Study Desk

Give Joshua his instructions. Strengthen his determination, because he will lead the people across to occupy the land that you see.'

Because of you the Lord your God was angry with me and solemnly declared that I would not cross the Jordan River to enter the fertile land which he is giving you.

because the Lord your God is like a flaming fire; he tolerates no rivals.

Because he loved your ancestors, he chose you, and by his great power he himself brought you out of Egypt.

I stood between you and the Lord at that time to tell you what he said, because you were afraid of the fire and would not go up the mountain. "The Lord said,

If you do worship other gods, the Lord 's anger will come against you like fire and will destroy you completely, because the Lord your God, who is present with you, tolerates no rivals.

because then they would lead your children away from the Lord to worship other gods. If that happens, the Lord will be angry with you and destroy you at once.

Do this because you belong to the Lord your God. From all the peoples on earth he chose you to be his own special people.

"The Lord did not love you and choose you because you outnumbered other peoples; you were the smallest nation on earth.

Burn their idols. Do not desire the silver or gold that is on them, and do not take it for yourselves. If you do, that will be fatal, because the Lord hates idolatry.

Do not bring any of these idols into your homes, or the same curse will be on you that is on them. You must hate and despise these idols, because they are under the Lord 's curse.

Remember that it is the Lord your God who gives you the power to become rich. He does this because he is still faithful today to the covenant that he made with your ancestors.

"After the Lord your God has driven them out for you, do not say to yourselves that he brought you in to possess this land because you deserved it. No, the Lord is going to drive these people out for you because they are wicked.

It is not because you are good and do what is right that the Lord is letting you take their land. He will drive them out because they are wicked and because he intends to keep the promise that he made to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

You can be sure that the Lord is not giving you this fertile land because you deserve it. No, you are a stubborn people.

"Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go down the mountain at once, because your people, whom you led out of Egypt, have become corrupt and have done evil. They have already turned away from what I commanded them to do, and they have made an idol for themselves.'

Then once again I lay face downward in the Lord 's presence for forty days and nights and did not eat or drink anything. I did this because you had sinned against the Lord and had made him angry.

I was afraid of the Lord 's fierce anger, because he was furious enough to destroy you; but once again the Lord listened to me.

"So I lay face downward in the Lord 's presence those forty days and nights, because I knew that he was determined to destroy you.

Otherwise, the Egyptians will say that you were unable to take your people into the land that you had promised them. They will say that you took your people out into the desert to kill them, because you hated them.