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Deuteronomy 29:9-15 tells us that the Israelites were told to carefully follow the terms of this renewed covenant with God. 

Here is the scripture:

"Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do. 

All of you are standing today in the presence of the LORD your God – your leaders and chief men, your elders and officials, and all the other men of Israel, together with your children and your wives, and the foreigners living in your camps who chop your wood and carry your water. 

You are standing here in order to enter into a covenant with the LORD your God, a covenant the LORD is making with you this day and sealing with an oath, to confirm you this day as his people, that he may be your God as he promised you and as he swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 

I am making this covenant with its oath not only with you who are standing here with us today in the presence of the LORD our God but also with those who are not here today."

CAREFULLY FOLLOW THE TERMS

Note how the words start out here; "carefully follow the terms of this covenant." 

The Israelites were told over and over again to be careful to follow the words of the laws of God.  This included ALL of the people, the leaders, the old men and the young men, the women and children, the foreigners living among them who did their manual labor of chopping wood and hauling water. 

It was noted that everyone in the camp was standing before God, taking a sealed oath to be confirmed as his people. 

God had promised this to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Now; He was keeping his promise.  This day it would be signed, sealed and delivered. 

THE FUTURE GENERATIONS WERE INCLUDED

The oath wasn't only with the people who were present, but God promised to keep this covenant even with "those who are not here today."  This most likely meant that all future generations were a part of the Covenant. 

God reviewed the consequences of past times of living in Egypt and being surrounded by false gods and evil ways. 

We read about this in Deuteronomy 29:17 – 18:  You yourselves know how we lived in Egypt and how we passed through the countries on the way there.  You saw among them their detestable images and idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold.  Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD your God to go and worship the gods of those nations, make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.

We've heard God speak this way over and over again.  He detests idols and false gods. 

There is no way that this lifestyle will be tolerated by The God of Israel. 

POISON IS BITTER AND DEADLY

Note here how God uses the word "poison" to describe their presence among the people. 

Poison is deadly.

There are some types of poison floating around the world today too. 

We are hardly different from those of Israel who did not listen or heed to word of God when He spoke of how He detested and despised for his people to participate in false worship. 

PURGE ALL FALSE WORSHIP

If we are going to clean our land and have it pure and holy before our Great God; we must purge it of all false worship and idolatry.  Like those about to enter the land following God; we too must fight for what He stands for and no other way. 

This begins in our homes.

Does your home honor God?

It moves into our churches.  Look around your congregation the next time you gather for worship.  Are you all truly doing the things that honor God and bring praise to His Great name? 

Sheer entertainment is of the world.  It isn't worship.

Entertainment is one of the present false gods of America.  As one writer so eloquently put it; we have been very busy entertaining ourselves to death. 

ENTERTAINING OURSELVES TO DEATH

This isn't to say that someone using their God-given talent before the LORD in worship is wrong; not at all. That is very appropriate; but it is to say that those who stir up a crowd into an emotional frenzy and false reactions simply from the music they play or the rote words they present from themselves to gather personal followers are a present form of false worship. 

If it is more about the band, or the leader of the band, or the preacher instead of the inspired sermon or the message of the song; then you are following the wrong source.

GOD INHABITS THE PRAISES OF HIS PEOPLE

God can discern false hearts.

Every source of our worship should be about honoring and praising God.  We should allow our respect for God's ways to change our hearts from within.  The influence of people's ideas and worldly ways should not take precedence over the ways of God.   

I promise you that the devil loves to go to church.

We must focus on returning to corporate worship in America.  Isolating ourselves from one another is no way to teach brotherly love.  Godly people impart God's Holy Spirit to others.  Yes; you can worship and receive God's Holy Spirit directly from God all alone inside your home; but what are the chances of that being a constant continuous pattern? 

Who will benefit from your solitary worship? 

Of course, you and God will benefit and that is a very good thing. Yet; worship must be shared for it to benefit all.  God inhabits the praises of his people.  The word "people" is plural.

The first thing God mentioned to Israel in relation to them moving on in the renewed covenant was the fact that they should keep their worship pure and right. 

HOMES, CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, CORPORATIONS

After our homes and our churches; we must purify our schools and higher institutes of learning. A strong movement has already begun. It must grow stronger. Most universities today are not teaching godly living. Several generations have never been taught righteousness or godly living.

The youth of our nation cannot know God under such circumstances. Most of the present generation will simply follow which ever leader stands before them. Logic and reason are no longer a part of education; especially logic and reason that lines up with scripture and God's laws.

Next; we must focus on the corporate organizations that organize and function within our marketplaces. Hospitals, medical facilities, service organizations, manufacturers, food companies, law enforcement and military. If God were present in each of these facilities now; our problems in civilization would be so minor. Instead; we face huge mountains of wrong decisions. We must trade selfish and greedy politicians in our government for strong, godly men who will lead in righteous ways in accordance with God's law and no other.

Our street corners should change and begin to reflect God's glory; not the worlds notion of life. New forms of art would appear, those that are honorable and respectable.

COMMITTED INDIVIDUALS

This all begins with prayer, repentance and fasting. One by one people need to begin returning to God. The Word must be preached for this to happen. This change continues and grows stronger with continuous pure worship and praise to The One True God of Heaven and Earth. Let's bring this back to our churches across this nation.

God never changes.

This passage in Deuteronomy is a message for us today too.

Let's begin to renew our land with keeping our worship pure and righteous and holy before God.  He will hear us, respond and save us from ourselves.