John Calvin Commentary Deuteronomy 12

You shall not do so to the Lord your God. The principal distinction, concerning the external exercises of devotion, is laid down here between the legitimate worship of God and all the fictitious rites which the Gentiles have invented: namely, that God would have only one sanctuary and one altar, which would be a symbol of the difference between Himself and all idols; and thus that true religion would have no affinity with superstitions. To this refers the prohibition that the Israelites should not conduct themselves towards God as the Gentiles did towards their idols; instead, a barrier should be raised which would separate¹⁰³ them from the whole world.

The whole external profession of God’s worship is fittingly connected to the Second Commandment, because it depends on that commandment and has no other object than its proper observance. But when I begin to speak of the tabernacle, the priesthood, and the sacrifices, I am entering a deep and vast ocean, in which many interpreters, while indulging their curiosity, have pursued a wild and wandering course. Warned, therefore, by their example, I will take in my sails, and only touch upon a few points which tend to edification in the faith.

But my readers must now be requested not only to pardon me for abstaining from subtle speculations, but also to willingly keep themselves within the bounds of simplicity. Many have itching ears; and in our natural vanity, most people are more delighted by foolish allegories than by solid erudition. But let those who desire to profit in God’s school learn to restrain this perverse desire of knowing more than is good for them, although it may tickle their minds.

Now let us consider the words of Moses.

But unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose. It is asked why God would have sacrifices offered to Him only on one altar. Besides the reason I have recently advanced, it is not to be doubted that He, in this way, had regard for believers, so that He might foster in them an agreement in the unity of the faith. This place, then, was like a standard to gather the people together, so that their religion would not be torn by divisions, and so that no diversities would creep in. Moreover, God, by claiming His right and authority to choose the place, commends obedience, on which the purity of worship also depends.

But again, another question arises. Because, before the time of David, the Ark had nowhere a fixed resting-place but traveled about, so to speak, to various lodgings, therefore, if the chosen place is understood to be Mount Zion, were the people free in the meantime to perform the sacrifices wherever they pleased?

I reply that the place was not chosen until the Ark was placed in Zion, for not until then was fulfilled what is said in the Psalm:

I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord;
our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem (Psalms 122:1–2).

In these words, the Prophet indicates that there was previously no resting-place, because God had not yet pointed out the place in which He would be worshipped. Therefore it is expressly said, out of all your tribes, or in one of your tribes, by which a special privilege is referred to, which was to be conferred on one of their tribes, to the exclusion of the others. And to this relates what is said in another Psalm:

Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim, but chose the tribe of Judah, the Mount Zion which he loved: and he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth, which he hath established for ever (Psalms 78:67–69).

To the same effect, the faithful elsewhere congratulate themselves, after the Ark was deposited with David: We will go into his tabernacles, we will worship at his footstool; and, on the other hand, the Spirit declares:

The Lord hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it (Psalms 132:13–14).

Similar statements occur everywhere, confirming the opinion that the Ark never rested in its true home until it was deposited on Zion. And God, in my judgment, so that He might keep the hope of His people in suspense, promised—although the Ark changed its place from time to time—that He had still determined on a perpetual abode in which it should rest.

Yet it does not therefore follow that, until that period, free permission was given to the people to sacrifice wherever they wished. For, wherever the sanctuary was, there was also a temporary choice of the place, until the legitimate resting-place was shown them.

Therefore God, chastising through Jeremiah the foolish confidence by which the Jews were puffed up, said:

Go ye now unto my place, which was in Shiloh, and see what I did to it, etc. (Jeremiah 7:12).

In these words, he implies that Shiloh had been highly honored for a time, but had now been deprived of its honor because the sacrifices there had been unworthily polluted.

Although, then, there is a special promise here concerning Zion, still there is no doubt that God in the meantime confines the Jews to His sanctuary, so that no one would erect a private altar for himself, or build for himself other cities and other temples. The phrase is noteworthy, to put his name there, and again, his habitation. The gross imaginations of men are thus countered, so that the people would not enclose God within walls, as they are accustomed to circumscribe His infinite essence, or to draw Him down from heaven and place Him beneath the elements of the world.

But God’s name is said to inhabit a place, not in His own nature, but with reference to humanity; while, out of consideration for their ignorance, He presents to their eyes a visible symbol of His presence. Thus He is often said to come down, not as if He, who fills heaven and earth, actually moved, but because the familiar knowledge of Him brings Him near to men.

