Tanner Washburn 10 

Old Testament

2:00 Lon Pyper

Deut. 1-16

1. The land of Canaan. Despite these and other witty sleights, we should remember that the
land of Canaan (Palestine, Israel) is a land specially prepared by God for his ancient,
covenant people. The Lay of the Land This land—variously known as the land of the
Amorites, land of Canaan, land of the Hebrews, land of the children of Israel, Judah,
Israel, Yehud, and Palestine—is a unique region of the world. (Ensign, September 1980)

See Gen. 12:1.) He journeyed southward until he reached the land of Canaan, the ancient
name for the Holy Land. There, “the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed
will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord.” (Gen. 12:6–7.) Jacob
later bought a plot of land in Shechem and lived in the region for a time. (Ensign,
January 1990)

2. Moses exhorts the people to keep the commandments. It was probably a lot like a king
Benjamin’s talk. The ending of an era and the start of a new. Throughout Deuteronomy,
Moses exhorts the Israelites to “remember” that they were bondsmen “in the land of
Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee.” (Deut. 15:15; see Deut. 16:12; Deut.
24:18.) Deuteronomy contains by far the longest historical review of any scriptural
covenant passage. Moses told them to keep these commandments, “for this is your
wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the… (Ensign, April 1990)

3. Ch. 5: 30-33. Blessings come from obedience. I once viewed a preview of the movie The
Ten Commandments, and it left me with this impressive message—we are free to serve
God and keep his commandments or to be ruled by a dictator. Consider the words of the
Lord to Moses: “Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people. …
“Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart. … “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any
grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself”
(Lev. 19:16–18). (Liahona, January 1981)

4. Note that the Lord delivered His word to Moses, His prophet. The Lord commanded:
“Wherefore, I give unto them a commandment, saying thus: Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind, and strength; and in the name of Jesus
Christ thou shalt serve him. “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. (Liahona,
November 2003)

5. Israel’s success in destroying its enemies and obtaining the land depended upon the
people’s collective obedience to the will of God. “The inward vessel shall be cleansed
first,” the Lord has said (Alma 60:23). In keeping with this idea, Joshua’s 2 bringing
Israel through the Jordan River and into the land of Canaan serves as a powerful image
for our own return to the presence of the Father and the Son (see Acts 7:45).
(Ensign, April 2002)