In that new land, you must be careful not to forget the Agreement that the Lord your God made with you. You must obey the Lord’s command. Don’t make any idols in any form!
The people on the land have made the land dirty. \{How did this happen\}? The people did wrong things against God’s teaching. The people did not obey God’s laws. The people made an agreement with God a long time ago, but those people broke their agreement with God.
So I went in and looked. I saw statues of all kinds of reptiles {\cf2\super [65]} and animals that you hate to think about. Those statues were the filthy idols that the people of Israel worshiped. There were pictures of those animals carved all around on every wall!
“Remember and obey the law of Moses. Moses was my servant. I gave those laws and rules to him at Mount Horeb (Sinai). Those laws are for all the people of Israel.”
You will be able to look at these tassels and remember all the commands that the Lord has given you. Then you will obey the commands. You will not do wrong by forgetting about the commands and doing the things that your own bodies and eyes want.
Jesus said, “Be careful! Don’t be fooled. Many people will come using my name. They will say, ‘I am \{the Christ {\cf2\super [332]} \}’ and, ‘The right time has come!’ But don’t follow them.
‘Cursed is the person that makes a false god and puts it in its secret place. Those false gods are only statues that some worker makes from wood, stone or metal. The Lord hates those things!’
Moses, the priests, and the Levites spoke to all the people of Israel. Moses said, “Be quiet and listen, Israel! Today you have become the people of the Lord your God.
The answer will be: ‘The Lord is angry because the people of Israel left the Agreement of the Lord, the God of their ancestors. [194] They stopped following the Agreement that the Lord made with them when he brought them out of Egypt.
I will take them into the land that I promised to give to their ancestors [206] —a land filled with many good things. [207] And they will have all they want to eat. They will have a rich life. But then they will turn to other gods and serve them. They will turn away from me and break my Agreement.
“You will live in the country a long time. You will have children and grandchildren there. You will grow old there. And then you will ruin your lives—you will make all kinds of idols! When you do that, you will make God very angry!
But you must be careful! Be sure that as long as you live you never forget the things you have seen. You must teach those things to your children and grandchildren.
This will happen if you refuse to keep your agreement with the Lord your God. You will lose this land if you go and serve other gods. You must not worship those other gods. If you do, the Lord will become very angry at you. Then you will quickly be forced to leave this good land that he gave you.”