"1560 Geneva Bible Deuteronomy 4"

It's a really important chapter.

It's one of those summary chapters, but it also reiterates a promise that God makes again and again and again and again in the Hebrew Bible.

that's very downplayed in modern translations.

And the promise is really always the same.

It's a covenant, but it's very specific.

And it doesn't say go start organized religion or go do confession or go, you know, fast.

You know, go worship me in the following year.

you know, arbitrary way, you know, go obey everything the priest says or the rabbi or the, or the Pope.

It doesn't say any of that.

What God says over and over really has nothing to do with organized religion.

What God says again and again, and in this chapter, Moshe is really summarizing it so that the children of Israel cannot miss understand the takeaway is, um, follow my, follow my ordinances.

And if you do that, you'll live a long life.

You'll be healthy.

You'll have healthy children.

You'll have many descendants.

You'll live in peace.

Wild animals won't get you.

Ravening tribes won't get you.

You'll be as numerous as the stars in the sky and you won't live in fear and the rains will come on time and you'll have oil and you'll have wheat and you'll have grapes for wine and your heart will be glad, you know, but if you forget me and these laws, and especially as important as these laws, you know, if you forget me as your God and you, you go after idols, other gods, you will not stay in the land.

You will be scattered.

You'll be wiped out, you'll be erased, you'll be, you know, you'll be beset by karmic negative consequences.

And, you know, God makes that clear again and again.

And it's just so interesting to me.

And I, you know, I know I've said this a lot because it's an echo.

It's a thematic echo in this book, but so interesting that you don't really hear that from many pulpits or even many, you know, reform or conservative You don't hear it from the Catholic Church, the Methodist Church, you know, the Baptist Church.

It's a really important chapter.

It's one of those summary chapters, but it also reiterates a promise that God makes again and again and again and again in the Hebrew Bible.

that's very downplayed in modern translations.

And the promise is really always the same.

It's a covenant, but it's very specific.

And it doesn't say go start organized religion or go do confession or go, you know, fast.

You know, go worship me in the following year.

you know, arbitrary way, you know, go obey everything the priest says or the rabbi or the, or the Pope.

It doesn't say any of that.

What God says over and over really has nothing to do with organized religion.

What God says again and again, and in this chapter, Moshe is really summarizing it so that the children of Israel cannot miss understand the takeaway is, um, follow my, follow my ordinances.

And if you do that, you'll live a long life.

You'll be healthy.

You'll have healthy children.

You'll have many descendants.

You'll live in peace.

Wild animals won't get you.

Ravening tribes won't get you.

You'll be as numerous as the stars in the sky and you won't live in fear and the rains will come on time and you'll have oil and you'll have wheat and you'll have grapes for wine and your heart will be glad, you know, but if you forget me and these laws, and especially as important as these laws, you know, if you forget me as your God and you, you go after idols, other gods, you will not stay in the land.

You will be scattered.

You'll be wiped out, you'll be erased, you'll be, you know, you'll be beset by karmic negative consequences.

And, you know, God makes that clear again and again.

And it's just so interesting to me.

And I, you know, I know I've said this a lot because it's an echo.

It's a thematic echo in this book, but so interesting that you don't really hear that from many pulpits or even many, you know, reform or conservative You don't hear it from the Catholic Church, the Methodist Church, you know, the Baptist Church.