Deuteronomy 31: 1 – 29
They will play when you’re away
31 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 canceling 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 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 have 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.”
When someone in authority is not present, those subordinate to that authority do whatever they want. Have you ever heard a teacher say "If I leave my classroom for even a moment, I come back to find the place in chaos."
Without supervision, people will do as they please, especially in disregarding or breaking rules. For example, As soon as their parents left, the children invited all their friends over.
All throughout the bible we see this illustrated. There's a strong leader, and then when that strong leader is absent, then everything just goes nuts. Everything goes crazy, and there's always a bad element that's just waiting to fill that leadership void. As soon as the strong leader is not there laying down the law, someone's just waiting in the wings to fill that void and lead people astray.
You know what? It's the same thing in the church. Somebody has to stand up in the church and be the co-shepherd in which our Lord has allowed him to be, and basically make sure that the wrong things don't come in. If a pastor won't take a strong stand and strong lead, do you know what will start happening? All the other versions of church services will start infiltrating the fellowship of believers. Many churches will then be inclined to entertain the goats instead of feeding God’s sheep. However when the strong leader comes along and tells people how it is, like Joshua said to the Israelites in chapter 24 of his book, “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Having made his great oration Moses was now aware that his death was rapidly approaching, and he spoke even more earnestly in the light of it. And that approaching death could only increase his pessimism about the people in their faithfulness to our Holy Master God.
His first words were to ‘all Israel’, encouraging them to trust Yahweh (1-6), his next to Joshua in order to encourage him in what lay ahead (7-8), and then he spoke to the priests and elders for the preservation of the covenant (9-13). But then he entered into the secret counsels of Yahweh and his message was less encouraging, at least for the medium term (verse 14 onwards). From that point on he was taking the longer view about Israel, and it was not very encouraging at all, so much so that Yahweh commissioned him to write a song in preparation for it, a song of Complaint.
Moses now calls the people together again and addresses then in readiness of his death.
31 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.’
Moses went out to address the camp of Israel. He declared his old age. His words,‘I can no more go out and come in’ did not signify decrepitude. To ‘go out and in’ indicated being busy with the affairs of life. But this was no longer to be possible for him because he was to be displaced. His usefulness was over. This was his constant regret. His eye was still keen, he had been able to see across the Jordan. His strength had not abated. He could still walk and move around. But there was nothing further for him to do. His purpose in life was over.
His greatest disappointment was that he was not to be allowed to cross the Jordan. He was not to be allowed even to step into the land. It was partly because of his failure at Meribah, which had revealed a lack in his full commitment. But we may also see it as indicating that God did not want Israel’s first days and memories in the land to be ones of grief and disappointment at the death of their great leader. He wanted them to be days of encouragement. They would need such encouragement before they were finished. Thus it was far better for them to get over the death of Moses before they entered the land. Moses could only ever be a reminder of the wilderness. Joshua could then be a new beginning who would see them through the first years after their entry into the land.
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.
But in all of this please notice his love and loyalty to Yahweh. Lest these remarks discourage them he pointed out that while he may die Yahweh would still be alive. He would go over before them and would destroy the nations from before them so that they would dispossess them. Like a true leader his thoughts were for his people and not for himself. And he also pointed out that Yahweh had appointed a new leader for them, even his servant Joshua. He too, like Moses, would be God’s instrument of deliverance. He would be ‘the Servant of Yahweh’ in his stead.
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.
They need not therefore fear. Yahweh would destroy the nations before them as He had Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites. He had destroyed them and their lands. They had therefore no need to fear Amorites any more for now they had seen what Yahweh could do to them.
5 The LORD will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you.
Yahweh would deliver them up before them, and when He did they were to ensure that they did what He had commanded them, slay every last person, so that evil might be rooted out of the land. Had they in fact carried out this command they might have been saved for a much longer period from the cursing. But subsequently they were disobedient once the initial rest and time of blessing was past (Judges 2.7), simply because they were influenced by the people still remaining in the land, as the narrative that the book of Judges makes clear, and that was why the cursing began to reveal them.
When God calls on us to do something, however unpleasant, we do well to do it (but we must make sure that it is God Who Is calling us to do it). I have always liked the motto, ‘You don’t have to like it, you just need to do it.’
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.”
They were therefore to be strong and of good courage. They were to carry no fear in their hearts, and they were not to be afraid of the enemy for it was Yahweh their God who was going with them, and He would neither fail them nor forsake them. They would be able totally to rely on Him. If God was for them, who could be against them?
Here they were on the verge of the land. Ahead of them lay battle after battle. The thought that Yahweh was with them and that victory was certain in them all if they truly followed Him, would have been a huge encouragement,
We too must ever remember as we go forward in our lives Who It Is Who goes with us. The thought should not only keep us from sin, but also be the assurance to us of the certainty of success if we walk with Him. If God be for us who can be against us, no matter how long the trials may go on?
