The Lord shewed him all: Deuteronomy 34:1–5, by Eva Timothy

Deuteronomy 6–8; 15; 18; 29–30; 34

After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, the children of Israel made camp just outside the promised land. The Lord called Joshua to lead them into the land of Canaan. Moses prepared the Israelites to enter the promised land by teaching them the importance of remembering and obeying the Lord. He also instructed them to care for the poor and needy.

Additional Resources

Scripture Helps: Old Testament, “Deuteronomy 6–8; 15; 18; 29–30; 34”

Note: The “Introduction to the Course” provides guidance on how to use the standard lesson elements that follow.

Encouraging Personal Study

Before class, consider sending students one or more of the following messages or some of your own:

What helps you remember Jesus Christ in your daily life? Think about why it is important to consistently remember Him as you study Deuteronomy 6–8.
What does it mean to you personally to love God with all your heart, soul, and might? Ponder how you can strengthen your love for God as you study Deuteronomy 6:1–6 and 30:15–20.
As you study Deuteronomy 15, think about actions you could take to help you better care for people in need.

Questions and Sharing

Provide time for students to ask questions and share insights and truths they discovered in their personal study of Deuteronomy 6–8; 15; 18; 29–30; 34.

Skill Training

The learning activity for Deuteronomy 6:1–6; 30:15–20 or Deuteronomy 15 could be a useful place to practice the Scripture Study Skill, “Searching in the Scriptures and in Gospel Library.”

Learning Activity Options

Multiple learning options are provided for you and your students. Prayerfully choose which option or options will be most meaningful for your class. You could also seek input from your students.

Improving Our Teaching and Learning

Teach from the scriptures and words of latter-day prophets. When teachings are based on the scriptures and words of latter-day prophets, students are more likely to feel the Holy Ghost testify of the truths they are learning. For more on how the Savior taught in this way, see “The Savior Taught from the Scriptures” (Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 21).

Deuteronomy 6–8

How can I remember the Lord?

You could share the following scenario with your students and invite them to consider if they have had similar thoughts:

Isla is attending sacrament meeting one Sunday afternoon. As she listens to the sacrament prayers, the phrase “always remember Him” stands out to her. She wonders if she really understands what it means to always remember Jesus Christ and how she can do this with everything she has going on in her life.

You might invite students to think about how well they keep the commandment to always remember Jesus Christ. Encourage them to write down what they feel impressed to do to always remember Him as they study Deuteronomy 6–8.

You could remind students that after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, the children of Israel were about to enter the promised land. The book of Deuteronomy contains Moses’s final counsel to his people. Much of his counsel focused on important events from the wilderness that he wanted his people to remember.

To help students study Moses’s counsel, arrange the class into partnerships or small groups. Display the following scripture passages and instructions, and give students sufficient time to study and have a discussion:

Study either Deuteronomy 6:3–13, 20–25 or Deuteronomy 8:1–18 individually.
Find what Moses counseled the people to remember. Consider marking your findings.
Share the counsel you found. Explain why you feel this counsel would have been important for the children of Israel at that time.

After students have finished discussing, invite them to share some of their insights with the class. You could also ask:

What did you find in Moses’s teachings that could help us today? (Students may share a variety of truths, including this one: The Lord asks us to remember Him and the influence He has had in our lives.)

To help students understand how remembering the Lord can benefit us, consider sharing the following statement by Elder Dale G. Renlund:

Our Heavenly Father wants us to recall His and His Beloved Son’s goodness, not for Their own gratification but for the influence such remembrance has on us. By considering Their kindness, our perspective and understanding are enlarged. By reflecting on Their compassion, we become more humble, prayerful, and steadfast. (“Consider the Goodness and Greatness of God,” Liahona, May 2020, 41)

Consider discussing some or all of the following questions:

What can prevent people from remembering the Lord today?
What are some specific things that can help us remember God and His influence in our lives? (Consider listing students’ responses on the board. As part of this discussion, you could also watch the videos “O Remember, Remember” [1:28] or “Spiritual Memories” [1:19].)

1:48

1:19

You could invite students to take a moment to recall the goodness of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. They could take some time to record their answers to one or both of the following questions:

What comes to your mind when you think about the goodness of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in your life or the lives of others?
What blessings have you experienced as you’ve tried to remember the influence of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in your life?

Invite students to think of one way they feel impressed to remember the Lord more in their lives, and encourage them to record their thoughts. They could also create a reminder for themselves that could be put in a place they will see often.

