“Beware Lest Thou Forget”
Lesson 17 -
Deuteronomy 6, 8, 11, 32
Think about objects scattered around your
home. There should be some common
objects (scriptures, pictures, books, and musical recordings) that remind you
of the Lord and the covenants you have made with him. Today, we’ll talk about some physical objects that the ancient
Israelites used to remind themselves of the Lord and their covenants with him.
In Deuteronomy, Moses taught the children of
Israel to fashion an environment that would help them to resist Satan’s
temptations. This lesson reviews his counsel.
Today’s lesson will help us remember the Lord, our sacred covenants, and
encourage us to create an environment, including physical objects, that will
assist us in honoring our covenants.
Background: After trying,
chastening, and instructing the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness
for some four decades, the Lord announced that they were finally approved to
enter the land of their inheritance. But first, Moses had to deliver some
important instructions from the Lord in three sermons that are recorded in
Deuteronomy. In these sermons Moses reviewed Israel’s 40-year sojourn in the
wilderness, recognizing God’s hand in their deliverance. Moses also discussed
Israel’s responsibilities as God’s chosen people. He emphasized that they must
obey God’s commandments, particularly the commands to remember Him and refrain
from idol worship. Moses warned that although the children of Israel were ready
to enter the promised land, if they returned to wickedness they would lose
their inheritance and be scattered.
Remember that Deuteronomy contains Moses’ last words to the Israelites.
“He will not forsake thee” (Deuteronomy 4:31)
After prophesying that the Israelites would turn
to the worship of other gods and be scattered (Deuteronomy 4:25-28),
Moses offered words of hope…
Deuteronomy 4:29-31 – Moses promised
those who seek the Lord with all their hearts that “thou shalt find
him”, and further, that they would not be forsaken,
destroyed, or forgotten. (Also see Isaiah 49:14-16.)
Moses gave instructions to the Israelites to help them
remember their covenants.
Deuteronomy 6:5-9; 11:18-20
- The Lord commanded the Israelites to put the words of the scriptures into
their hearts. Moses counseled the Israelites to wear frontlets—strips of
parchment on which were written four passages of scripture. Those scriptures “were rolled up
and attached to bands of leather worn … around the forehead or around the arm”
[Bible Dictionary, “Frontlets,” 676]).
Moses told the people to place passages of scripture between their eyes, on their hands, on the posts of their houses, and on their gates. He understood the importance of such constant physical reminders.
Application: Parents must effectively teach the gospel to
their children and help them learn to love the scriptures. In our homes, the
pictures on our walls, the books we buy and read, and the movies and television
shows we watch can remind us of the Lord, his words, and our covenants with
him, or they can reflect worldly concerns.
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“Write them upon the posts of thy house” (Deuteronomy 6:9)
If you listed the paintings, posters, musical
and/or video recordings, and other objects (magazines, books, collectibles) in
your home and labeled each item with either a “+” (indicating that the object
is likely to lead you to remember the Lord) or a “-” (indicating that it is
more likely to lead your heart away from the Lord), how would your home score?
You may want to do this with your family during a family home evening.
President Ezra Taft Benson said that people who
are “captained by Christ will be consumed in Christ. … Enter their
homes, and the pictures on their walls, the books on their shelves, the music
in the air, their words and acts reveal them as Christians”
(Ensign, Nov. 1985, 6-7).
Moses counseled the Israelites to obey God’s
commandments and remember Him.
Deuteronomy 6:10-12; 8:1-20 - Moses’
wanted to be sure they remembered the Lord, obeyed the commandments, remembered
the blessings from the Lord, and worshipped him rather than idols.
Deuteronomy 8:11
- We “forget” the Lord when we do not oobey his commandments.
Deuteronomy 8:19 -
Moses spelled out the consequences of forgetting God – they would perish!
Application: How can we be sure
that we do not forget God?
*Deuteronomy 6:10-12; 8:10-20 (Cited
above) – Moses warned that success, prosperity,
pride, and subsequent disobedience might cause people to forget God.
Deuteronomy 8:17
– Moses specifically warned against pride and conceit that comes with riches.