Now we see that having encouraged the people Moses then hands over the reins to Joshua ‘in the sight of all the people’.
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.
All the detail had no doubt already been dealt with, but this was the final commissioning ceremony as Joshua took over the reins. In front of all the people he was ‘sworn in’. All the concentration, however, was not on him but on the fact that Yahweh was with him. He could be strong and of good courage for his future victory was certain. He would go in with his people, into the land, and he would possess it, for it was the land that Yahweh had sworn to their fathers to give them and all because Yahweh was with him.
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.”
This was because it was Yahweh Who would be going before them. He would be with them. He would not fail or forsake them. Thus he and they had no reason to be afraid or be dismayed, for all was in Yahweh’s hands. When Moses was dead we will read in Joshua chapter 1 verses 5 and 6 that Yahweh would repeat to Joshua precisely the same thing confirming his position as the new God-chosen leader and commander. Joshua was taking on no light responsibility. He was replacing Moses.
He had, however, been groomed for it from when he was a young man. He had commanded the army of Israel in resisting enemy attack (Exodus 17.9). He was constantly Moses’ right hand man and He had been with Moses in the Mount (Exodus 24.13). He had watched over the original Tent of Meeting where he had probably had much to do with the recording of the words of Moses (Exodus 33.11). He had been one of the spies who searched out Canaan (Numbers 14.6, 30, 38). He had been demonstrated to be selected out for leadership (Numbers 32.28). He had thus received plenty of training before being ‘chosen’.
So, If we would desire to be chosen by God to serve Him we must first prepare ourselves well.
Moses’ attention now turned to the priests. They primarily had the responsibility for the maintenance of the whole covenant, especially the ritual element.
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.
In the context of the book ‘this law’ would refer to the whole of Deuteronomy up to this point. God’s instruction in Deuteronomy is now firmly placed in the context of the Sanctuary.
We are not to see the whole Law as all written down for the first time at that stage. It had taken many years to write, and to bring to completion. Moses would have recorded it and built on it. It would already have been placed ‘by the side of the Ark of the Covenant of Yahweh’. But now he was about to die and so he had finalized it with this summary in Deuteronomy, and then solemnly handed it over to the religious and secular leadership. It was to be the foundation of their authority. Now that Moses would no longer be with them this would be their Bible.
It was not handed over to Joshua. While Joshua was supreme leader under Yahweh, the oversight of the people was in the joint hands of the priests and the elders, and the Law was therefore held within the Sanctuary, a seal on the covenant between Yahweh and His people.
10 Then Moses commanded them: “At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling 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.
Provision was now made for the reading of God’s Instruction every seven years during the seventh year ‘Year of Release’ at the Feast of Tabernacles. Then all Israel would appear before Him at the place which He would choose to hear the reading of ‘this law’, the whole Law, ‘before all Israel’ in their hearing. Of course this was not the only time when the people would hear God’s Instruction. Some part of it would be communicated at every feast. But this was to be the time when the whole Law was read out.
12 Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law.
For this reading of God’s Instruction all must gather, men, women, children and foreigners so that all may learn, and fear Yahweh and observe to do all that He had said in His Instruction.
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.”
Policy was laid out that every seven years a new group would be educated in the ways of the Lord. This was to be very much a renewing of the covenant with the latest members of Israel. Each seven years the latest additions to Israel would ‘know and hear and learn to fear’ Yahweh their God. And this was to go on for as long as they lived in the land which they were going over Jordan to possess. They too must learn that the land was Yahweh’s and that they held it from Him.
God now called Moses and Joshua into the Tent of Meeting, and when they had entered, the cloud stood over the door of the Tent of Meeting in order to demonstrate that they were in conference, and to prevent interruption by the priests. Both Moses and Joshua as servants of Yahweh clearly had a unique right of access.
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.
God first confirmed that Moses must die. He must therefore make preparation. So He called on him to bring Joshua with him into the Tent of Meeting, so that He may ‘give him a charge’. Though he must die for His failure at Meribah, Moses was not rejected. He was still Yahweh’s supreme representative. The Tent was the place of the covenant, and he was safely within the covenant, as Joshua would be as well. And here he must pass on his responsibilities to his successor.
15 Then the LORD appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent.
Slone with them in the Tent, Yahweh appeared in a pillar of cloud, the cloud by which He had led Israel in the way, when also they had not believed. It was the same cloud that had hidden Yahweh when He proclaimed the covenant. To them were to be revealed the secret things.
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.
