Deuteronomy 12

After Moses explained the principles of the covenant, he explained how to apply them in daily life (5:1–11:32). This section expands on the Ten Commandments and addresses issues that happen in complex human relationships.

green tree: The Canaanites used groups of trees as places for worship. They chose these trees because their green leaves showed fertility and life.

Sometimes the trees were made into wooden poles set in the ground. These poles were used to honor the mother goddess, Asherah (see 7:5).

• sacred pillars: See study note on 7:5.

• Asherah poles: They dedicated these wooden poles to the mother goddess, Asherah. They were the feminine counterpart to the sacred pillar.

• wipe out their names: Destroying all idols and traces of pagan worship would lead to the names of these gods being forgotten. Future generations would not know about them (see also study note on 7:24).

establish as a dwelling for His Name: The name of God represents the God himself. God lived among his people in a particular place by placing his name there (see Exodus 3:13–14).

All of the offerings listed here show thanksgiving, fellowship, and loyalty to the Lord.

In a covenant relationship, a vassal (a subject or servant) gave tribute to a great king. This was a way to show submission and to promise faithfulness (see study note on 1:31).

does what seems right in his own eyes: Until the exodus, the Israelites probably worshiped at many shrines in Egypt. With the construction of the Tent of Meeting (the tabernacle), worship became centralized. It stayed that way with the later building of the temple.

In the future, the community would need to gather on specific occasions to worship the Lord together at the central holy place. But local worship by individuals, families, and even villages would continue (see Exodus 20:24–26; 1 Samuel 9:11–14).

The Levites were descendants of Jacob’s son Levi. God set them apart to serve him full-time in Israel’s religious life (Numbers 18:1–7). Their main job was to help the priests with their duties.

Since the priests and Levites could not work in regular jobs, they relied on the generosity of Israel’s other tribes for their support (Numbers 18:21–24).

• whenever you want, you may slaughter and eat meat: This means animals for eating, not for ceremonial sacrifice.

• ceremonially clean and unclean: They could slaughter animals for food without purification ceremonies needed for sacrificial animals.

The rule against eating blood applied to both sacrificial animals and those killed for food. Blood represented life, so it was holy and belonged only to God. This principle existed from the beginning of creation and came before the law was given (Genesis 4:10–11; 9:4–6; Leviticus 17:11). See also study note on Leviticus 7:26–27.

God will choose: This refers to the central sanctuary (main place of worship). At first, this was the tabernacle. Later, it was the temple in Jerusalem.

you may slaughter: Because an animal’s blood was considered holy (see Genesis 9:4–6), meat for eating had to be slaughtered at the central place of worship whenever possible (compare Leviticus 17:8–9).

If it was not possible to go to the central location, the animal could be sacrificed locally. Even then, the blood had to be handled and disposed of in a way that followed God’s instructions (Deuteronomy 12:23–25; compare Leviticus 17:10–12).

the blood is the life: This figure of speech equates the means (blood) with the effect (life). Since life is holy, blood, as the way life moves throughout a body, is also holy (see also Leviticus 17:11).

you may eat the meat: The exception was meat used in burnt offerings, which was for the Lord. These offerings were completely burned in the fire (see Leviticus 1:3–17 and study note).

burn their sons and daughters: Human sacrifice was a terrible practice in ancient pagan religions. The Ammonites believed that their god Molech demanded this sacrifice from his followers (Leviticus 18:21; 20:2; 2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 32:35).