Week 20 (May 11–17): Deuteronomy 6–8; 15; 18; 29–30; 34

“Beware Lest Thou Forget the Lord”

Moses’s ministry began “on a mountain, when God spoke to him from a burning bush (see Exodus 3:1–10).” It ended “on a mountain… when God gave him a glimpse of the promised land from the top of Mount Nebo (see Deuteronomy 34:1–4).” Deuteronomy preserves “his final instructions, reminders, exhortations, and pleadings,” and Come, Follow Me clarifies the central aim: “the real object of Moses’s ministry… wasn’t about wilderness survival, conquering enemies, or building a nation. It was about learning to love God, obey Him, and remain loyal to Him.” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “May 11–17. ‘Beware Lest Thou Forget the Lord’”)

Doctrinal Foundation (multiple perspectives)

From Moses’s view: Deuteronomy reads like a covenant farewell. Moses addresses a rising generation that “had not seen the plagues in Egypt or crossed the Red Sea,” and he knows memory will determine loyalty. (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Beware lest thou forget the Lord.”)

From the Lord’s view: The Lord cares about inward devotion, not only outward religion. “The law of Moses included many outward ceremonies and rituals. As you’ll see in Moses’s counsel in Deuteronomy, the Lord was also concerned about His people’s inward state, the spiritual condition of their hearts.” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Love the Lord thy God with all thine heart.”)

From Israel’s view: Entering abundance brings spiritual risk. Moses’s repeated warning, “Beware lest thou forget the Lord,” assumes that comfort can dull covenant memory. (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, Deuteronomy 6:4–12, 20–25 section heading)

From a disciple’s view today: The “promised land” motif becomes eternal. Come, Follow Me links Moses’s life to the Saints’ covenant aim: “That’s the preparation we all need to enter the promised land of eternal life.” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “May 11–17…”)

Scripture Deep Dive (ascending steps of discovery)

1) The heart as covenant center (Deuteronomy 6:4–7)

Come, Follow Me frames these passages as “a kind of spiritual checkup on your heart.” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Love the Lord thy God with all thine heart.”) Moses’s counsel presses religion into the inner life, where love, memory, and daily choices are formed.

2) Remembering as a daily practice (Deuteronomy 6:4–12, 20–25)

Moses anticipates generational drift. Come, Follow Me asks: “What counsel do you find… that could help you remember the great things God has done for you?” and presses verse 6 as a daily aim: “be in thine heart.” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Beware lest thou forget the Lord.”)

3) Wilderness schooling and the tested heart (Deuteronomy 8:2–5; 8:11–17)

Come, Follow Me pairs these passages with the “heart” theme, inviting a diagnosis and “treatments” for spiritual health. (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Love the Lord thy God with all thine heart.”) Deuteronomy 8 functions as a covenant lesson plan: the Lord tutors His people through dependence so they can recognize Him in prosperity.

4) Scripture as defense in temptation (Deuteronomy 6:13, 16; 8:3 with Matthew 4:1–10)

Come, Follow Me notes that these verses “helped the Savior during an important moment in His life.” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “I can keep the word of God in my heart.”) The pattern is direct: the same covenant words Moses gave Israel become the words Jesus uses to remain faithful.

5) Openhanded covenant society (Deuteronomy 15:1–15)

Deuteronomy 15 refuses a hard boundary between worship and economics. Come, Follow Me states the enduring relevance: “the principles about helping the poor… are still valuable, even if the particular practices have changed.” It highlights the Lord’s stated ideal: “when there shall be no poor among you” (Deuteronomy 15:4), then asks what it means to “open thine hand wide.” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Helping people in need involves generous hands and willing hearts.”)

6) The promised Prophet and the voice of God (Deuteronomy 18:15–19; 3 Nephi 20:23)

Come, Follow Me gathers a chorus of witnesses to Moses’s prophecy (Acts 3:20–23; 1 Nephi 22:20–21; Joseph Smith, History 1:40; 3 Nephi 20:23). The clearest identification comes from the Savior Himself:

I am he of whom the prophet Moses spake (3 Nephi 20:23).

(Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Moses was ‘like unto’ Jesus Christ.”)

7) Covenant identity, covenant people (Deuteronomy 29:12–13; 30:8–10; Mosiah 18:8–10)

Come, Follow Me uses these passages to teach that belonging is covenantal: “Because of my covenants, I am part of God’s people.” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Teaching Children.”) It connects Deuteronomy 29:12–13 to Mosiah 18:8–10 as a repeated pattern of people gathered by promised loyalty.

8) Choosing life at the edge of the land (Deuteronomy 29:9; 30:15–20; 2 Nephi 2:26–29; 4:4)

Moses frames covenant renewal as a choice “between good and evil.” Come, Follow Me suggests comparing his words with Lehi’s final teachings and asks what inspires a disciple to “choose life.” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “The Lord invites me to choose between good and evil.”)

Historical Context (from the week’s materials)

Deuteronomy stands at a transition point. Come, Follow Me emphasizes that Moses speaks to a people about to inherit settled life, and to a generation that lacks firsthand memory of earlier deliverance: “Most of the Israelites who would enter the promised land had not seen the plagues in Egypt or crossed the Red Sea.” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Beware lest thou forget the Lord.”) The book’s urgency fits that setting: covenant memory must be taught, rehearsed, and embedded in daily life.

Come, Follow Me also points readers to cultural background tools for Deuteronomy’s physical reminders of devotion: “Bible Dictionary, ‘Frontlets or phylacteries.’” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Beware lest thou forget the Lord.”)

Pattern Recognition Web (cross-dispensation links provided)

Moses’s promised Prophet: Deuteronomy 18:15–19 linked explicitly to Acts 3:20–23; 1 Nephi 22:20–21; Joseph Smith, History 1:40; 3 Nephi 20:23. (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Moses was ‘like unto’ Jesus Christ.”)
Scripture remembered in crisis: Deuteronomy 6:13, 16 and 8:3 used in Matthew 4:1–10. (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “I can keep the word of God in my heart.”)
Covenant belonging: Deuteronomy 29:12–13 with Mosiah 18:8–10. (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Because of my covenants, I am part of God’s people.”)
Moral agency and choosing life: Deuteronomy 29:9; 30:15–20 with 2 Nephi 2:26–29; 4:4. (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “The Lord invites me to choose between good and evil.”)
Remembering across generations: Deuteronomy 6:4–12, 20–25 connected to “Preserving the Voice of the Covenant People in the Rising Generation” (Jan E. Newman, Liahona, Nov. 2023, 36–38). (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Beware lest thou forget the Lord.”) See also for further reading.

Discussion Framework (8–10 progressive questions)

In Deuteronomy 6:4–7, what repeated actions keep the Lord’s words “in thine heart”? (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, Deuteronomy 6:4–7 prompt)
According to Come, Follow Me, why was Moses concerned about forgetting among those entering Canaan? (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Beware lest thou forget the Lord.”)
In Deuteronomy 8:2–5, what experiences does Moses connect to learning and testing? (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, Deuteronomy 8 prompts)
In Deuteronomy 8:11–17, what dangers accompany prosperity? (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, Deuteronomy 8 prompts)
What does it mean to “open thine hand wide” in Deuteronomy 15:8, 11, and what attitude does the chapter require? (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Helping people in need…”)
How does Deuteronomy 15:15 use the Lord’s example as the reason to help? (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Helping people in need…”)
In Deuteronomy 18:15–19, what role does the promised Prophet play, and how does 3 Nephi 20:23 identify Him? (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Moses was ‘like unto’ Jesus Christ.”)
How does Matthew 4:1–10 show Deuteronomy functioning in a moment of temptation? (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “I can keep the word of God in my heart.”)
In Deuteronomy 29:12–13, what does it mean to become “his people,” and how does Mosiah 18:8–10 echo covenant belonging? (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Because of my covenants…”)
When comparing Deuteronomy 30:15–20 with 2 Nephi 2:26–29; 4:4, what phrases or ideas strengthen the desire to “choose life”? (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “The Lord invites me to choose between good and evil.”)

