Devoted Things – The First Commandment

Devoted Things

The First Commandment

No other gods

Leviticus 27:28, 29

“But no devoted thing that a man devotes to the LORD, of anything that he has, whether man or beast, or of his inherited field, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the LORD. No one devoted, who is to be devoted for destruction from mankind, shall be ransomed; he shall surely be put to death.”

Matthew 26:6-13

“Devoted things” might include spoil taken in battle or perhaps simply special offerings to the Lord for one reason or another. Devoting something to the Lord was not to be done frivolously or without full intention of carrying out the offering. Once something was devoted, it could not be redeemed. It was the Lord’s.

The same with enemy prisoners. It seems harsh to us to devote enemies to destruction by the sword, but we must remember the danger of allowing the pagan peoples of that day to influence the people of Israel. In the wisdom of God, for that time and place, He determined that the safest course for His people is to eliminate all their enemies who fall into their hands. Israel failed to do this more often than not, and spiritual and moral compromise, even disaster, were frequently the result.

In this series of In the Gates we present a detailed explanation of the Law of God, beginning with the Ten Commandments, and working through the statutes and rules that accompany each commandment. For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the practice of ethics, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.MyParuchia.com and click on our Book Store.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.