Lesson 71

Deuteronomy 1–13

Prepare to Learn

Prepare your mind and heart to learn. The Holy Ghost can teach and edify you as you approach your study reverently with a desire to learn.

Begin your study with prayer.

What actions or attitudes might stop people from reaching their full potential?

Consider the experience of Allan F. Packer of the Seventy as he relates an analogy about what keeps us from doing our best.

Repetition

Have you ever been taught the same thing more than once? Have you ever been asked to do something more than once? Why do you think we sometimes need to hear instructions repeated?

Through your study of the books of Exodus and Numbers you have learned about the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and the experiences they had while being led to the promised land. Some of these experiences and lessons are also mentioned in the book of Deuteronomy. In fact, the word deuteronomy means “repetition of the law.”

Search Deuteronomy 6:12–15; 8:2–3, 11–18; 9:7–8 to see what Moses repeatedly taught the Israelites and why he asked them to do it (see also Helaman 5:6, 14).

The Lord’s Influence

Read Deuteronomy 4:9, and consider Moses’s invitation to the Israelites to always remember times when they had experienced the Lord’s hand in their lives and to teach their children about these experiences.

Consider this message about remembering from President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency:

“It won’t be easy to remember. Living as we do with a veil over our eyes, we cannot remember what it was like to be with our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, in the premortal world; nor can we see with our physical eyes or with reason alone the hand of God in our lives. Seeing such things takes the Holy Ghost. And it is not easy to be worthy of the Holy Ghost’s companionship in a wicked world.

“That is why forgetting God has been such a persistent problem among His children since the world began. Think of the times of Moses, when God provided manna and in miraculous and visible ways led and protected His children. Still, the prophet warned the people who had been so blessed, as prophets always have warned and always will” (Henry B. Eyring, “O Remember, Remember,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2007, 67).

Think of a time when you have seen the Lord’s influence in your life or in the life of someone you know. How can always remembering this experience help you remain faithful to the Lord?

The Lord’s Commandments

To prepare yourself to study Deuteronomy 5–6, think of someone you know who may feel that the Lord’s commandments and standards limit his or her freedom or ability to have fun. Standards refers to the ways we apply commandments in the time in which we live, such as our choices regarding modesty or media.

1. What are some commandments or standards that could be viewed as being restrictive or limiting a person’s ability to have fun?

Commandments and Standards

As you continue to study Deuteronomy, look for reasons why God has given us commandments and standards.

Deuteronomy 5 records that Moses repeated the Ten Commandments to the children of Israel.

Read Deuteronomy 6:3–6, looking for another commandment Moses declared to the Israelites.

Quiz 1

1. According to verse 5, what commandment did Moses declare to the Israelites? (See also Matthew 22:38.)

   1. Do not be idle.

   2. Love God.

   3. Pray unceasingly.

2. According to verse 3, what would be the result if the Israelites obeyed this commandment?

   1. Their trials and sufferings would be taken away from them.

   2. They would become a mighty people in the promised land.

   3. They could return to Egypt.

3. According to verse 6, what should the Israelites do with God’s commandments?

   1. Have them in their hearts

   2. Recite them every day

   3. Keep them in their minds

The Purpose of Commandments

Read Deuteronomy 6:24 and 10:12–13, looking for what Moses said about the purpose of God’s commandments. To “fear the Lord” in these passages means to respect Him or show reverence for Him.

What truths can you identify from these verses?

Obeying Commandments

From Deuteronomy 6:24 and 10:12–13 we can identify the truth that the commandments God gives us are always for our good.

2. Answer the following questions:

• Thinking of a particular commandment, consider: How is this commandment for our good?

• What experiences have you had that show you that the commandments of God are for our good?

Setting a Goal

Take a few moments to think about a commandment that you may currently be struggling to obey.

Why would following this commandment be for your good?

Set a goal regarding how you can better obey this commandment. You may want to write your goal in your journal.

