Study Desk

"Even the most kind and gentle man among you will become cruel. He will be cruel to his family, and he will be cruel to his wife he loves so much. And he will be cruel to his children who are still alive.

He will have nothing left to eat, so he will eat his own children. And he will not share that meat with anyone—not even the other people in his own family. All these bad things will happen when your enemy comes to surround your cities and make you suffer.

Moses called together all the Israelites. He said to them, "You saw everything the Lord did in the land of Egypt. You saw what he did to Pharaoh, to Pharaoh's officers, and to his whole country.

With this agreement he is making you his own special people, and he himself will become your God. He told you this. He promised this to your ancestors—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The Israelites started serving other gods—gods they never worshiped before. The Lord told his people not to worship those gods.

Then you and your descendants will turn back to the Lord your God. You will follow him with all your heart and completely obey all his commands that I have given you today.

And you will again obey the Lord . You will obey all his commands that I give you today.

But you must do what the Lord your God tells you to do. You must obey his commands and follow the rules that are written in this Book of Teachings. You must obey the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Then these good things will happen to you.

I command you today to love the Lord your God. I command you to follow him and to obey his commands, laws, and rules. Then you will live, and your nation will grow larger. And the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take for your own.

"The Lord is the Rock, and his work is perfect! Yes, all his ways are right! God is true and faithful. He is good and honest.

And you are not really his children. You are completely unfaithful to him. You are crooked liars.

The Lord chose his people to be his own. The people of Jacob belong to him.

"The Lord found them in the desert, in an empty, windy land. He surrounded them and watched over them. He protected them like the pupil of his eye,

The Lord alone led his people. They had no help from any foreign god.

He gave his people butter from the herd and milk from the flock. He gave them lambs and goats. They had the best rams from Bashan and the finest wheat. They drank the best wine made from the juice of red grapes.

"The Lord saw this and became upset. His sons and daughters made him angry!

"The Lord will judge his people. They are his servants, and he will show them mercy. He will see that their power is gone. He will see that they are all helpless— the slaves and free people too.

"The whole world should be happy for God's people! God punishes people who kill his servants. He gives his enemies the punishment they deserve. And he makes his land and people pure."

"The Lord came from Sinai, like a light shining at dawn over Seir, like a light shining from Mount Paran. He came with 10,000 holy ones. God's mighty soldiers were by his side.

Yes, the Lord loves his people. All his holy people are in his hand. They sit at his feet and learn his teachings!