Deu 13:14 | KingComments | STEP | This is a collective evil. There is talk of “worthless men” or ‘Belials-children’, which means devil’s children, who have got an entire city under their influence. If this comes to the notice of other cities, they should not go directly to that city with sword and violence, but first “investigate” and “search out” and then “inquire thoroughly” what they have heard (cf. ). This is also the way God Himself works, for instance in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah ( ). Only when the truth of what they have heard has been established that this evil has indeed been done “among you”, that is, in the midst of God’s people, action should be taken. The city must be judged by all Israelites and they must act as if it were a Canaanite city. Regarding the church, Paul also warns of men who want to exert their pernicious influence among believers ( ). In the church of God there are no distances. Whether such an evil occurs in a neighboring local church or in a local church in another land or continent, all believers have a responsibility to judge it. It will then be an evil about which God’s Word pronounces the clear judgment of evil. In practice it will mean that brothers from a nearby local church will investigate and inquire. They will share their findings with the local church where they belong. If it is established that the entire local church under investigation has been influenced by evil and that they refuse to judge that evil, there will no longer be fellowship possible for all believers with that local church. If all members of God’s people are aware of the evil in that city, they must all act. An example we have is in Judges 20, where all cities are called upon to deal with the city of Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. The crime committed in Gibeah requires retaliation. The whole people go up against it ( ; ). Because this going up does not happen in the right mind, God must first teach the people a lesson. They first must be aware that the evil was enacted by their ‘ brother Benjamin’, i.e. in their midst. Once this awareness has permeated through, they will no longer act like the better Israelites. They make themselves as it were one with evil. Then the LORD helps to punish evil. Jabesh-gilead remains neutral ( ), putting themselves thereby on the side of evil and are judged. In every disciplinary case in the church there must be a sense of shame that an evil ‘among us’, in the midst of the church, has been able to take place. The evil of the one means the shame of the whole. Every member of the church must be deeply aware that this evil can be done by him or her. Evil is not done away with because the others are better, but because God dwells in the midst and His holiness requires it. Obedience to this command to destroy the city will result in the purification of the land and spiritual renewal. In His mercy the LORD will not charge the sin of the one city to the whole land, despite the whole land being polluted by it. The extermination means a loss of people. But this act of obedience is linked to the promise of the LORD that He will increase the number of them again. Thus will He fulfil His promise to the patriarchs concerning the multiplication of their seed. In a spiritual sense this is also true. If there is faithful dealing with sin in the church, the Lord can bless it by giving growth where the evil is removed.

‏ Deuteronomy 13:14

Collective Seduction

This is a collective evil. There is talk of “worthless men” or ‘Belials-children’, which means devil’s children, who have got an entire city under their influence. If this comes to the notice of other cities, they should not go directly to that city with sword and violence, but first “investigate” and “search out” and then “inquire thoroughly” what they have heard (cf. Deu 17:4). This is also the way God Himself works, for instance in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18:21).

Only when the truth of what they have heard has been established that this evil has indeed been done “among you”, that is, in the midst of God’s people, action should be taken. The city must be judged by all Israelites and they must act as if it were a Canaanite city. Regarding the church, Paul also warns of men who want to exert their pernicious influence among believers (Acts 20:29-30).

In the church of God there are no distances. Whether such an evil occurs in a neighboring local church or in a local church in another land or continent, all believers have a responsibility to judge it. It will then be an evil about which God’s Word pronounces the clear judgment of evil.

In practice it will mean that brothers from a nearby local church will investigate and inquire. They will share their findings with the local church where they belong. If it is established that the entire local church under investigation has been influenced by evil and that they refuse to judge that evil, there will no longer be fellowship possible for all believers with that local church.

If all members of God’s people are aware of the evil in that city, they must all act. An example we have is in Judges 20, where all cities are called upon to deal with the city of Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. The crime committed in Gibeah requires retaliation. The whole people go up against it (Jdg 20:11; Deu 20:1).

Because this going up does not happen in the right mind, God must first teach the people a lesson. They first must be aware that the evil was enacted by their ‘brother Benjamin’, i.e. in their midst. Once this awareness has permeated through, they will no longer act like the better Israelites. They make themselves as it were one with evil. Then the LORD helps to punish evil. Jabesh-gilead remains neutral (Jdg 21:8-10), putting themselves thereby on the side of evil and are judged.

In every disciplinary case in the church there must be a sense of shame that an evil ‘among us’, in the midst of the church, has been able to take place. The evil of the one means the shame of the whole. Every member of the church must be deeply aware that this evil can be done by him or her. Evil is not done away with because the others are better, but because God dwells in the midst and His holiness requires it.

Obedience to this command to destroy the city will result in the purification of the land and spiritual renewal. In His mercy the LORD will not charge the sin of the one city to the whole land, despite the whole land being polluted by it. The extermination means a loss of people. But this act of obedience is linked to the promise of the LORD that He will increase the number of them again. Thus will He fulfil His promise to the patriarchs concerning the multiplication of their seed.

In a spiritual sense this is also true. If there is faithful dealing with sin in the church, the Lord can bless it by giving growth where the evil is removed.