Immerse: Beginnings Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 296
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IMMERSE
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BEGINNINGS
6:11–7:6
you when he made a vow to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It
is a land with large, prosperous cities that you did not build. The houses
will be richly stocked with goods you did not produce. You will draw water
from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive
trees you did not plant. When you have eaten your fill in this land, be careful not to forget the Lord, who rescued you from slavery in the land of
Egypt. You must fear the Lord your God and serve him. When you take
an oath, you must use only his name.
“You must not worship any of the gods of neighboring nations, for the
Lord your God, who lives among you, is a jealous God. His anger will flare
up against you, and he will wipe you from the face of the earth. You must
not test the Lord your God as you did when you complained at M
assah.
You must diligently obey the commands of the Lord your God—all the
laws and decrees he has given you. Do what is right and good in the Lord’s
sight, so all will go well with you. Then you will enter and occupy the good
land that the Lord swore to give your ancestors. You will drive out all the
enemies living in the land, just as the Lord said you would.
“In the future your children will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of these
laws, decrees, and regulations that the Lord our God has commanded us
to obey?’
“Then you must tell them, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the
Lord brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand. The Lord did miraculous signs and wonders before our eyes, dealing terrifying blows against
Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people. He brought us out of Egypt so he
could give us this land he had sworn to give our ancestors. And the Lord
our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he
can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day.
For we will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands the
Lord our God has given us.’
“When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are about to
enter and occupy, he will clear away many nations ahead of you: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
These seven nations are greater and more numerous than you. When
the Lord your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer
them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaties with them
and show them no mercy. You must not intermarry with them. Do not let
your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters, for they will lead
your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the
Lord will burn against you, and he will quickly destroy you. This is what
you must do. You must break down their pagan altars and shatter their
sacred pillars. Cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols. For you
