The Lord’s Chosen Place of Worship

1 “These are the ^fstatutes and rules that you shall be careful to do in the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess, all the days that you live on the earth. 2 You shall surely ^gdestroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, ^hon the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. 3 You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place. 4 You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way.

Salt and Light

13 ^q“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

14 “You are the ^rlight of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 ^sNor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that¹ they may ^tsee your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.