Unauthorized Worship
The Book of Deuteronomy contains some key passages that deal with unauthorized worship. Is that important? Yes; the texts will show why. They also must be examined because both those in and out of the church continually attack their importance. The first Scripture we want to consider is Deuteronomy 4:2 (which is repeated in 12:32). "You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you." First, the reader should be impressed by the fact that God gives commands. In the New Testament, we don't have a list of Ten Commandments, as under the old covenant, but commandments are contained from Matthew through Revelation.
Second, those commandments must not be changed. Adding a word as short as not reverses the meaning, as when Satan assured Eve, "You shall not surely die" (Gen. 3:4). Removing any part of a text is also dangerous. Remember that one word was inadvertently removed from an early English translation, and Exodus 20:14 mistakenly read: "Thou shalt commit adultery." Deuteronomy 4:2 implies that the Word of God should be faithfully rendered and correctly quoted. Removing or adding words alters their meaning; what remains is no longer the command of God, but the wisdom of men (or the devil).
If there is found among you, within any of your gates which the Lord your God gives you, a man or a woman who has been wicked in the sight of the Lord your God, in transgressing His covenant, who has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, either the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded, and it is told you… (Deut. 17:2-4a, emph. gws).
If such were the case, Israel was to verify the facts and, if guilty, stone to death the transgressor, so long as there were two or three witnesses (Deut. 17:4-6). The key thing to observe here is that worship was offered to an object that God had not commanded, which would later include the golden calves that Jeroboam set up in Dan and Bethel.
The third passage begins in Deuteronomy 13:1-2. Even if a prophet gave a sign or wonder, he was not to be believed IF he said, "Let us go after other gods"—which Israel had not known. Usually, a sign or a wonder is good evidence that one is speaking for God, but in this case, if his intent was to move away from Jehovah, the "prophet" was not to be believed or followed; in fact, he was to be put to death (Deut. 13:3-5). How can people not treat the Word of God with respect and integrity? His Word must not be tampered with. What He has not commanded is as significant as what He has (Heb. 7:14).