Over and over, The Lord emphasized to His people, past and present, that obedience to Him is not to His benefit, since The Lord already has everything, but to their benefit - blessings that would come from the natural result of doing things right, as determined by Him who made all things that are good, to even more blessings from The Lord to those who obey Him.
"You shall therefore keep all the commandment which I command you this day, that you may be strong, and go in and take possession of the land which you are going over to possess, and that you may live long in the land which The Lord swore to your fathers to give to them and to their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. For the land which you are entering to take possession of it is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it with your feet, like a garden of vegetables; but the land which you are going over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water by the rain from heaven, a land which The Lord your God cares for; the eyes of The Lord your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year." (Deuteronomy 11:8-12 RSV)But with the absolutely sure promise of blessings for the truly obedient (see the Fact Finder question below) came also a warning of sure curses upon those who chose (see Damnation to understand how salvation is a personal choice) not to repent and live as best as humanly possible according to The Lord's Way.
"Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the Commandments of The Lord your God, which I command you this day, and the curse, if you do not obey the Commandments of The Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods which you have not known." (Deuteronomy 11:26-28 RSV)Deuteronomy Chapter 12
Those who choose to obey The Lord must also make a choice to obey Him according to the way that He instructs (see the Fact Finder question below). For example, when The Lord told His people not to use idols to worship Him, He meant exactly what He said (see What Would Mary Really Say About Idolatry?).
"You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, upon the high mountains and upon the hills and under every green tree; you shall tear down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and burn their Asherim with fire; you shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy their name out of that place. You shall not do so to The Lord your God." (Deuteronomy 12:2-4 RSV) "You shall not do according to all that we are doing here this day, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes; for you have not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance which The Lord your God gives you." (Deuteronomy 12:8-9 RSV)Deuteronomy Chapter 13
The Lord commanded the Israelites to completely obliterate the heathen religions out of their land as a simple matter of self-defense. Otherwise, it would surely corrupt the people which would result in their destruction. The Lord provided His people with the knowledge of the way to life; it was up to them to make their choice of life or death for themselves. They were also always to be on guard against false teachers and prophets who would lead people away from what The Lord plainly provided to them, and to us, in writing.
"If a prophet arises among you, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder which he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, 'Let us go after other gods,' which you have not known, 'and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or to that dreamer of dreams; for The Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love The Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after The Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His Commandments and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and cleave to Him." But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against The Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to make you leave the way in which The Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from the midst of you." (Deuteronomy 13:1-4 RSV)
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