Beware Lest Thou Forget the Lord

The word “deuteronomy” comes from the Greek words deuteros (δεύτερος), which means “second,” and nomos (νόμος), which means “law.” At the end of Moses’s life, after wandering in the wilderness for forty years, he gave the children of Israel his final words of instruction to help them as they entered the promised land. He repeated and elaborated on the law he had delivered at the beginning of their journey. Thus, these final words are called the book of Deuteronomy: the second law, or the repetition of the law.

The book consists of three discourses followed by the recounting of a few final events in Moses’s life:

1. First Discourse (Deuteronomy 1-4): Moses recounts the experiences of Israel in the wilderness and urges the people to keep the commandments they have received.
2. Second Discourse (Deuteronomy 5-26): Moses expounds upon the Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 5-11) and provides additional instructions for life in the promised land (Deuteronomy 12-26).
3. Third Discourse (Deuteronomy 27-30): Moses contrasts the blessings the people will receive if they obey God’s law with the cursings they will receive if they disobey. The people covenant to obey the law of God.
4. Final Events (Deuteronomy 31-34): Moses entrusts the written law to the Levites and calls Joshua to lead the people. He writes a song and shares it with the people, blesses each of the tribes, and then departs.

Book of Mormon prophets reference and interpret these discourses multiple times. For example:

• The conditional promise Nephi receives in 1 Nephi 2:20-21, which is repeated throughout the Book of Mormon, is Deuteronomic in form. Parallel blessings and cursings appear throughout Deuteronomy. For example: “I command thee this day … to keep his commandments … and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. But if thine heart turn away, … ye shall surely perish” (Deuteronomy 30:16-18).
• Abinadi alludes to one of the most well-known passages in Deuteronomy, the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9), when he tells the priests of King Noah, “I perceive that [the commandments] are not written in your hearts” (Mosiah 13:11).
• Moses promises that God will raise up a Prophet “like unto me.” He instructs the people, “unto him ye shall hearken,” and warns them that they will be accountable for their response to this Prophet’s words (Deuteronomy 18:15-19). In the Book of Mormon, both Nephi and Jesus quote this passage and identify Jesus as that Prophet (1 Nephi 22:20-21; 3 Nephi 20:23).

This week, as we study Deuteronomy, let’s look for expansive interpretations of Moses’s final counsel, as Book of Mormon prophets did. Let’s discover how Moses’s final words can prepare us, as they prepared ancient Israel, to enter our promised lands.