Moses appears with the elders that will take his place to exhort the people one more time. The people are ordered to write the Law in a stone memorial when they cross the Jordan. They will sacrifice offerings to the Lord and share in a meal with one another to rejoice in the Lord. Each person in Israel has individually committed to serving and loving the Lord. They commit specifically to being cursed if they perform one of 12 violations of God's Law. Many of these violations can be perfomed away from human eyes, but God sees all. Atonement must be made for these sins, and if it is truly earnest than God will forgive.

In addition, your humble editor apologizes for missing an episode last week.

This episode is a short meditation of the laws in the previous lessons, and how we take their message and incorporate these laws into our faith.  We need to correctly know and understand these laws, then digest them, pray on them, and let them into our hearts.  These laws are supported, expanded upon, and taught by Jesus and the writers of the New Testament.  These laws,rightly understood, are how we love God and love our neighbor.  Rather than just experiencing our faith through words and feelings, we can put it into action in service of the Lord.

When harvesting crops, forgotten fruits are meant to be left for the poor and needy rather than carefully recovered. The property is the Lord's, and the Israelites are mere stewards of that property.

If a man dies without bearing a son, his brother is meant to marry the widow and bear a son for him. This is not only so that the man's heritage is preserved, but also so that the widow may be cared for by these sons. The younger brother does not profit from this arrangment, but serves his duty to their family and averts selfishness.

Finally, the firstfruits of crops are offered to the Lord and to the poor. All of this is written to remind us to constantly consider the Lord and the poor when we have abundance. Moreover we are called not to follow the minimum requirements, but extend them as FAR as our heart and soul can bear!