The first part of Moses' second speech to the Israelites (Deuteronomy 4:44-11:32) gave general stipulations relating to their covenant with God. Today, we start the second part (12:1-26:19), which gives detailed laws.

The people had not yet entered the promised land, so the rules for long-term effectiveness in the land had not been established. As they grew from being wanderers in the desert to established citizens of their own land, they needed to have rules to thrive. Today some people miss the pioneering days of starting a new business or ministry when they had much freedom. But rules, which some resent, need to be introduced to manage issues that arise with growth.

Moses' first priority was to establish the necessary rules for proper worship. The Israelites were to destroy all the shrines to other gods (12:3-4) and offer sacrifices only in the central place that God chose (vv. 5-14). Having a central place of worship would help them resist the temptation to worship at the shrines of other gods and to ″worship . . . in their way″ (vv. 4-5; see also vv. 13-14). It would also encourage solidarity, unity, and commitment to God's ways among the tribes. Today, annual church conventions that pull believers from different local churches to a central place of worship serve this function.

The people are prohibited from ″inquiring about″ the ″gods″ of their neighbours and about ″how do these nations serve their gods″. This would reflect an attitude of accommodation (″We will do the same″), resulting in them being ″ensnared″ into idolatry (v. 30). Unfortunately, even with these boundaries in place, history shows that they did indeed succumb to such snares. The lure of false gods is not to be underestimated.

Today, we, too, have to be careful about becoming ensnared by other gods. New believers, who do not know the Bible well, can be deceived by the confident ″biblical″ teachings of cultists. Christians seeking knowledge of other faiths need to know the Bible well and submit, with humility, to its teachings. A liberal approach to the authority of the Bible has often led to syncretism, that is, adding features that clash with the Scriptures or taking away essential biblical truths, as Deuteronomy 12:32 warns: ″See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it.″

This is not to say we are to be ignorant of other faiths. Daniel studied Babylonian religion (Daniel 1:4) and Paul used his knowledge of Greek philosophy in his evangelistic preaching in Athens (Acts 17:28). Those witnessing for Christ in multireligious societies need to know something about their neighbours' beliefs, so that they can be more effective in framing the gospel in a relevant way. But we need to examine materials through the filter of a Christian worldview. Ultimately, we need to be faithful to the revealed Word of God in the Law.