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

Week Overview

What helps a covenant people stay faithful after the miracles feel far away? Moses’s last teachings press one concern: remembering the Lord with the heart, then choosing Him in daily life. Come, Follow Me frames Moses’s life work this way: “the real object of Moses’s ministry… was about learning to love God, obey Him, and remain loyal to Him.”

Key Scripture Moments

1) The center of Israel’s worship is love, not habit (Deuteronomy 6:4–7)

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:” (Deuteronomy 6:4) “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” (Deuteronomy 6:5) “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:” (Deuteronomy 6:6) “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children…” (Deuteronomy 6:7)

This places covenant loyalty in the heart first, then in teaching and daily practice.

2) Prosperity carries a spiritual risk (Deuteronomy 6:12)

“Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.” (Deuteronomy 6:12)

Moses warns that forgetting often follows comfort, not crisis.

3) The Lord ties generosity to memory and redemption (Deuteronomy 15:11, 15)

“For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.” (Deuteronomy 15:11) “And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to day.” (Deuteronomy 15:15)

Open-handed care for the poor grows out of remembering redemption.

4) God commands a real choice with real consequences (Deuteronomy 30:19)

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

Moses speaks as a covenant witness, urging a decision that shapes families.

Hidden Connections

• Moses points to Christ, and later prophets confirm it. Come, Follow Me notes that “Peter, Nephi, Moroni, and the Savior Himself all commented on the prophecy in Deuteronomy 18:15–19 (see Acts 3:20–23; 1 Nephi 22:20–21; Joseph Smith, History 1:40; 3 Nephi 20:23).” The bundle includes the Savior’s identification:

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

• Scripture memory becomes spiritual protection. The bundle teaches that Deuteronomy 6:13, 16 and 8:3 “helped the Savior during an important moment in His life” and points to Matthew 4:1–10. This suggests that placing God’s word where it can be recalled is part of enduring temptation.

• Choosing life echoes across generations. Come, Follow Me suggests comparing Deuteronomy 29:9; 30:15–20 with “Lehi’s final teachings… in 2 Nephi 2:26–29; 4:4,” then asking how Lehi “expanded on what Moses taught.” The same covenant framework appears in both dispensations.

Pattern Discovery

• Remembering leads to loyalty. Moses ties faithfulness to deliberate remembrance: God’s acts, God’s words, then daily practices that keep both present (Deuteronomy 6:6–7, 12).
• The heart is the battleground. Come, Follow Me highlights repeated “heart” passages (Deuteronomy 6:4–7; 8:2–5; 8:11–17; 29:18–20; 30:6–10; 30:14–20), framing discipleship as inward devotion expressed outwardly.
• Covenant identity shapes community care. Deuteronomy 15 links covenant memory to economic mercy (Deuteronomy 15:11, 15), connecting worship and ethics.

Simple Questions

1. According to Deuteronomy 6:6, what does it mean for the Lord’s words to “be in thine heart”?
2. In Deuteronomy 6:12, what situations make forgetting the Lord more likely?
3. In Deuteronomy 15:11, what could “open thine hand wide” look like in ordinary relationships and responsibilities?
4. How does Deuteronomy 15:15 connect generosity to remembering redemption?
5. In Deuteronomy 30:19, what reasons does Moses give for “choose life”?
6. How does the Savior’s statement, “I am he of whom the prophet Moses spake” (3 Nephi 20:23), shape the way Deuteronomy 18 is read?

One Big Idea

Moses’s final message centers on covenant love that is remembered, practiced, and chosen. He teaches Israel to keep God’s words in the heart (Deuteronomy 6:6), to guard against forgetting in seasons of plenty (Deuteronomy 6:12), and to make a conscious covenant choice: “therefore choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Living It

• Place the word of God where it will be seen and recalled. The bundle highlights the Lord’s counsel to put His words in daily view (Deuteronomy 6:6–9) and connects that practice to the Savior’s use of scripture in Matthew 4:1–10.
• Practice covenant memory through generosity. Deuteronomy links giving to remembering: “thou shalt remember… and the LORD thy God redeemed thee” (Deuteronomy 15:15), then “open thine hand wide” (Deuteronomy 15:11).
• Make choices with family in mind. Moses frames agency with generational reach: “choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Faith Builder

Come, Follow Me suggests additional resources for strengthening home-centered faith transmission and devotion: see Jan E. Newman, “Preserving the Voice of the Covenant People in the Rising Generation” (Liahona, Nov. 2023, 36–38) and M. Russell Ballard, “Lovest Thou Me More Than These?” (Liahona, Nov. 2021, 51–53). It also points to Dale G. Renlund, “Consider the Goodness and Greatness of God” (Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 41–44) for further study.

These teachings invite covenant disciples to remember the Lord with the heart (Deuteronomy 6:6), bless the needy with open hands (Deuteronomy 15:11), and choose life with steady loyalty to God (Deuteronomy 30:19).