A Snare

This image shows you how to make a snare, which is a trap for catching animals. A snare can include some form of bait to entice an animal to step into the trap. Think about what makes a snare an effective way to catch animals.

In what ways is the bait in a snare like the temptations we experience?

As recorded in Deuteronomy 7, Moses taught the Israelites what they must do to overcome snares, or sources of temptation that could lead them to become trapped in the kinds of sins that were common among the people living in the promised land. The people who were already living in the promised land participated in terrible wickedness and idolatry and even sacrificed their innocent children to their false gods (see Deuteronomy 12:30–31).

As you study Deuteronomy 7, look for truths that can help you overcome the temptations you face.

The People of Canaan

The people in the land of Canaan were “ripe in iniquity” (1 Nephi 17:35). This is a phrase from the scriptures that describes people who have become so wicked that the Lord decides it is both just and merciful for them to be removed from the earth. Before this happens, the Lord sends prophets to warn them to repent (see 1 Nephi 17:33–35; Deuteronomy 9:4–5; 2 Nephi 25:9).

Read Deuteronomy 7:1–6, 16, 25–26, looking for what the Lord commanded the Israelites to do with the people in the land of Canaan and the items associated with their worship of false gods.

Quiz 2

1. According to verse 2, what did the Lord command the Israelites to do with the people of Canaan?

   1. Kill all the people of Canaan

   2. Preach the gospel to the Canaanites

   3. Make covenants with the people of Canaan

2. According to verse 5, what did the Lord command the Israelites to do with the items associated with the Canaanites’ worship of false gods?

   1. Keep the ones of value

   2. Destroy all these items

   3. Trade them with other nations

3. According to verse 6, what reason did Moses give for why the Israelites needed to respond in this way to the people of Canaan?

   1. The Israelites were obeying the command of Moses.

   2. It would make the Israelites feel better.

   3. The Israelites were a holy people.

Being Holy

In Deuteronomy 7:6 the word holy means to be set aside for sacred purposes. The term “holy people” refers to those who are set aside or chosen to serve God in accomplishing His purposes for the salvation of His children.

To be the Lord’s holy people, what must we do with influences that could lead us to sin?

Sources of Temptations

We can identify the following principle from Deuteronomy 7:6: To be the Lord’s people, we must remove evil from our lives and avoid influences that can lead us to sin. You may want to record this principle in your scriptures next to Deuteronomy 7:6.

This principle relates to doing all you can in your own home and your personal life to be righteous. Although we share the truths of the gospel freely and invite all to come unto Christ, as the Lord’s people, we should be respectful of others’ beliefs and be charitable to everyone (see Articles of Faith 1:11).

We may not be able to remove every source of temptation from our lives. The Lord will bless us as we seek to remove whatever evil we can from our immediate surroundings. He will also help us develop self-discipline to avoid other influences that can lead us to sin.

3. Answer the following questions:

• What are some sources of temptation that, if left in our lives, can lead us to be trapped in sin?

• What advice can you give regarding how to remove or avoid these sources of temptation?

• What can you do to protect yourself when these sources of temptation cannot be avoided?

Moses and the Israelites

As recorded in Deuteronomy 8–13, Moses continued to remind the Israelites about their experiences in the wilderness, and he repeated the importance of obeying God’s commandments.

Moses also warned the people again about the consequences they would experience if they did not completely drive out the other nations (because these nations were ripened in iniquity) from the promised land and destroy the items associated with their worship of false gods.

Important Truths

The following truths were identified in this lesson:

• The commandments God gives us are always for our good.

• To be the Lord’s people, we must remove evil from our lives and avoid influences that can lead us to sin.

You may want to close this lesson with a prayer and ask Heavenly Father to bless you with strength to remove any influences in your life that can lead you to sin.

Answer Key

Quiz 1: (1) b; (2) b; (3) a

Quiz 2: (1) a; (2) b; (3) c