not to worship God the way that the pagans worship their gods. And that we are to worship God as he commanded us to worship him. It is also a warning against idolatry. It can be argued that adding to or subtracting from God's commands is also a form of idolatry, since the command against it is between two major passages warning against idolatry. Subtracting from God's commands is an obvious form or rebellion against God, as the person who subtracts from what God commanded has rejected what he or she has subtracted. And the one who calls something "sin" that is not contrary to any of God's commands is guilty of adding to God's commands.

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