The Altar and the Table: God's Geography of Grace Text: Deuteronomy 12:20-27
Introduction: All of Life is Religious
We live in an age that is schizophrenic about religion. On the one hand, modern secular man wants to insist that religion is a purely private affair, a weekend hobby that must be kept quarantined from the public square, from science, and from the dinner table. On the other hand, that same secular man is fiercely religious; he has his own non-negotiable dogmas, his own high priests, his own blasphemy laws, and his own sacraments. The issue is never between a religious life and a non-religious life. That is a fiction. The issue is always which religion will govern. Every law is the establishment of some morality, and all morality is derived from some theology.
The God of Scripture refuses to be compartmentalized. He will not be relegated to a sacred corner of your life while you conduct your business, your meals, and your politics on your own terms. The Lordship of Jesus Christ is total. It extends from the highest heavens to the deepest seas, and it most certainly extends to your refrigerator and your barbecue grill. This passage in Deuteronomy is a masterful lesson in applied theology. It teaches us how to live in God's world, on God's terms, as His kingdom expands. It shows us the crucial distinction between the sacred and the common, not so we can have a life apart from God, but so we can rightly honor God in every part of life.
As Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land, their circumstances were about to change dramatically. They were moving from a compact, mobile camp centered around the tabernacle to a sprawling, settled nation. The logistics of their worship and their daily life had to adapt. God, in His wisdom, provides for this. He shows them that as His territory enlarges, His people must learn to apply His unchanging principles to new situations. This is not about abandoning the law; it is about maturing in the application of it. And in this, we find a foundational lesson on the nature of worship, the meaning of blood, and the glorious freedom we have at the common table, all of which finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
The Text
When Yahweh your God enlarges your territory as He has promised you, and you say, 'I will eat meat,' because you desire to eat meat, then you may eat meat, whatever you desire. If the place where Yahweh your God chooses to set His name is too far away from you, then you may sacrifice of your herd and flock which Yahweh has given you, as I have commanded you; and you may eat within your gates whatever you desire. Just as a gazelle or a deer is eaten, so you will eat it; the unclean and the clean alike may eat of it. Only be strong in yourselves not to eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh. You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the ground like water. You shall not eat it, so that it may be well with you and your sons after you, for you will be doing what is right in the sight of Yahweh. Only your holy things which you may have and your votive offerings, you shall take and go to the place which Yahweh chooses. And you shall offer your burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, on the altar of Yahweh your God; and the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of Yahweh your God, and you shall eat the flesh.
(Deuteronomy 12:20-27 LSB)
Kingdom Growth and Common Meals (vv. 20-22)
The instruction begins with a promise and a practical concession that flows from it.
"When Yahweh your God enlarges your territory as He has promised you, and you say, 'I will eat meat,' because you desire to eat meat, then you may eat meat, whatever you desire. If the place where Yahweh your God chooses to set His name is too far away from you, then you may sacrifice of your herd and flock which Yahweh has given you, as I have commanded you; and you may eat within your gates whatever you desire." (Deuteronomy 12:20-21)
Notice the starting point: "When Yahweh your God enlarges your territory." This is postmillennialism in seed form. God's plan is victory. His people are to expect growth, expansion, and success as they are obedient to His covenant. And this growth creates new challenges. When they were all camped in the wilderness, every animal slaughtered was a peace offering at the tabernacle. The blood was sprinkled, the fat was burned, and the priests and the worshipper shared a meal. But what happens when you live a three-day journey from the central sanctuary in Shiloh or Jerusalem? Does that mean you can never have a steak?
God's answer is a robust and gracious "no." He acknowledges the natural desire to eat meat and makes provision for it. This is a key principle: God's law is not designed to make life miserable or impractical. He is a good Father. He distinguishes between slaughter for sacrifice and slaughter for supper. He creates a category for the common meal. You may slaughter an animal "within your gates," at your own home, simply for the purpose of food. This is a profound decentralization of daily life. Not every meal has to be a formal act of sanctuary worship.
Then comes the clarifying principle:
"Just as a gazelle or a deer is eaten, so you will eat it; the unclean and the clean alike may eat of it." (Deuteronomy 12:22)
How were they to treat this meat? Like game. A hunter who killed a deer in the field did not have to drag it to the temple. It was common food. So now, a domesticated ox or lamb, if slaughtered for food and not for sacrifice, is treated the same way. The implications are significant. The rules of ceremonial cleanness that applied at the sanctuary did not apply at the family dinner table in the same way. A person who was ceremonially unclean for some reason could still eat this common meal. God is creating a sphere of liberty, a place for ordinary life to be lived with thanksgiving, without the full rigors of the sanctuary liturgy.