Gospel Connections (Plan of Salvation themes from the bundle)

Agency and accountability: Moses’s invitation to choose (Deuteronomy 30:15–20) is explicitly paired with Lehi’s teachings on agency (2 Nephi 2:26–29; 4:4). (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “The Lord invites me to choose between good and evil.”)
Covenant path and belonging: Deuteronomy 29:12–13 and 30:8–10 connect identity to covenant promises, and Come, Follow Me links that pattern to modern covenant discipleship (Doctrine and Covenants 20:37, 77 referenced for further study). (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Because of my covenants…”)
Christ-centered prophecy: Deuteronomy 18:15–19 finds fulfillment as Jesus declares, “I am he of whom the prophet Moses spake” (3 Nephi 20:23). (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Moses was ‘like unto’ Jesus Christ.”)

Teaching Moments (3–4 ways to share)

Heart “checkup” activity: Use Come, Follow Me’s suggestion to treat the word heart passages as diagnosis and treatment planning (Deuteronomy 6; 8; 29; 30). (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Love the Lord thy God with all thine heart.”)
Family memory practice: Discuss Deuteronomy 6:4–12, 20–25 and identify ways to remember the Lord’s works daily, aligned with the prompt to keep His word “be in thine heart.” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Beware lest thou forget the Lord.”)
Scripture in temptation: Read Matthew 4:1–10 alongside Deuteronomy 6:13, 16 and 8:3, using Come, Follow Me’s note that these verses helped the Savior. (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “I can keep the word of God in my heart.”)
Covenant belonging discussion: Use Deuteronomy 29:12–13 with Mosiah 18:8–10 to show how the Lord gathers a people through promises. (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Because of my covenants…”)

Personal Reflection (pattern-based questions)

Which “great things God has done” need deliberate remembering, using Moses’s concern for later generations as a mirror? (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Beware lest thou forget the Lord.”)
Using the “heart” passages (Deuteronomy 6; 8; 29; 30), what belongs “inside” and what must stay “outside,” following Come, Follow Me’s heart diagram suggestion? (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Love the Lord thy God with all thine heart.”)
Where does daily life need visible reminders of the word of God, following the counsel to place scripture where it will be seen? (Deuteronomy 6:6–9; Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “I can keep the word of God in my heart.”)
How does the call to “open thine hand wide” reshape attitudes toward need, debt, and generosity? (Deuteronomy 15:8, 11; Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Helping people in need…”)
What strengthens the resolve to “choose life,” using the comparison Come, Follow Me suggests between Moses and Lehi? (Deuteronomy 30:19; 2 Nephi 2:26–29; 4:4; Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “The Lord invites me to choose between good and evil.”)

Prophetic Echoes (from provided references)

For further reading on passing faith to the rising generation, see Jan E. Newman, “Preserving the Voice of the Covenant People in the Rising Generation” (Liahona, Nov. 2023, 36–38). (Referenced in Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Beware lest thou forget the Lord.”)
For further reading on remembering God, see Dale G. Renlund, “Consider the Goodness and Greatness of God,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 41–44. (Referenced in Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Beware lest thou forget the Lord.”)
For further reading on loving God, see M. Russell Ballard, “Lovest Thou Me More Than These?,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 51–53. (Referenced in Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church, “Love the Lord thy God with all thine heart.”)

These teachings and Moses’s final pleadings invite covenant disciples to practice remembrance, choose life, and keep the Lord’s word in the heart day by day.

Connected Study Guide: Deuteronomy 6–8;15;18;29–30;34