Deuteronomy #

5:5–22 (Arty) #

Arty has a looking hunt. Draw two stone tablets on a sheet of paper. One tablet is for the first four commandments. The other is for the last six commandments. Write “Love God” at the top of the first tablet. At the top of the second one write “Love your neighbor.”
Then write the commandments on the tablets. Use only one or two words for each commandment. You can also draw pictures instead of writing words. Keep your tablets where you will be able to see them.

5:9 #

In those days, families didn’t look like the families of today. Everyone lived together. Grandparents, parents, children, uncles, aunts and cousins. This is why the Bible says a person’s sins will affect their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It means that the whole family will suffer when one family member sins. It doesn’t mean that God will punish you because of something your grandparents or great-grandparents did.

6:4–9 #

The Israelites had to love the Lord above all else. It was a very important commandment. They had to think about it, talk about it and even write it down. The Israelites wrote the commandments on the doorframes and the gates of their homes.
What would you like to write about the Lord on your home’s doorframes or gates? Crafty has an idea. Write either “Love the Lord” or “Love your neighbor.” Write it in graffiti style on a piece of wood. Then hang the piece of wood near your front door.

7:1–4 #

Why did the Israelites have to destroy the nations in Canaan? The Canaanites worshipped many false gods. The Lord knew that the Israelites would soon begin to worship these false gods. Read verse 4. So they had to destroy them. This would help the Lord and not the false gods. The Lord wanted to destroy the nations who could lead them to worship these idols. God is serious about idolatry. He will make sure that sin did not come near his people.

7:7–8 #

Often there are children who are bigger and stronger than we are. How do you feel when you meet them? Choose a color on Hearty’s color chart on page 19 that shows your feelings. God tells us something very special in these verses. God doesn’t only love us if we are better than other people. He loves all of us even when we are the smallest or weakest of all. How do you feel when you think about that? Choose a color from Hearty’s color chart on page 19 that shows those feelings.

8:1 #

God wants us to have the best life possible. By obeying God’s laws, we can have that life. God will bless us and we can be content. Still it’s often difficult to obey God’s laws. We just don’t seem to get it right! That is why Jesus died on the cross. He was punished in our place. If we believe in Jesus, God forgives our sins. God helps us to obey his laws.

8:10 #

Each time there’s food on your plate, you should thank the Lord. He gives us many good gifts.
Arty has an idea. Draw a plate, a mug, a knife and a fork. Think of everything the Lord has done for you today. Don’t think only about food. Think about your family, your house, your friends and your school too. Write everything or draw it on the plate.
Thank the Lord for his goodness and mercy.

9:9 #

The people in the Bible sometimes fasted. Fasting means they didn’t eat or drink for one day or, sometimes, many days. And they spent those days praying. They did this when they wanted to ask the Lord for something. Other times, they fasted because they wanted to know the Lord’s will for their lives.
In the Bible, we read about 3 people who each fasted for 40 days. They were Moses, Elijah and Jesus.
It’s possible to live without food for 40 days. But there are very few people who can live without water for longer than a week. God kept Moses, Elijah and Jesus alive while they fasted.

15:10–11 #

The Lord cares about people who are poor and needy. He told the Israelites to give freely to them. They had to lend money to the poor. Every seventh year, they had to forgive people their debts. People who were very poor often sold themselves as slaves. The Israelites had to free their Israelite slaves after six years. They also had to give the slaves animals, grain and wine. Doing this helped those freed people, who had been slaves, to start their lives again.

16:18–20 #

Being fair and doing what is right has always been important to the Lord. Here he tells judges and officials to judge fairly. They were supposed to treat everyone the same and they weren’t to accept bribes. They had to do what was right. Remember these things when you choose leaders in your school, Sunday school or community.

20:3–8 #

The Israelites had to take control of the land of Canaan. But that wasn’t their most important task. Their families were more important. There were certain times that a man didn’t go to war. A man didn’t go to war when he had just completed building his house. He didn’t go if he had just started farming. He didn’t go if he was about to be or was just married. They had to look after their families first. And those men who were afraid had to stay at home!

30:1 #

The book of Deuteronomy has many important commands from the Lord. We learn how much the Lord loves us, but we also learn how he wants us to obey him. If the Israelites obeyed, they would be blessed in the land God was giving them. If they disobeyed, there would be consequences.

32:10, 12 (Thinky) #

Thinky was thinking about this verse. Look carefully at a picture of an eye. You can also look at a friend’s eyes. Or look at your own eyes in a mirror. How is the eye protected? The eye is protected by the eyebrow ridge, eyebrows, eyelids, tears and the nose.
Why is your eye so important that it has to be protected so carefully?
God says that he guards his people as he would guard his own eyes. What does he mean when he says this? Read verse 12. It might help you with the answer.

34 #

Moses had led the Israelites for more than 40 years. He had taught them, prayed for them and encouraged them. God showed him the beautiful land the Israelites would live in. But Moses would never live in it because he had disobeyed God’s command. Now at the end of his life, God in his mercy let Moses see the land. Then God took him to heaven. (Read verses 1–6.)
God knew Moses face to face. He had given Moses mighty power. And Israel never had another prophet like Moses. (Read verses 10–12.)