In Deuteronomy 13, Moses warns the Israelites about people who will entice the Israelites away from God. Interestingly, Moses’ warning starts with religious leaders. Prophets and preachers might perform miracles, but if the motivation is to draw people away from worshiping God, then the miracles are meaningless. Moses then warns about allegiance to God when family members might be the people who are opposed to God. Our love for God and our obedience to Him is far more superior to all other relational obligations. The people we are to be weary about are not those who oppose us in our work or in our daily life, but those who entice us to walk away from God even though they may appear to be our greatest friends.
Moses puts on each Israelite the responsibility to know God and to walk with God. Without knowing God and walking with Him, we can never understand when someone is tempting us to walk away from God. We can only know God by knowing what God says about Himself in the Bible. Reading, studying, and meditating on God’s word will help us to recognize what is Biblical and what is a breach of faith – whether the words come from a pastor or a brother.
