The Old Testament is part of the Bible too.
Deuteronomy
6
Exhortation to Keep the Covenant Principles
1 Now
these are the commandments, statutes, and ordinances that the Lord your God
instructed me to teach you so that you may carry them out in the land where you
are headed 2 and that you may so revere the
Lord your God that you will keep all his statutes and commandments that I am
giving you—you, your children, and your grandchildren—all your lives, to
prolong your days. 3 Pay
attention, Israel, and be careful to do this so that it may go well with you
and that you may increase greatly in number—as the Lord, God of your ancestors,
said to you, you will have a land flowing with milk and honey.
The Essence of the Covenant Principles
4 Listen, Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! 5 You must love the Lord your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength.
4 Listen, Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! 5 You must love the Lord your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength.
Exhortation to Teach the Covenant Principles
6 These
words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind, 7 and
you must teach them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your
house, as you walk along the road, as you lie down, and as you get up. 8 You
should tie them as a reminder on your forearm and fasten them as symbols on
your forehead. 9 Inscribe them on the door frames of
your houses and gates.
Exhortation to Worship the Lord Exclusively
10 Then when the Lord your God brings you to the land he promised your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give you—a land with large, fine cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with choice things you did not accumulate, hewn out cisterns you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—and you eat your fill, 12 be careful not to forget the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, that place of slavery. 13 You must revere the Lord your God, serve him, and take oaths using only his name. 14 You must not go after other gods, those of the surrounding peoples, 15 for the Lord your God, who is present among you, is a jealous God and his anger will erupt against you and remove you from the land.
Exhortation to Obey the Lord Exclusively
16 You
must not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. 17 Keep
his commandments very carefully, as well as the stipulations and statutes he
commanded you to observe. 18 Do
whatever is proper and good before the Lord so that it may go well with you and
that you may enter and occupy the good land that he promised your ancestors, 19 and
that you may drive out all your enemies just as the Lord said.
Exhortation to Remember the Past
20 When
your children ask you later on, “What are the stipulations, statutes, and
ordinances that the Lord our God commanded you?” 21 you
must say to them, “We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us
out of Egypt in a powerful way. 22 And
he brought signs and great, devastating wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on
his whole family before our very eyes. 23 He
delivered us from there so that he could give us the land he had promised our
ancestors. 24 The Lord commanded us to obey all
these statutes and to revere him so that it may always go well for us and he
may preserve us, as he has to this day. 25 We
will be innocent if we carefully keep all these commandments before the Lord
our God, just as he demands.”
Exhortation to Remember That Blessing Comes from God
Deuteronomy
8;11-20
11 Be
sure you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments,
ordinances, and statutes that I am giving you today. 12 When
you eat your fill, when you build and occupy good houses, 13 when
your cattle and flocks increase, when you have plenty of silver and gold, and
when you have abundance of everything, 14 be
sure you do not feel self-important and forget the Lord your God who brought
you from the land of Egypt, the place of slavery,
15 and who brought you through the
great, fearful desert of venomous serpents and scorpions, an arid place with no
water. He made water flow from a flint rock and 16 fed
you in the desert with manna (which your ancestors had never before known) so
that he might by humbling you test you and eventually
bring good to you. 17 Be careful not to say, “My own ability and skill
have gotten me this wealth.” 18 You
must remember the Lord your God, for he is the one who gives ability to get
wealth; if you do this he will confirm his covenant that he made by oath to
your ancestors, even as he has to this day. 19 Now
if you forget the Lord your God at all and follow other gods, worshiping and
prostrating yourselves before them, I testify to you today that you will surely
be annihilated. 20 Just like the
nations the Lord is about to destroy from your sight, so he will do to you
because you would not obey him.
An Exhortation to Love Both God and People
Deuteronomy
10;12-22
12 Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you except to revere
him, to obey all his commandments, to love him, to serve him with all your mind
and being, 13 and to keep the Lord’s commandments and statutes that I am giving you
today for your own good? 14 The heavens—indeed the highest heavens—belong to the Lord your God, as
does the earth and everything in it. 15 However, only to your
ancestors did he show his loving favor, and he chose you, their descendants,
from all peoples—as is apparent today. 16 Therefore, cleanse
your heart and stop being so stubborn! 17 For the Lord your God is God of
gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God who is unbiased and
takes no bribe, 18 who justly treats the orphan and widow, and who loves resident
foreigners.timothy skon, Chaplain
serving others, guided by Jesus
3/14/18