Study Desk

And when you look up into the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars—all the forces of heaven—don't be seduced into worshiping them. The Lord your God gave them to all the peoples of the earth.

There, in a foreign land, you will worship idols made from wood and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.

He let you hear his voice from heaven so he could instruct you. He let you see his great fire here on earth so he could speak to you from it.

There below me I could see that you had sinned against the Lord your God. You had melted gold and made a calf idol for yourselves. How quickly you had turned away from the path the Lord had commanded you to follow!

They didn't see the miraculous signs and wonders he performed in Egypt against Pharaoh and all his land.

They didn't see what the Lord did to the armies of Egypt and to their horses and chariots—how he drowned them in the Red Sea as they were chasing you. He destroyed them, and they have not recovered to this very day!

"Your children didn't see how the Lord cared for you in the wilderness until you arrived here.

They didn't see what he did to Dathan and Abiram (the sons of Eliab, a descendant of Reuben) when the earth opened its mouth in the Israelite camp and swallowed them, along with their households and tents and every living thing that belonged to them.

do not listen to them. The Lord your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul.

For this is what you yourselves requested of the Lord your God when you were assembled at Mount Sinai. You said, ‘Don't let us hear the voice of the Lord our God anymore or see this blazing fire, for we will die.'

Then they must say, ‘Our hands did not shed this person's blood, nor did we see it happen.

And suppose you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you are attracted to her and want to marry her.

"If you see your neighbor's ox or sheep or goat wandering away, don't ignore your responsibility. Take it back to its owner.

"If you see that your neighbor's donkey or ox has collapsed on the road, do not look the other way. Go and help your neighbor get it back on its feet!

The camp must be holy, for the Lord your God moves around in your camp to protect you and to defeat your enemies. He must not see any shameful thing among you, or he will turn away from you.

Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the Lord , and they will stand in awe of you.

You will go mad because of all the tragedy you see around you.

In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were night!' And in the evening you will say, ‘If only it were morning!' For you will be terrified by the awful horrors you see around you.

Then the Lord will send you back to Egypt in ships, to a destination I promised you would never see again. There you will offer to sell yourselves to your enemies as slaves, but no one will buy you."

But to this day the Lord has not given you minds that understand, nor eyes that see, nor ears that hear!