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Deuteronomy 5-7

Deuteronomy 5

Moses spoke to all of the Israelites and told them to learn all of God's decrees and laws, as well as to always follow them. He told them that The Lord had made a covenant with them at Horeb.

Moses reminded them that their Lord was a jealous God that would punish the children for all of the sins of their parents to the fourth generation or those that hated God. The Lord would show love to one thousand generations for everyone that had loved God and kept the Lord's commandments.

Moses tells the Israelites about the Ten Commandments and explains them. He says they were given to him on two stone tablets by God. Moses reminds them that he had stood between the Israelites and God because they were too scared of the fire and would not go up the mountain. The elders and leaders told Moses to tell them what God had told him. They said they would listen and obey.

He says that the Lord heard everything they had said to Moses. The Lord was pleased with what they had told Moses. They had told Moses that they would keep all of God's commandments. God then told Moses that things would go well for the Israelites and for their children, too, as long as they obeyed His commands.

The Lord told Moses that the Israelites should go back to their tents and that he should stay. The Lord gave Moses all of His decrees, laws, and commands. The Lord commanded Moses that he was to teach them to the Israelites and that they had to follow them in their inherited land.

Moses tells the Israelites to be very careful and to follow all of God's commandments. Moses tells them to be obedient to everything that God has commanded of them so that they could live, prosper and prolong their days in the land promised to them by the Lord.

Deuteronomy 6

Moses tells the Israelites to love God with all their heart and soul. God has given them their own land just as he promised to their fathers, Jacob, Isaac and Abraham. God gave them flourishing towns that they did not have to build, wells they did not dig, along with olive groves and vineyards they did not plant. Moses tells them they should never forget their Lord because He had brought them out of slavery and given them their inheritance.

He goes on to tell them that they should fear God, only serve Him, as well as to only take oaths in the Lord's name. He tells them they should never follow any other gods, idols, or people around them. The Israelites are to remember that their Lord is a very jealous God. His wrath will burn and it could completely destroy them.

They are told to not test God, like they had done at Massah. Moses explains to the Israelites that they are to keep all of God's commandments, along with all of the many decrees He has given them. He goes on to say if they do what is right in God's eyes, things will go well for them when they go live in their inherited land and defeat their enemies.

Moses tells them they are to explain to their children and grandchildren about all of God's commandments and decrees. They are also to explain to future generations about the time when they were slaves in Egypt and how God brought them out of that land with His mighty hand.

Moses continues and says that they should tell them how they saw God's signs and wonders in Egypt, some great while others were terrible. They are to tell the younger people what happened to the Pharaoh and his entire household. They are also to tell them how God had kept his promise to their ancestors and given them a land of their own. The Israelites are to obey all of God's decrees, laws, and commandments because that would be their righteousness.

Deuteronomy 7

When God gave the nation of Israel its land, the Israelites were expected to "completely destroy" the other nations that were living there. The people of Israel were not supposed to intermarry with the people in this land since, presumably, the children born from these marriages would be taught the worshiping of other gods, and this would make the Lord angry. They were supposed to worship only one God, and this goes for their children, too.

Moses now tells the Israelites why God chose them. He said that even though they were smaller than all other nations, they were still chosen. However, God loved them regardless of their size because He made covenants with Abraham, Isaac as well as Jacob in Genesis. In reality, this was a loyalty thing.

God is loyal to people who keep his commandments and love Him, but He declares punishment to those who reject Him by not fully loving Him and not following His commandments. In simple terms, this is to say that those who follow His laws are blessed and given free things while there is a plague for those who break the laws. Therefore, if Israelites serve God well, they will have a lot of food, land, children and help from illness.

All of this introduces the capture of Canaan. If the Israelites are afraid that they will be unable to take the land since there are very many enemies to defeat, they should keep in mind what God did for them in Egypt. God will surely fight for them, though only gradually. Therefore, they should be patient to conquer the land without hurrying to do it.

Although gradual conquest might have a number of setbacks, it still becomes successful. If the conquest is promised to be very fast and the Israelite armies fail, they will then lose faith in God very quickly. Finally, the people of Israel were not supposed to worship Idols at any cost. They were supposed to worship their only one and true God.