Study Desk

You will have all you want to eat. Then you will praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

"Be careful. Don't forget the Lord your God! Be careful to obey the commands, laws, and rules that I give you today.

When that happens, you must be careful not to become proud. You must not forget the Lord your God. You were slaves in Egypt, but he made you free and brought you out of that land.

Remember the Lord your God is the one who gives you power to do these things. He does this because he wants to keep the agreement that he made with your ancestors, as he is doing today!

"Don't ever forget the Lord your God. Don't ever follow other gods or worship and serve them. If you do that, I warn you today: You will surely be destroyed!

The Lord is destroying other nations for you. But if you stop listening to the Lord your God, you will be destroyed just like them!

But you can be sure that it is the Lord your God who goes across the river before you—and God is like a fire that destroys! He will destroy those nations and make them fall before you. You will force those nations out and quickly destroy them. The Lord has promised you that this will happen.

"The Lord your God will force those nations out for you. But don't say to yourselves, ‘The Lord brought us to live in this land because we are such good people.' No, the Lord forced those nations out because they were evil, not because you were good.

You are going in to take their land, but not because you are good and live right. You are going in, and the Lord your God is forcing those people out because of the evil way they lived. And the Lord wants to keep the promise he made to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The Lord your God is giving you that good land to live in, but you should know that it is not because you are good. The truth is that you are very stubborn people!

"Remember how you made the Lord your God angry in the desert. Never forget that! From the day you left the land of Egypt to the day you came to this place, you have refused to obey the Lord .

I looked and I saw you had sinned against the Lord your God. I saw the calf you made from melted gold! You stopped obeying the Lord so quickly.

And you did not obey when the Lord told you to leave Kadesh Barnea. He said, ‘Go up and take the land I am giving you.' But you refused to obey the Lord your God. You did not trust him. You did not listen to his command.

I prayed to the Lord . I said, ‘Lord God , don't destroy your people. They belong to you. You freed them and brought them out of Egypt with your great power and strength.

That is why the people from the tribe of Levi did not get any share of land like the other tribes did. They have the Lord for their share. That is what the Lord your God promised them.)

"Now, Israelites, listen! What does the Lord your God really want from you? The Lord your God wants you to respect him and do what he says. He wants you to love him and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

"Everything belongs to the Lord your God. The heavens, even the highest heavens, belong to him. The earth and everything on it belong to him.

"Stop being stubborn. Give your hearts to God.

The Lord is your God. He is the God of gods and the Lord of lords. He is the great God. He is the amazing and powerful fighter. To him everyone is the same. He does not accept money to change his mind.

"You must respect the Lord your God and worship only him. Never leave him. When you make promises, you must use his name only.