Choice #3: Deuteronomy 10-11; 13-14; 22-24; 26; 28-29, Obedience Bring Blessings; Disobedience Brings Curses

A. Deuteronomy 10-15.
• Where did the Lord direct Moses to keep the tablets containing the Ten Commandments? ----- an ark made of wood.
• What do you think the instruction teaches us about the value the Lord places on the commandments? ------ because of the precise instruction on what the ark must be made of it shows that the Lord feel the commandments most precious.
• Notice the Joseph Smith Translation correction in the footnotes for v.2 Read D&C 84:14-27. What blessings did the Children of Israel deny themselves through their disobedience in the wilderness? ------they will not receive the mysteries or knowledge of God. They also are deprived of the godly ordinances and authority of the priesthood. Without these things Moses taught them that they couldn’t see God in the flesh and live but the children of Israel didn’t listen and so they didn’t get any of theses blessings.

B. Compare Deuteronomy 11:1, 13-14, 22, 30:6,19-20 with Matthew 22:36-40. Write a paragraph that explains why you think this is the most important commandment. Love is an emotion; can emotions be commanded? How can a person love someone they don’t even see? How can we learn to love God?
These scriptures show us that there are many things that we will be blessed with if we will dedicate our lives to loving God, land, blessings and that we might live. And not just ourselves will live but our “seed” as well. We can learn to love his by obeying his voice, I think this will teach us the wonderful things that the Lord is willing to bless us with if we just listen to him. I also think that this is first law because if we can learn to love God the following his commandments will be easier because we will have some understanding of why his subsequent laws are so important. We see that the second great law is loving thy neighbor, we can do this better when we can feel the eternal love of the Lord. I think that we can learn to love him without seeing him through faith, if we believe that he is there and supreme then we have to believe that all good comes from him, bad too but that comes more from agency. When we can understand and have faith then loving without seeing is a little easier.

C. Read Deuteronomy 10:12-13; 11:8-9; 13:4 and 26:17-19. Describe what theses verses have in common. Explain why you think the Lord places such a strong emphasis on obedience to the commandments. Also note in your paragraph how Mosiah 2:41 and D&C 130:20-21 applies to this question.
All of these scripture are telling us that if we will follow God then we can prosper and live a full life. If we will be true and faithful then we can be part of the chosen people of God. We have to love him and understand his power and authority, this is the only way that we can have all the blessings that are promised to the chosen people. Mosiah and D&C apply because they also tell us of the blessings of happiness and fulfillment that can only come through loving the Lord.
D. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 and list results of obeying the commandments; then skim through Deuteronomy 28:15-65 and list of the consequences of disobeying the commandments. Helaman 12:3 and write purposes the Lord has for sometimes chastening his children with “many afflictions.”
-Obeying the Commandments of God:
• On high above all nations of earth
• Blessed shalt thou be in the field
• Blessed fruit of the body
• Fruit of the ground
• Fruit of the cattle
• Increase of kine
• Increase of sheep
• Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store
• Blessed when coming out and in
• The Lord will smite your enemies
• Blessings upon your storehouse
• Everything you touch will be blessed
• The land you own
• Establish a holy place for you.
• Everyone will see you are of the Lord and be afraid of you
• Plenty of goods and children and animals and food
• The Lord will keep all the promises given to your fathers
• You will never have to borrow
• You will be the head and not the tail
• Always above never below
-Disobeying the Commandments of God
• Curse on your fields
• Curse on your basket and store
• Curse on your children, flocks and food
• Cursed when coming and going
• You will be destroyed and perish quickly
• Pestilence cleave unto you
• You will be sick always
• Your crops will not grow
• Your enemies will defeat you
• Botch of Egypt on you
• You will not prosper
• Nothing will go right for you
• All your flocks and cattle will disease and die
• You will oppressed and crushed always
• Your body will be ruined
• Your nation will not prosper and be ruled by others
• You will be always hungry and thirsty
• You will be destroyed
Helaman tells us that if the Lord doesn’t bring these things to the people and show them when they aren’t following the Lord that they will not remember him. These afflictions are to remind us the importance of the Lord.

E. The Lord clearly stated consequences of disobedience, but He does not desire to curse His children. Deuteronomy 4:29-31; 26:7-11; Isaiah 55:6-7; Ezekiel 18:21-23; and Mosiah 26:30. Write a paragraph describing the Lord’s mercies and what His greatest desires are. Include in you statement how it makes you feel to know that God is kind, loving and merciful.
The Lord will continue to give us hardships and afflictions when we forget him because he will not forget about us. He wants us to realize and recognize our faults so that we can return to him. I love the scripture in Isaiah when he tells us to seek the Lord while he is near, because he is easier to find. This is true and when we are able to find him then we know that the Lord will forgive our fault and mistakes. The Lord giving us many chances to be forgiven and v. 23 of Ezekiel when it is obvious that the Lord would have rather had the wicked turn from the wickedness than have them die. God loves us and wants us to live and return to him. While reading this week I was troubled by the men woman and children killed, this is a comfort to understand then they wouldn’t have helped further God’s purpose and wouldn’t have changed. If there were a chance that they could have left their evil ways then God would have let them live. In Mosiah it tells us that God will continue to let us live and forgive us as long as there is a chance that we will repents, and every time that we repent he will forgive us. I know that we must fear God and respect him but it is a comfort to know that He loves us so much that it doesn’t matter how many times we sin, if they are repent able sins then we will be forgiven if we just reach out to him.