President Brigham Young said: “The worst fear
that I have about [members of this Church] is that they will get rich in this
country, forget God and his people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the
Church and go to hell. This people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty, and
all manner of persecution, and be true. But my greater fear for them is that
they cannot stand wealth; and yet they have to be tried with riches, for they
will become the richest people on this earth” (Brigham
Young: The Man and His Work [1936], 128).
Deuteronomy 8:18
– The people were reminded that the Lord is the source of any prosperity.
Deuteronomy 8:18; Jacob 2:18-19
– The people’s blessings came as a fulfillment of the Lord’s covenant with
their fathers. Those riches were intended to be used in the Lord’s work.
Deuteronomy 13:6-8 – One major danger Moses warn against was being drawn into worshipping
idols. Application:
We need to carefully evaluate influences from others who might try to pull us
away from the Lord. If someone tries to
tempt us, we should be prepared to counteract that influence immediately.
“They shall not appear before the Lord empty”
Deuteronomy 16:2,11,16 - The
place mentioned is the tabernacle, which was the portable temple for the
Israelites. In preparation for a feast at the tabernacle, Moses instructed the
people not to “appear before the Lord empty”
(Deuteronomy 16:16).
Application: Today, this counsel might apply to our
temple attendance. With proper preparation for temple attendance, we can assure
that we do not enter the temple “empty”. Our preparation should help us to “rejoice before
the Lord” in the temple (Deuteronomy 16:11).
President Howard W. Hunter counseled: “Let us be a
temple-attending people. Attend the temple as frequently as personal
circumstances allow. Keep a picture of a temple in your home that your children
may see it” (Ensign, Nov. 1994, 8).
It is important for us to go to the temple as frequently as possible to
remember our covenants and cultivate a proper spirit within us. To remind us of this responsibility and
privilege, it is important to keep a picture of a temple in our homes as a
constant reminder.
Deuteronomy 32:3-4, 15, 18, 30-31 - The
Rock spoken of is the Lord
Helaman 5:12 - The rock
symbolizes the solid foundation provided by Jesus Christ.
Deuteronomy 32:31 - Moses
declared that “their rock” (the false gods of the wicked) “is not as our
Rock”
Deuteronomy 32:37-40 – “Their rock”
is different from “our Rock” (Christ) because
their rock is not God and cannot provide the blessings of the true god.
Deuteronomy 18:18-19 -
This scripture, in prophesying of the coming of Christ, tells of the need to
hearken to his words.
Conclusion
The things we place around us—such as pictures,
books, and music—can be powerful reminders of the Lord and the covenants we
have made with him. Our purpose in surrounding ourselves with these things is
the same as the ancient Israelites’ purpose in wearing frontlets: to help us
build upon “the Rock”—to help us remember and follow the Lord.
“No man knoweth of his sepulchre” (Deuteronomy 34:6)
The writer who finished the book of Deuteronomy
knew only that Moses was gone and so assumed that he had died, that the Lord
had buried him, and that no one knew where his grave was. However, we know that
Moses was translated. (For an explanation of the state of
translated beings, see 3 Nephi 28:7-9, 37-40.) The Bible Dictionary gives the following
explanation of Moses’ translation: “As was the case with many of the
ancient prophets, Moses’ ministry extended beyond the limits of his own mortal
lifetime. In company with Elijah, he came to the Mount of Transfiguration and
bestowed keys of the priesthood upon Peter, James, and John (Matthew 17:3-4;
Mark 9:4-9; Luke 9:30; D&C 63:21; History of the Church, 3:387). From this
event, which occurred before the resurrection of Jesus, we understand that
Moses was a translated being and had not died as reported in Deuteronomy 34 (Alma
45:19). It was necessary that he be translated, in order to have a body
of flesh and bones at the time of the transfiguration, since the resurrection
had not yet taken place. Had he been a spirit only, he could not have performed
the work on the mount of giving the keys to the mortal Peter, James, and John
(cf. D&C 129)” (Bible Dictionary,
“Moses,” 735).
The lesson website on the Internet is http://www.neumanninstitute.org/