Deuteronomy 14:26 and spend the money for whatever you desire—oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household.

The bible says I can have whatever I want, so whatever I want is not bad for me.

This is the lie that occurs when we seek to hear what we want to hear by giving into our own appetites. The Word taken out of context should not be used to justify our actions. Allow me for a moment to review some context that is often overlooked when we seek to justify our choices.

Deuteronomy 14:23 And before the Lord your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.

Are we dwelling in the place of His choosing or have we chosen a place according to our own pleasure? Has He made His name known in this place in which we dwell? Have we eaten a tithe of our labors or have we consumed it all? Have we learned to fear the Lord our God and if so have we gotten so complacent as to forget fearing Him?

We look around in the world and we will see a world driven by appetites that are out of control. Appetites are not limited to the digestive process. It is the easiest to recognize, obesity abounds in our society and some of us suffer from it while others look upon it as shameful while ignoring their own gluttonous appetites for wealth, power, fame, and influence, just to name a few.

Not all appetites are carnal by nature, that does not make them any less dangerous.

Malachi 3:15 And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’”

And then He said: The Book of Remembrance

16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. 17 “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18 Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.

What do we want to be remembered for; gluttony or control?

Intractable according to Dictionary.com: 

Adjective: not easily controlled or directed; not docile or manageable; stubborn; obstinate:

In my use of the word intractable there may be some that are confused by its use in context with the Tabernacle used in the Exodus. I simply meant that the Tabernacle housing the Ark of the Covenant was meant to go with us as we follow God. Given that the tablets of the law were housed in the Ark, it might appear to some that I was calling the law intractable. I have a different word for that; legalistic.

I do not wish to convey to anyone the term legalist. In order to persuade you that it is not my desire to call anyone a legalist, allow me to recount some of the laws that should result in death. These are in order of appearance in the Old Testament.

Exodus 21:29 if an animal is known to be dangerous and the owner does not control the animal and it kills anyone, the animal and the owner shall be put to death.

Exodus 35:2 anyone who works on the Sabbath shall be put to death.

Leviticus 24:16 anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall be put to death.

Leviticus 24:21 anyone who kills shall be put to death

Numbers 1:51 a stranger who comes anywhere near the wilderness tabernacle shall be put to death

Numbers 3:10 a stranger who tries to serve the night priest shall be put to death

Numbers 3:38 a stranger that approaches the sanctuary of the Lord shall be put to death

Numbers 18:7 a stranger that comes to serve as a priest shall be put to death

Deuteronomy 13:5 a false prophet shall be put to death

I think that is enough. You get the idea of intractable. It is not by accident that I end this list with Deuteronomy 13:5 as this very “law” was cited in accusing Jesus and trying to stone Him to death.

Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

The “weightier matters of the law” cannot be understood without the help of God who has sent His Spirit to abide in us in Truth to keep us from becoming intractable. We are meant to go with God.