Seminary
Lesson 72: Deuteronomy 14–26


“Lesson 72: Deuteronomy 14–26,” Old Testament Seminary Student Material (2018)

“Lesson 72: Deuteronomy 14–26”

Lesson 72

Deuteronomy 14–26

Prepare to Learn

Prepare your mind and heart to learn. Be ready to take notes and consider marking your scriptures to help you preserve personal insights and lessons you learn.

Begin your study with prayer.

What would you do if you were told Jesus Christ would be visiting you today?

In this classic story by Leo Tolstoy, an honest shoemaker learns a valuable lesson while waiting to meet the Savior. Consider how this lesson can impact what you do each day to prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Different from Others

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youth standing out in a crowd

Think about a time when your beliefs made you different from others.

1. Why might it be a good thing to stand out because of your beliefs?

The Lord’s People

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youth reading scriptures

According to Deuteronomy 14:1, the Lord commanded the Israelites not to engage in self-mutilation rituals that were commonly practiced by people from other nations as part of idol worship (see 1 Kings 18:28) and mourning for the dead (see Jeremiah 16:6–7).

Read Deuteronomy 14:1–2, looking for words or phrases that explain why the Lord commanded the Israelites not to participate in these rituals.

Holy and Peculiar People

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The term peculiar in Deuteronomy 14:2 means “exclusive, or special” and can refer to a special possession or property (Bible Dictionary, “Peculiar”). Holy means sacred and devoted to God.

The next several chapters of Deuteronomy contain Moses’s review and teaching of many of the Lord’s commandments that, if obeyed, would help make the Israelites peculiar, or different from all the nations around them.

Caring for Others

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We read in Deuteronomy 14:3–29 that Moses reminded the Israelites of what they had been commanded to eat and not eat. He also taught them about using tithing to care for the Levite priests, strangers, the fatherless, and widows. Deuteronomy 15 describes another way in which the Israelites were to care for the needy among them.

Read Deuteronomy 15:1–2, looking for how often the Israelites were to “release,” or pardon, those who were indebted to them.

The Seventh Year

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youth reading the Bible

As recorded in Deuteronomy 15:4–6, Moses taught that by doing this, the Lord would greatly bless the people and their nation would prosper financially.

Despite these great promised blessings, some Israelites may have been reluctant to lend to a neighbor in the seventh year.

Read Deuteronomy 15:7–9, looking for Moses’s warning and counsel for lending to those in need, especially during the seventh year.

What principle can we identify from verse 9 about refusing to help the poor? (See also Jacob 2:19.)

The Sin of Refusing

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From Deuteronomy 15:9 we can identify the following principle: We sin by refusing to help others in need when we are able to give.

Why does the Lord see it as a sin when we refuse to help those in need?

Helping Those in Need

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Even if we are not always able to personally meet others’ needs, we should be able to say in our hearts that we would help if we could (see Mosiah 4:24–25).

Remember, too, that the Lord expects us to be self-reliant whenever possible. Some individuals need encouragement and opportunities to provide for themselves instead of depending on gifts of money or having items provided for them without any personal effort on their part (see D&C 68:30–31). Pray for the Spirit to inspire you to know when to give tangible items and when to help others learn to help themselves.

Regarding the need for us to seek inspiration about how to help others, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said:

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Jeffrey R. Holland

“I don’t know exactly how each of you should fulfill your obligation to those who do not or cannot always help themselves. But I know that God knows, and He will help you and guide you in compassionate acts of discipleship if you are conscientiously wanting and praying and looking for ways to keep a commandment He has given us again and again” (Jeffrey R, Holland, “Are We Not All Beggars?Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 41).

Read Deuteronomy 15:10–11, looking for what we will experience if we willingly help those in need.

Blessed in All Our Works

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We can identify the following principle from Deuteronomy 15:10: If we willingly help those in need, then we will be blessed in all our works.

It is important to remember that a person can have other needs besides the need for financial assistance.

2. Answer the following questions:

  • What kinds of opportunities has the Lord given us to help provide for those in need?

  • When have you felt blessed after helping someone in need?

You may want to write in a journal or in your Notes on LDS.org what you will do in the coming week to help someone in need.

Instructions from the Lord

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We read in Deuteronomy 16–19 that the Lord instructed the Israelites to observe the Passover and two other annual feasts. These feasts would remind the Israelites of the blessings they had received and would receive from the Lord. Moses also reviewed the consequences for the Israelites who chose to worship false gods and instructed future Israelite kings to study God’s word daily and lead in His ways. He also warned the Israelites to stay away from sorcery and described the legal processes for those who had killed another person, either accidentally or intentionally.

