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The Great Commandment

 6

Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the ordinances—that the L ord your God charged me to teach you to observe in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy, 2so that you and your children and your children’s children may fear the L ord your God all the days of your life, and keep all his decrees and his commandments that I am commanding you, so that your days may be long. 3Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the L ord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you.

4 Hear, O Israel: The L ord is our God, the L ord alone. 5You shall love the L ord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. 6Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. 7Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. 8Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, 9and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Caution against Disobedience

10 When the L ord your God has brought you into the land that he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—a land with fine, large cities that you did not build, 11houses filled with all sorts of goods that you did not fill, hewn cisterns that you did not hew, vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant—and when you have eaten your fill, 12take care that you do not forget the L ord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13The L ord your God you shall fear; him you shall serve, and by his name alone you shall swear. 14Do not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who are all around you, 15because the L ord your God, who is present with you, is a jealous God. The anger of the L ord your God would be kindled against you and he would destroy you from the face of the earth.

16 Do not put the L ord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. 17You must diligently keep the commandments of the L ord your God, and his decrees, and his statutes that he has commanded you. 18Do what is right and good in the sight of the L ord, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may go in and occupy the good land that the L ord swore to your ancestors to give you, 19thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as the L ord has promised.

20 When your children ask you in time to come, “What is the meaning of the decrees and the statutes and the ordinances that the L ord our God has commanded you?” 21then you shall say to your children, “We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the L ord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22The L ord displayed before our eyes great and awesome signs and wonders against Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his household. 23He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land that he promised on oath to our ancestors. 24Then the L ord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the L ord our God, for our lasting good, so as to keep us alive, as is now the case. 25If we diligently observe this entire commandment before the L ord our God, as he has commanded us, we will be in the right.”


14. Ye shall not go after. In this passage Moses commands the people not to turn away from the simple service of God, although examples of superstition may present themselves to their sight on every side. For this was a very destructive temptation, that none could be anywhere found who subscribed to the doctrine of the Law, although the respective nations had some religion, or at any rate the name of it existing among them. Since, therefore, these various forms of worship were so many temptations to forsake the right way, it was needful to provide against the danger betimes, and so to establish the authority of the One God, that the Jews might have courage to despise the common belief of all the Gentiles. A threat is added, that vengeance would not be far off if they should fall away into these superstitions, since God is a jealous God, and dwelling among them. As to the former epithet, I am about to say more under the Second Commandment. Meanwhile, let my readers observe that God is called jealous, because He permits no rivalry which may detract from His glory, nor does He suffer the service which is due to Him alone to be transferred elsewhere. When He reminds the people that he dwells among them, it is partly to inspire terror by reason of His presence, and partly to reprove indirectly their ingratitude, if they should forsake Him, and seek for themselves gods who are afar of.


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