The book details God's love for His chosen nation Israel, and His church. He loves both in the same way as demonstrated by His mercy and grace. But He is also righteous and just and requires total obedience to all of His commandments and statutes. Because man is created in the image of God, man is to emulate God's attributes. "And now Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways ...and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes..." Deuteronomy 10:12-13 NKJV Fifteen hundred years after these verses were written, Paul confirmed that the church was to follow that same teaching. "Now all theses things happened to them (Israelites) as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 1 Corinthians 10:11 NKJV
