Jesus tells us that the single most important command is to love God. LifeWay's Explore the Bible Study: Love, emphasizes that love is more than feelings or words; love is a choice—a willful determination regardless of circumstances. That love should incite believers with an intense desire to follow God relentlessly—not out of obligation but because the heart of the believer delights in doing God’s will above everything else.

Moses is in the middle of passionately making his final appeals to the people of God in Deuteronomy 6:1-13. He has invested much in the people of God and now they are ready to enter the Promised Land so he reminds them, “This is the command—the statutes and ordinances—the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, so that you may follow them in the land you are about to enter and possess."

As you study this passage you will see how important obedience is to love. The session opens with a discussion related to this very topic.

References
The following articles are referenced during the session in order to discuss the importance of obedience. The Downloadable Teaching Helps provide suggestions regarding how to use the content.

• Does Love Equal Obedience? by Chip Ingram - CLICK TO READ
• Religious People Live Four Years Longer on Average: Study by Kashmira Gander - CLICK TO READ

What are ways in which we honor people? How do you honor a veteran? How do you honor parents? How do you honor a peace officer? How do you honor the Lord? As you can tell, this week's Explore the Bible Study: Honor, will focus on Moses' challenge to us and the Israelites to make sure we honor God in how we live, act, and obey.

Honor is a small word that contains a lot of action. In Deuteronomy 4:1-9, Moses gives us a list of actions that will help us learn how to best honor God. The approach taken in this week's Downloadable Teaching Ideas focuses on looking at the passage in its entirety, identifying the actions that will honor God, and then discussing how they apply to us.

Opening Illustration
Consider using the following illustration to begin the discussion on the subject of honor:

Has anyone ever heard of Mess Attendant 2nd Class Doris Miller? He was a black American sailor who fired back on Japanese planes with a machine gun on December 7, 1941 when Pearl Harbor was attacked. At the time, black Americans were not allowed to man a gun in the Navy; yet he stepped up and did what needed to be done on that fateful day.

In honor of his heroism, he was the first black American to receive the Navy Cross for valor. Sadly, he didn’t survive the war, being pronounced dead at sea when the ship he was on was attacked by a Japanese submarine during the invasion of the Gilbert Islands.

This past Monday (January 20, 2020), the Navy announced it will name its new $12.5 billion aircraft carrier after Miller in honor of his service and heroism.
(Source: https://thehill.com/policy/defense/navy/478953-new-aircraft-carrier-to-be-named-after-1st-black-american-that-received)
List of Actions to Discuss
Below are the list of actions. Be sure to check out all the discussion points regarding each of these actions in the downloadable teaching ideas.

• Listen - Deuteronomy 4:1
• You must not add anything to what I command you or take anything away from it - Deuteronomy 4:2
• Your eyes have seen (Remember) - Deuteronomy 4:3
• Carefully follow them - Deuteronomy 4:6
• Be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves - Deuteronomy 4:9
• Teach them to your children and your grandchildren - Deuteronomy 4:9

When we commit to doing what Moses asked the Israelites to do, God will be honored and people will be drawn to Jesus Christ. They will recognize that “we have been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)

This session is designed to coincide with the Sanctity of Human Life Sunday that is observed around the country. You and your group will discover and learn more about all God taught about murder and how to value life, and be given a more clear understanding of all God was teaching with the four powerful words of the sixth commandment: "Do not commit murder."

Video: Personal Help for the Teacher
The following video will provide you with an overview of Deuteronomy. Because of time limitations, I suggest you use it to help you with your own personal understanding of the book and avoid using it during this particular session because of the topic.

Imagine, you have traveled for 40 years and overcome many challenges. Now you are looking toward the next move, knowing that God's promise will be fulfilled, but you decide to stop because you like the place where you are.  What can we learn from the Gadites' and Reubenites' decision? What can we learn about God regarding their decision? What can we learn about keeping our commitments? These questions will help you dive into this weeks' Explore The Bible study: God Expects.

Extensive Review
The study takes us to Numbers 32:20-32 to focus on the importance of keeping promises. The downloadable teaching helps provide an extensive look back at all that has taken place with the Israelites since they left Kadesh-barnea. As you review, consider using a Bible map or the Explore The Bible map in the study guides as a reference.

Discussion of Accountability
In Numbers 32:28-32, Moses requires public accountability from the tribes of Gad and Reuben to the leaders and community of Israel. Moses knew he would not be alive to ensure that the Gadites and Reubenites kept their word, so he informed his successors, Eleazar the high priest and Joshua the military commander, of the agreement. He also held a public meeting and the leaders from Reuben and Gad made a pledge in the presence of all of Israel’s leaders to perform what they had earlier promised to Moses.

This section can generate a lot of discussion regarding how to hold each other accountable. Be sure to set aside enough time for discussion using some of the following options:

Discussion Option (From ETB DDG, p. 63)

• What are the pitfalls of not holding others accountable?
• What are some of the benefits of holding others accountable?
• Why do some believers resist the idea of holding other believers accountable? 

List Option (Need Sticky Notes; From ETB Teaching Plan):

• Write the word "Accountable" on a large sheet of paper displayed on a wall or table. Distribute sticky notes to group members. 
• Write on your sticky notes your responses to this questions, “How can we hold each other accountable for our commitments to God?” 
• Collect the sticky notes and display them on the paper around the word "Accountable," and read aloud the responses. 
• What benefits might we see when we hold each other accountable? What are the pitfalls of not holding others accountable?

The Bottom Line
While Gad, Reuben, and half of the tribe of Manasseh were granted permission to stay and possess the land east of the Jordan (Numbers 32:33), this did not release them from their obligations to support the rest of the Israelite community. And, we must remind ourselves, too, that staying did not keep them from facing foes or dealing with troubles. They had their share of both!

Here is what we need to understand:

• We must be aware of the costs of failing to fulfill God’s purposes.
• We should humbly submit to those who are trying to hold us accountable.
• We should humbly seek to help each other remain accountable for fulfilling our commitments to God.