There are some days where the digressing moral pattern in this country causes me to stop, drop, and take notice.\u00a0 Whether is be an acceptance of a previous, absolute immorality or simply the disrespectful tone in which we sometimes speak to one another, it oft seems clear to this casual observer that we continue to slide down a slippery moral slope.\u00a0 Hence, knowing the question mark is my favorite punctuation employment, the Intramuralist asks why.\u00a0 What causes us to continuously slip and slide?\u00a0 Then I come across something written in the ancient manuscripts of long ago, something that causes me to stop, drop, and roll even a little more…<\/p>\n
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\u201cLook, I now teach you these decrees and regulations just as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy. \u00a0Obey them completely, and you will display your wisdom and intelligence among the surrounding nations. When they hear all these decrees, they will exclaim, \u2018How wise and prudent are the people of this great nation!\u2019 \u00a0For what great nation has a god as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us whenever we call on him? \u00a0And what great nation has decrees and regulations as righteous and fair as this body of instructions that I am giving you today?<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n But watch out!\u00a0 Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen.\u00a0 Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live!\u00a0 And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren…<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Do not corrupt yourselves by making an idol in any form \u2014 whether of a man or a woman,\u00a0an animal on the ground, a bird in the sky,\u00a0a small animal that scurries along the ground, or a fish in the deepest sea. \u00a0And when you look up into the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars \u2014 all the forces of heaven \u2014 don\u2019t be seduced into worshiping them.\u00a0 The Lord your God gave them to all the peoples of the earth…<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n So be careful not to break the covenant the Lord your God has made with you.\u00a0 Do not make idols of any shape or form, for the Lord your God has forbidden this. \u00a0The Lord your God is a devouring fire; he is a jealous God.\u00a0 In the future, when you have children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time, do not corrupt yourselves by making idols of any kind. This is evil in the sight of the Lord your God and will arouse his anger.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Today I call on heaven and earth as witnesses against you.\u00a0 If you break my covenant, you will quickly disappear from the land you are crossing… You will live there only a short time; then you will be utterly destroyed. \u00a0For the Lord will scatter you among the nations, where only a few of you will survive. \u00a0There, in a foreign land, you will worship idols made from wood and stone \u2014 gods that neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. \u00a0But from there you will search again for the Lord your God.\u00a0 And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the distant future, when you are suffering all these things, you will finally return to the Lord your God and listen to what he tells you. \u00a0For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now search all of history, from the time God created people on the earth until now, and search from one end of the heavens to the other.\u00a0 Has anything as great as this ever been seen or heard before?\u00a0 Has any nation ever heard the voice of God speaking from fire \u2014 as you did \u2014 and survived? \u00a0Has any other god dared to take a nation for himself out of another nation by means of trials, miraculous signs, wonders, war, a strong hand, a powerful arm, and terrifying acts?\u00a0 Yet that is what the Lord your God did for you in Egypt, right before your eyes.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n He showed you these things so you would know that the Lord is God and there is no other. \u00a0He let you hear his voice from heaven so he could instruct you.\u00a0 He let you see his great fire here on earth so he could speak to you from it. \u00a0Because he loved your ancestors, he chose to bless their descendants, and he personally brought you out of Egypt with a great display of power. \u00a0He drove out nations far greater than you, so he could bring you in and give you their land as your special possession, as it is today.<\/em><\/p>\n So remember this and keep it firmly in mind:\u00a0 The Lord is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other. \u00a0If you obey all the decrees and commands I am giving you today, all will be well with you and your children.\u00a0 I am giving you these instructions so you will enjoy a long life in the land the Lord your God is giving you for all time.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAll will be well with you\u201d… \u201cfor all time.\u201d<\/p>\n Stop. Drop.\u00a0 And roll…\u00a0 rolling a little more… wondering what this means… wondering if there\u2019s something relevant… wondering if there\u2019s something we have forgotten.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Respectfully,<\/p>\n AR<\/p>\n There are some days where the digressing moral pattern in this country causes me to stop, drop, and take notice.\u00a0 Whether is be an acceptance of a previous, absolute immorality or simply the disrespectful tone in which we sometimes speak to one another, it oft seems clear to this casual observer that we continue to … <\/p>\n