Return to “Learning Activity Options.”

Deuteronomy 6:1–6; 30:15–20

What can help me feel greater love for God?

Invite students to think of someone they love. They could show a picture of that person to the class or a partner. Encourage them to think about how their relationship with that person has grown or changed over time. Students could share why they love that person or what they have done to feel greater love for them.

Explain that just as we spend time and effort to strengthen our relationships with loved ones, it is also essential for us to focus on strengthening our relationship with and love for God. Encourage students as they study today to seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost to help them recognize how they can strengthen their love for God.

Remind students that the book of Deuteronomy contains Moses’s final counsel to the Israelites prior to Joshua leading them into the promised land. Invite students to read Deuteronomy 6:1–6 and 30:15–20, looking for some of Moses’s counsel to the people. Consider asking questions like the following to help them share what they learned:

What stood out to you from Moses’s counsel?
How would you summarize this counsel in a statement of truth? (Students might identify a truth like the following: God commands us to love Him with all our heart, soul, and might.)

Point out that during His mortal ministry, Jesus Christ taught that loving God is “the first and great commandment” (Matthew 22:38). You could suggest that students link or cross-reference Deuteronomy 6:5 to Matthew 22:35–40.

To help students better understand this commandment, consider displaying the following questions and inviting them to choose one or more to focus on. (You could also introduce “Asking Questions That Invite Diligent Learning” in Scripture Study Skills and have students come up with their own questions.) Give students time to search the scriptures, messages from Church leaders, or other resources on Gospel Library to find insights related to these questions.

What does it mean to love God with all my heart, soul, and might?
During His mortal ministry, how did Jesus Christ show that He loved Heavenly Father?
What difference can loving God with all my heart, soul, and might make in my life?
What can prevent me from loving God with all my heart, soul, and might?
What can help me feel greater love for God?

If students need help finding resources, you could make suggestions like the following: Guide to the Scriptures, “Love,” Gospel Library; D. Todd Christofferson, “The First Commandment First” (digital-only article), Liahona, Feb. 2023, (Gospel Library); “Love God, love your neighbor,” in For the Strength of Youth: A Guide for Making Choices (2022), 10–12.

When students have finished, invite them to share their insights in small groups. Then have a few willing students share some of their insights with the class. You could also discuss a few questions like the following:

What has helped you deepen your love for God?
What difference has your love for God made in your life?

Return to “Learning Activity Options.”

Deuteronomy 15

Why does the Lord want me to care for people in need?

Write the words poor and needy on the board. Ask students to share ways a person might be in need—whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually. You or a class member might list their responses on the board. As students study Deuteronomy 15, encourage them to notice how the Lord teaches us to care for people in need.

Explain that every seven years the Lord commanded the children of Israel to observe a Sabbatical year. As part of their Sabbatical year observance, they were to forgive debts, release people in servitude, and lift the burdens of others. (For more information, see “Deuteronomy 15:1–18. What was the year of release?” in Scripture Helps: Old Testament.)

Invite students to read Deuteronomy 15:1–11, looking for the Lord’s instructions for the Sabbatical year. Invite the class to respond to the following:

What do you learn about God’s character and attributes from these verses?
What do you think it means to “open [our] hand wide” when we give to others? When has the Lord shown you His care with an “open hand”?
What promises did you find in these verses that can apply to our efforts to serve people in need? (Students may identify a truth like this: As we willingly help people in need, the Lord will bless us in all we do.)

Consider using one or more of the following activities to help students better recognize ways they can follow the Lord’s commandment to care for the poor and people in need:

Practice “Searching in the Scriptures and in Gospel Library” in Scripture Study Skills. Students could identify a few key words from the discussion, like “poor,” “needy,” “service,” “caring for others,” and so on. Give students time to practice searching for these words or phrases in Gospel Library. They could identify scriptures, statements from Church leaders, or other resources that teach them about how the Lord and His Church care for His people today.
Find an example from the life of Jesus Christ where He blessed people in need. You could invite students to share with the class what they discovered.
List the following categories on the board: financially, physically, spiritually, socially, emotionally. Invite students to discuss specific ways they can follow the Lord’s command to care for people who have these types of needs.

You might also discuss a few questions like these:

How has Heavenly Father blessed you for willingly serving His children?
When has someone cared for you in a Christlike way?

Consider inviting students to pray to Heavenly Father to know how they can care for someone around them who is in need. Encourage them to record and act on impressions they receive.

Return to “Learning Activity Options.”