The Sanctity of Life (vv. 23-25)
But this liberty is not license. There is one crucial, non-negotiable prohibition that governs both sacred and common meals.
"Only be strong in yourselves not to eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh. You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the ground like water." (Deuteronomy 12:23-24)
The text uses intense language: "Only be strong in yourselves." This is a command that requires resolve and determination. This is not a minor detail. Why such a heavy emphasis? Because "the blood is the life." Blood represents the very principle of life, a sacred mystery that belongs to God alone. To consume the blood is to symbolically consume the life-force, to claim for yourself what is God's. It is an act of profound arrogance. It mimics the pagan rituals where worshippers drank blood to absorb the power of the animal or a vanquished foe. The God of Israel says, "You will not do this."
The proper handling of the blood is an act of worship. It is to be "poured out on the ground like water." This is not a sacrifice for atonement; that blood goes on the altar. This is an act of relinquishment. It is returning the life-principle to the Creator of all life. It is a humble acknowledgment that though God has given us the flesh of the animal for food, the life belongs to Him. Every time an Israelite did this, he was preaching a sermon to himself and his family about the sovereignty of God.
And as with all of God's commands, obedience is tied to blessing. "You shall not eat it, so that it may be well with you and your sons after you, for you will be doing what is right in the sight of Yahweh." (v. 25). Righteousness is not an abstract concept; it is profoundly practical. Honoring God in the kitchen leads to blessing in the nation. Forgetting God at the dinner table leads to covenant curses. All of life is connected.
The Centrality of the Altar (vv. 26-27)
After establishing the freedom of the common meal, the text immediately pivots back to the non-negotiable center of sacred worship.
"Only your holy things which you may have and your votive offerings, you shall take and go to the place which Yahweh chooses. And you shall offer your burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, on the altar of Yahweh your God; and the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of Yahweh your God, and you shall eat the flesh." (Deuteronomy 12:26-27)
The word "Only" provides a sharp contrast. You can eat a burger at home, but you cannot bring your tithes, your firstfruits, or your sin offerings to your backyard grill. Holy things must go to the holy place. Why? Because atonement is not a do-it-yourself project. Forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God happen on His terms, at His appointed place, through His prescribed means.
Notice the destination of the blood in this context. It is not poured on the ground. The blood of the sacrifices "shall be poured out on the altar of Yahweh your God." The blood on the ground acknowledges God as Creator and Life-giver. The blood on the altar acknowledges God as Redeemer and sin-forgiver. The first is an act of general worship; the second is a specific act of atoning worship. To confuse the two is a fatal error. You cannot get atonement in the general course of nature. You need a specific, bloody sacrifice at the place God has chosen.
Conclusion: Christ Our Place, Our Altar, Our Table
This entire chapter is a glorious roadmap that leads us directly to the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is the fulfillment of every principle here.
First, Jesus is the "place which Yahweh chooses." There is no longer a geographic center of worship in Jerusalem. Jesus told the woman at the well that the hour was coming when true worshippers would worship the Father in spirit and in truth (John 4:23). The place is a person. To come to God, you must come to Christ. He is our temple, our meeting place with God.
Second, Jesus is our altar and our sacrifice. The blood of bulls and goats could never truly take away sin. But the blood of Christ, poured out on the altar of the cross, accomplished a perfect, final, and complete atonement (Hebrews 9:12). This is why the New Testament continues to take the prohibition against eating blood seriously (Acts 15:20). It is not about an old dietary rule; it is about respecting the unique, atoning power of the blood of Jesus. To treat blood as a common food item is to trivialize the very substance of our redemption. We do not consume His life-blood for power; we plead His shed blood for pardon.
Finally, this passage gives us the grammar for understanding our Christian liberty and the Lord's Supper. Because of Christ's finished work, all foods are clean (Mark 7:19). We have a wonderful freedom. Our common meals at home are to be seasons of joy and thanksgiving, received as good gifts from God. But we must never confuse the kitchen table with the Lord's Table.
The Lord's Supper is not a common meal. It is our sacred meal. It is where we go to the "place" God has chosen, Jesus Christ, and remember the blood poured out on the altar of the cross. We eat the flesh and drink the cup, but we do so as a holy act, proclaiming the Lord's death until He comes. This passage in Deuteronomy teaches us the essential distinction. There is a time for a common steak, and there is a time for the sacred bread. There is blood that is poured on the ground in acknowledgment of God's sovereignty over life, and there is the blood of the covenant, which was poured out on the altar for the remission of our sins. May we have the wisdom to know the difference, and to give God the glory that is due His name, both at the altar and at the table.