Deuteronomy 6:5 You are to love the Lord yo ur God with all your heart\, all your soul\, and all your strength.
\nThe events recorded in the Book of Deuteronomy provide a wealth of histo rical information\, but in nearly every case\, Moses relates these events to the spiritual lesson that they underscore. He takes the legislation whi ch the Lord had given to Israel almost forty years before and adapts it to conditions of settled life in the land to which Israel was soon to go.
\nThe nation of Israel was\, when this book was written\, in the land of Moab\, to the east of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. Once before\, Israel had failed\, through lack of faith\, to enter Canaan. Now\, thirty- eight years later\, Moses gathers the company together and seeks to infuse faith\, which will enable the chosen people to move ahead in obedience. B efore them lies their inheritance. Dangers\, seen and unseen\, lie ahead. With them is their God\, whom they have come to know better during their e xperiences in the peninsula of Sinai\, with its ruggedness and bleakness.
\nMoses sees\, correctly\, that their major perils will be in the ar ea of their spiritual life\; so the central thrust of his message is spiri tual. \"The Lord their God is One.\" It is He who has delivered them from bondage. He has given them the law. He has entered into a covenant relatio n with them. They are His people. He demands exclusive devotion and worshi p. His ways are known to them. By long experience\, Israel has learned tha t the Lord honors obedience and punishes transgression. Now\, in a new sen se\, Israel is on her own\, under the Lord and in her new home.
\nMoses earnestly urges the people of Israel to trust the Lord wholehearte dly and to let His law guide their lives continually. If they adhere to th is law\, it will shape their entire existence and set them apart as a uniq ue nation among others. Blessings will follow\, and other nations will ack nowledge that their God is the Lord. However\, if Israel chooses to follow the ways of the surrounding nations and turns away from their God\, they will face afflictions and ultimately be scattered among the nations.
\nThroughout the book\, the emphasis is on faith combined with obedience. The application to a new life in the land highlights the importance of lo ving God and obeying Him from the heart.
\nScarlet Thread:
\nTh
e greatest commandment
Deuteronomy 6:5 You are to love the Lord yo ur God with all your heart\, all your soul\, and all your strength.
\nMatthew 22:37 You must love the Lord your God with all your heart\, with all your soul\, and with all your mind—this is the greatest and most im portant commandment.
\nJesus chose words from Deuteronomy to turn ba ck the three temptations of Satan.
\n1\, Deuteronomy 6:13\, Fear the Lord our God\, serve Him\, and make your oaths in His name. Do not follow other Gods.
\nLuke 4:1-8 When the devil took Jesus to a high place and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in an instant\, telling Him\, \"I will give you all this authority\, along with their glory\, because i t has been given to me\, and I give it to anyone I please. So if you will worship me\, all this will be yours. Jesus answered him with a quote from Fear the Lord your God\, serve Him\, and make your oaths in His name. It i s written\, 'You must worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.'
\n2. Deuteronomy 6:16 Don't test the Lord your God like you tried to do i n Massah.
\nMatthew 4:7\, the tempter came. \"Since you are the Son of God\, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.\" Jesus answer ed\, \"It is written\, One must not live on bread alone\, but on every wor d coming out of the mouth of God.\"
\n3. Deuteronomy 8:3 He humbled you\, causing you to be hungry\, yet He fed you with manna that neither yo u nor your ancestors had known\, in order to teach you that human beings a re not to live by food alone - instead they are to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.
\nMatthew 4:3-4 Then the tempt er came. \"Since you are the Son of God\,\" he said\, \"tell these stones to become loaves of bread.\" But He answered\, \"It is written\, 'One must not live on bread alone\, but on every word coming out of the mouth of Go d.\"
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