Spiritual Sickness

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There are many infectious diseases throughout the world. Think of a few ways in which people can prevent the spread of these diseases.

Like an infectious disease, sin also spreads and causes suffering. What can happen to a nation or group of people when sin is allowed to spread?

The Lord had designated the promised land as holy, but it had been occupied for hundreds of years by people who refused to obey His commandments. To prevent the Israelites from being contaminated by the wickedness of those people, the Lord gave the Israelites specific instructions as they prepared to enter the promised land.

Entering the Promised Land

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We read in Deuteronomy 20:1–15 that to prepare the Israelites to go forth to conquer the promised land, the Lord told them, “Fear not, … for the Lord your God … goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies” (verses 3–4). The Lord instructed the Israelite armies to first offer each city in the border areas a proclamation of peace in order to give the city’s inhabitants a chance to surrender (see verses 10–11). If this offer was rejected, the Israelite armies were to “besiege,” or surround, the city. When the city fell, the men were to be killed, but the women, children, and flocks were to be preserved (see verses 12–14).

Read Deuteronomy 20:16–18, looking for what God commanded the Israelite armies to do with the people who occupied cities in the heart of the promised land. In verse 18, the phrase “teach you not to do after all their abominations” means that the Israelites should not be taught to follow the wicked ways of the Canaanites. The phrase “so should ye sin” (verse 18) means that if the Israelites followed the ways of the Canaanites, the Israelites would be sinning against the Lord.

What truth can we identify from verse 18?

Preventing the Spread of Sin

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One truth we can identify from Deuteronomy 20:17–18 is that God may destroy the wicked to prevent their sins from spreading to others. Remember, though, that such a drastic response would be right only if directly commanded by God to a prophet.

The people who inhabited the promised land had become spiritually and morally corrupt—like the people in the days of Noah. They participated in acts of perversion, immorality, and even human sacrifice as part of their social and religious practices.

While speaking of these wicked inhabitants of the promised land, the Book of Mormon prophet Nephi explained that “this people had rejected every word of God” (see 1 Nephi 17:33–35). They had received more than one warning to repent of their sins and had refused to do so. You may want to record this cross-reference next to Deuteronomy 20:16.

Keeping the Commandments

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From Deuteronomy 21–26 we learn that Moses reminded the Israelites that obeying God’s commandments would help them stay clean and separate from practices that could be spiritually damaging and have severe eternal consequences.

Read Deuteronomy 26:16–19, looking for how Israel was to keep the Lord’s commandments. The word avouched in verse 17 means declared or testified.

Quiz 1

  1. What phrases in verse 16 describe how Israel was to keep God’s commandments? Select all that apply.

    1. With the whole heart

    2. With fear and trepidation

    3. With the whole soul

    4. With caution

  2. According to verses 18–19, what blessings did the Lord declare Israel would receive if they obeyed in this way? Select all that apply.

    1. Israel would be made rich.

    2. Israel would be the Lord’s peculiar and holy people.

    3. Israel would be given praise and honor.

Heart and Soul

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We can identify from Deuteronomy 26:16–19 the following principle regarding obedience: We can be the Lord’s peculiar and holy people if we obey His commandments with all our heart and soul.

Being the Lord’s peculiar and holy people means being like Him. The Lord’s people do not see themselves as superior to others but instead are humble and filled with charity and a desire to help and bless others.

3. Answer the following questions:

  • What does it mean to obey the Lord’s commandments with all your heart and soul?

  • When have you felt blessed because you tried to keep one of God’s commandments with all your heart and soul?

Truths to Remember

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The following truths were identified in this lesson:

  • We sin by refusing to help others in need when we are able to give.

  • If we willingly help those in need, then we will be blessed in all our works.

  • God may destroy the wicked to prevent their sins from spreading to others.

  • We can be the Lord’s peculiar and holy people if we obey His commandments with all our heart and soul.

Choose a commandment that you want to better obey with all your heart and soul. You may want to write down how you will do so in a journal or in your Notes on LDS.org. Make sure to act on your goal to better keep God’s commandments with all your heart and soul to show your love for God and receive the promised blessings.

Answer Key

Quiz 1: (1) a, c; (2) b, c