Friday 29th August
Read Deuteronomy 31:1-29
“Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: 2 ‘I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. The Lord has said to me, “You shall not cross the Jordan.” 3 The Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the Lord said. 4 And the Lord will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, whom he destroyed along with their land. 5 The Lord will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.’
7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, ‘Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. 8 The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.’
9 So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the Levitical priests, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 Then Moses commanded them: ‘At the end of every seven years, in the year for cancelling debts, during the Festival of Tabernacles, 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people – men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns – so that they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. 13 Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.’
14 The Lord said to Moses, ‘Now the day of your death is near. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, where I will commission him.’ So Moses and Joshua came and presented themselves at the tent of meeting.
15 Then the Lord appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent. 16 And the Lord said to Moses: ‘You are going to rest with your ancestors, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them. 17 And in that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters and calamities will come on them, and in that day they will ask, “Have not these disasters come on us because our God is not with us?” 18 And I will certainly hide my face in that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.
19 ‘Now write down this song and teach it to the Israelites and make them sing it, so that it may be a witness for me against them. 20 When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their ancestors, and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods and worship them, rejecting me and breaking my covenant. 21 And when many disasters and calamities come on them, this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten by their descendants. I know what they are disposed to do, even before I bring them into the land I promised them on oath.’ 22 So Moses wrote down this song that day and taught it to the Israelites.
23 The Lord gave this command to Joshua son of Nun: ‘Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you.’
24 After Moses finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end, 25 he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord: 26 ‘Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God. There it will remain as a witness against you. 27 For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you have been rebellious against the Lord while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after I die! 28 Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officials, so that I can speak these words in their hearing and call the heavens and the earth to testify against them. 29 For I know that after my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt and to turn from the way I have commanded you. In days to come, disaster will fall on you because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord and arouse his anger by what your hands have made.’” (NIVUK)
We are almost at the end, the commands given and written down and Moses is near the end of his ‘earthly journey’. He passes on the familiar words ‘be strong and courageous….. for the Lord you God goes with you’ to the people and a similar encouragement to Joshua as he hands over the reins with a little additional advice (vs8) for the leader ‘do not be discouraged’. As I read on that advice could be to himself as well as God points out that even after all that Moses has done the people will rebel, even before they are in the promised land! But first, the laws are written down and given to those who lead (Levites & elders) with the instruction that all the people of Israel are to be taught (have an opportunity to hear the law in a regular cycle of 7 years) so the laws are not forgotten by later generations. Then the Lord gives Moses the bad news, even after all his work and pleading the people will rebel again (forsake and break the covenant I made with them vs16), and Moses is given a song that is to be taught that will ‘testify against them’ (Moses heart must have been at breaking point). God is again merciful, giving constant reminders to the people of their part in the covenant agreement, but the reality is no matter how hard they might ‘try’ they will not keep their side of the agreement. The underlying message, left to mankind this agreement is doomed, there must be another way! In the meantime, Joshua (maybe there is a pointer to God’s plan in the meaning of his name – the Lord is salvation) is to be ‘strong and courageous’ and lead; the written law to have pride of place and protection in the ark as a reminder/witness of the warning given. Two things strike me, firstly the mercy and patience of God toward a rebellious people. Secondly Moses faithfulness: I would have said, I give up its all too hard someone else can do this, but Moses continues to faithfully serve the Lord even with the great discouragement. He is a model of faithfulness for all and particularly for those who lead.
Geoff Hinch