Yahweh was under no illusions about Israel. Even though they would be given every opportunity to serve Him faithfully, their future was known to Him. He knew that once Moses ‘slept with his fathers’ they would be unfaithful and turn to the gods of the land, and would forsake Him and be unfaithful to the covenant which He had made with them. It had already happened both at Sinai and at Baal-peor. It would not happen immediately while Joshua was around, but it would certainly happen. And He now made this known to Moses so that he would, with Joshua’s help, write the song that would be a prophecy reminder to the Israelites. Moses could have called his song ‘When the leaders are away the people will turn to play.’
It is here made clear to us that God is sovereign over the whole future. Alone in the Tent He can reveal what that future holds, because from that future He intends to finally establish His purposes. But He makes clear that it will not be achieved easily. Outside the Tent was optimism, and entreaty and encouragement, as they looked forward to the short term, the occupation of Canaan. Inside it was the truth as things would be in the longer term. Outside men were called on to choose freely. Inside the inexorable purposes of God are unfolded, the result of the extremes of man’s sinfulness.
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?’
The result will be that His anger will be kindled against them, and since they left Him, He will forsake them too. He will hide His face from them and the result will be that they will be at the mercy of the nations and will be ‘devoured’. Many evils and troubles will come on them through invasion and servitude because they have deserted Him. And this will eventually waken them up and will turn their thoughts back to God. The cursing would continue to apply until they awoke a gradual stirring in their hearts.
We need to learn the importance of these tragedies. If we become lethargic and fail to stay close to our Great Shepherd in daily prayer, reading His Word, and in fellowship we too might fall victim to the consequences the Israelites experienced.
18 And I will certainly hide my face in that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.
Because of all their evil doings and their unfaithfulness He would continue to hide His face from them. Awareness of Him was not in itself enough. There must be a turning away from other gods. There must be true repentance.
19 “Now write down this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness for me against them.
The purpose in bringing all this out is now stated. Moses as a together with Joshua had to prepare a prophetic message that Israel would be able to turn to at that time, which would speak to their situation. Moses had written God’s Instruction for Israel. That was to be taught to the children that they may be a part of the covenant and know Yahweh’s Will. But now, along with Joshua, he was to write a song. This song was also to be taught to the children, but it was to be of a different nature. It was in fact very much a complaint song.
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.
To Moses God outlined what He knew would eventually happen. The news was not good. Having been brought into the land in accordance with Yahweh’s oath to their fathers (it was because of this oath that He was bringing them in at all), into the land flowing with milk and honey, instead of being grateful and remaining faithful to Him forever, they will lapse. When they have ‘eaten and filled themselves, and waxed fat; then will they turn to other gods, and serve them, and despise me, and break 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.”
When troubles are a way of life in Israel then in singing this song they will know the reasons. As a result of their desertion many evils and troubles would come on them and it was then that they would turn to the Song that Moses wrote would be a witness to them, both of their infidelity and of God’s continual mercy.
22 So Moses wrote down this song that day and taught it to the Israelites.
And so Moses did what Yahweh had said, and wrote the song that Yahweh had commanded, and taught it to the children of Israel.
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.”
Yahweh now promised Joshua that He would be with him, and that as a result he would accomplish the task of bringing them into the land. Thus he could be strong and of good courage.
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:
When Moses had made an end of writing of ‘the words of this Instruction in a book’ so that it was completely finished, he now gave his command to ‘the Levites who bore the Ark of the Covenant of Yahweh ‘to put it down beside the Ark.
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.
His strong words bring home the impact of what he had heard in the Tent. While it was not the first time he had heard such things, hearing it in the light of his approaching death and with such solemn certainty, had brought it home to him anew. So he charges them to take the book of Yahweh’s Instruction, and put it beside the Ark. Inside the Ark were the tablets containing the original covenant. This book was to take its place beside it, possibly in the Holy of Holies, or possibly in the Holy Place next to the veil behind which would be the Ark in close proximity.
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!
He then told them quite bluntly that Israel whom they represented were rebellious and stiff necked, and that his experience of them while he was still alive had convinced him that they would be even worse after his death.
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.
He then commanded them to gather all the elders and administrative assistants of Israel so that he could tell them the same information up close and personal, and so that he could call heaven and earth to witness against them. He had previously called on heaven and earth to witness his offer to Israel of life and good or death and evil. Now it was to witness as to which they would choose.
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.”
For as a result of being with Yahweh in the Tent he now knew afresh what Israel would prove to be like. That after his death they would corrupt themselves totally by turning aside from the way which he had commanded them to take. And he warned them that in later days evil would befall them because of the evil that they would do in the sight of Yahweh, provoking Him to anger by the work of their hands, including the idols that they made. And this is the context in which he now gave out the great song that he had written under Yahweh’s guidance.
This command to Moses to write a song with the future in view is quite significant. It makes quite clear that it was God’s intention ever to meet the people’s need before it arose by rising up those who could ‘prophesy’. It makes us aware that we should therefore expect to see such continuing activity come true in the history of Israel.