But although He allows Himself to be invoked on earth, yet He would not have the minds of men rest there, but rather lifts them up high as if by steps. Therefore, through Isaiah, He harshly rebukes them because, although enveloped in their sins, they still thought that He was under obligation to them because His temple was in their sight (Isaiah 66:1), while it is our task to approach Him by faith and with serious feelings when He extends His hand to us.

The Ark of the Covenant indeed is often called His face; but, so that men would not form any gross or earthly conceptions of Him, the sanctuary is also called His footstool.

The various kinds of oblations which are listed here will be more clearly explained later. I will only briefly remind you that the burnt-offerings are included in the sacrifices, as a part is taken for the whole.

The Hebrew word, which we have translated the elevating of the hand, is תרומה, therumah,¹⁰⁴ to which another word, תנופה, thenuphah, is often added. But, although both are derived from the act of elevating, still they seem to differ, and those skilled in the language distinguish them thus: namely, that תרומה, therumah, is to be lifted up and then brought down; and תנופה, thenuphah, to be turned at the same time to the right and left, although others think it means to be turned round to the four quarters of the globe.

There is a difference between vows and freewill-offerings; for although a vow is at first freely made, we may still offer things which we have not vowed. I have already spoken of the firstlings.

And there you shall eat. We see that the sanctuary in which God manifested Himself is called His face.¹⁰⁵ For, although believers are taught that always, wherever they dwell, they walk before God, yet they placed themselves nearer, and in some special manner in His sight, when they approached His sanctuary.

By this way of speaking, God also stimulates the laziness or tardiness of the people, so that it would not be troublesome for them to come to the Ark of the Covenant for the purpose of sacrificing, since this inestimable benefit would compensate for the labor and expense of the journey.

I have elsewhere shown that when people are said to feast before the Lord, sacred feasts are thus distinguished from our daily meals. For this was, as it were, an accessory to the sacrifices: to eat what remained of the victims. In this way, the guests were made partakers of the offering, a custom even pagan nations imitated, though improperly.

Again, God kindly invites them when He says, “you shall rejoice in all that you put your hands to,” for which some translate it, “in everything to which you shall have sent your hand”; literally, it is, “in the sending forth of the land.” There is no ambiguity in the meaning, for it refers to those works that require the motion and application of the hands.

A little below, where I have translated it, “which he has blessed,” (quibus benedixerit), some insert the preposition in, and supply the pronoun you, (i.e., in which he has blessed you; ) but it is quite appropriate to say that God blesses their works, although it may also be understood of their families.

Regarding the command that the tithes should be eaten in the holy place, I do not extend it to tithes in general,¹⁰⁶ for it was unlikely that the food of those who were scattered throughout various cities would be moved to another place, causing them to starve (at home)¹⁰⁷ from hunger. Instead, I understand it to refer to the second tithes, which the Levites separated as a special and unique oblation. For we shall see elsewhere that what was left over became like ordinary produce, as if the Levites ate from the fruits of their own possessions.

You shall not do after all. Even then they observed the rite of sacrifice handed down to them from the fathers; but since they were still wandering in the desert, it was lawful for them to build altars anywhere, until an end should be put to their journeys. And this Moses expressly declares, adding the reason, namely, that they had not yet entered into the rest which the Lord had promised them.

He shows them, then, that when they attain the tranquil possession of the land, there would be no further room for excuse if they should sacrifice wherever it pleased them. When, therefore, it is said that they then did every man whatsoever was right in his own eyes, it does not extend to any of the inventions which men devise for themselves in the worship of God, but only points out a freer system and form in the exercise of devotion, before the place was shown to them in which they must settle.¹⁰⁸

But when ye go over Jordan. This verse confirms what I have previously said: that the Jews were bound by a specific rule once they reached the promised land; and yet that the place where the Ark was to rest perpetually would not be immediately revealed to them. For what is declared at the end of the verse—that God would give them rest all around, so that they would dwell in safety—was not, in fact, perfectly fulfilled before the time of David.

Still, God intended for them, once they were enjoying the land, to gather even from their most distant borders to the sanctuary.

He omits certain kinds of offerings of which He had recently spoken and substitutes for “vows,”¹⁰⁹ “the choice vows,” which some translate as “very choice vows,” or “the chief things in your vows.” I do not reject this interpretation; however, the other meaning is simpler: that it included all the vows that everyone had made of his own free will and choice.

Shortly thereafter, He expresses His meaning more fully when He prohibits them from offering sacrifices wherever they pleased. For, “to see a place,” here, means to be captivated by the sight, thereby connecting religion and holiness with elegance and beauty.