Deutronomy 4

Moses, still in fillibuster-mode, continues with the nostalgia. This time he's looking back fondly on the many, many commandments God has laid down over the past four decades. "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you," he says, "neither shall you diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God." I wonder how this affects the countless translations of the Bible that have been written over the centuries?

To drive this point home, Moses reminds the Israelites what God did to those who worshipped Baal-Peor. (To recap: God killed them.) "You don't want that to happen again, do you?" Moses asks. "One God, true god. What's so difficult about that?"

After all, what other nation is so great that God has blessed it? What other nation is so perfect that God backs it at every turn? Helps it win wars? Guides its citizens with righteous laws? Other than the Unites States, that is? Israel, of course. God loves Israel more than any other nation--after the U.S. That goes without saying.

Moses reminds everyone about the good times. For instance:

• The time God wanted Israel to hear his voice so that they would know to fear Him
• The time everyone stood trembling at the base of a mountain as it burned with fire and was engulged in clouds and "thick darkness"
• The time God gave Israel the Ten Commandments and the whole problem with the graven images

Moses expunds on that last point. He thinks it's important to remind everyone what a terrible, awful, proundly stupid idea it is to worship graven images, even a cool one like a golden baby cow. In fact, it's best not to worship anything other than God: no likeness of male or female, any beast that walks on the earth, any "winged fowl" that flies through the air, any thing that creeps ont he ground, or any fish. Likewise don't worship the sun, the moon, or the stars. So basicaly nothing.

And even though God said not to mention it, Moses can't let the moment pass without talking about how he can't go into the Promised Land because "the Lord was angry at me for your sakes." Way to go blame someone else for your failure to follow directions, Mo.

And what will happen if the Israelites do worship graven images? I'm glad you asked. Of course, the first thing to happen will be that everyone will be utterly destroyed. the few that survive will be scattered among "the heathen" to worship gods that "neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell." So, kind of like the God they currently worship?

Contrary to previous actions, Moses claims that God is merciful, so if anyone decides later to come back to the fold the Lord will welcome them with open God arms.

Completely out of left field Moses sets aside three citites to serve as refuge for anyone who accidentally murders another person. Considering that Moses already set aside a six cities in Canaan for ther same purpose. I guess God is expecting a lot of accidental killing in the coming years.