Moses’ third and final sermon is concluded with words that would demoralise some and invigorate others. The end of Moses’ life had come, he couldn’t lead the people into Canaan for two reasons.
1. Moses was at this time 120 years old, Exodus 7:7 / Deuteronomy 34:7.
He was one who had experienced a phenomenal number of events, from the Egyptian palace to the east banks of the Jordan River. Nevertheless, he confessed here that he was too old to enter Canaan to be with Israel throughout the coming years of war with the Canaanites.
2. The Lord said he wouldn’t enter the land.
This banishment of God from crossing the Jordan came as a result of his earlier sin at Meribah, Deuteronomy 4:21-22 / Numbers 20:12.
He speaks these words to all of Israel while in the plains of Moab when he was 120 years old, Deuteronomy 29:10-11. Although Moses wouldn’t be with the people he assures them that God would be with them. They were to be led by Joshua as Moses had said earlier, Deuteronomy 1:34-39.
At the time of his appointment to succeed Moses, Joshua was 78 years of age, he died 32 years later at age 110 Joshua 24:29. God had already approved this transfer of authority in Numbers 27:17, but here the formal transfer occurs.
Joshua was the new leader, the one who had been with Israel from the days of the exodus from Egypt, Deuteronomy 1:38 / Numbers 27:18-23.
Sihon and Og were the kings and nations which were the greatest that Israel would face. Israel’s victory over them was God’s guarantee that they would defeat any other nation within the borders of Canaan, Deuteronomy 2:32-3:10.
Joshua, along with Caleb, was the only two of the twelve spies that went into Canaan that brought back a favourable report. While the wicked ten spies brought the evil report of pessimism, Joshua and Caleb reacted in faith and proclaimed that with the help of God they can defeat Canaan, Numbers 13:30–14:10.
Moses said that it was Joshua who ‘followed the LORD wholeheartedly’, Deuteronomy 1:36. Moses tells Israel that Joshua would be their new leader and that God would be with them. Moses reminds them of God’s command that they had earlier broken and thereby wandered in the wilderness for forty years.
The Lord commanded them to take possession of the land, Deuteronomy 1:21 / Deuteronomy 1:26 / Deuteronomy 1:29-32, but they failed. The Lord told them not to be afraid of the people of Canaan, Deuteronomy 1:29-32, but they were. The Lord commanded Israel to kill everything which has life in Canaan, Deuteronomy 20:16-18, but they didn’t.
Moses summons Joshua before all the people to officially commission him as their next military leader so that all may faithfully follow his lead. The Lord would be with Joshua and thereby the people were to recognize God’s divine presence in this next leader of Israel.
This public commissioning of Joshua to ‘be strong and courageous’, wasn’t only personal for the benefit of Joshua, but it was public for all the people, 1 Corinthians 16:13.
The commissioning was an indirect encouragement for the people to remember the promise of God that they take the land, and to be assured that He would always be with them.
God would fight for them and He would physically empower every soldier of Israel. He won’t forsake them so, they can fearlessly face the Canaanites.
Moses delivers a copy of the Law of God to the priest, Deuteronomy 17:18, and he instructs the priests to have the entire law read in the hearing of the people once every seven years during the feast of tabernacles, Exodus 33:11.
This was one of three annual feasts where all Israel were to gather in Jerusalem to celebrate or mark the conclusion of the harvest season. The Feast of Tabernacles was conducted on the 15th day of the 7th month of Tishri.
The first day of the feast, that is, the 15th of Tishri was to be a holy rest day and the people were to do no work. Seven straight days were to be spent making a fire sacrifice to the Lord God and then on the eighth day, they were to close the feast with another holy rest day, Leviticus 23:33-43.
In the seventh year when there was the release of all those who had given themselves to the bondage of another because of debt, Deuteronomy 15:1-15, at the feast of Tabernacles, Deuteronomy 16:13-15, they were to publicly read the law of the covenant to the people.
It was the responsibility of the Levites and elders to perform this reading in the ears of the people, Nehemiah 8:1-8. The whole of the law was to be read that men, women, and children would ‘hear, learn, fear, and obey the Lord your God’, John 6:44-45 / Romans 10:17.
For six years only the males were obligated to attend the feast of Tabernacles, but for the seventh year at the feast of Tabernacles, all Israel, men, women, children and foreigners, were to attend the reading of the law.
The encouragement given to Moses and Joshua took place at the tabernacle where God communed with the leaders of Israel, Exodus 25:22 / Exodus 29:42 / Exodus 30:36.
The purpose of this direct encounter with the Lord by Joshua was to reconfirm his commissioning. Words were earlier spoken to commission him, but here the words were confirmed with action by the direct communication of God with Joshua.
The Lord, in the hearing of Moses and Joshua, reveals the wickedness of Israel’s future. The Lord says that His people will forsake Him, He says this in order for Joshua to lead a stiff-necked people.
Joshua needed to understand the inevitable apostasy that awaited the nation in the years to come. Although Israel would forsake the Lord, Joshua was determined to serve the Lord and the Lord only, Joshua 24:15 / Joshua 24:31.
Moses had earlier revealed Israel’s failures of refusing to obey God’s command to possess Canaan and he also reminded them of their wickedness at Sinai, Deuteronomy 9:16. After detailing Israel’s acts of rebellion in Deuteronomy 9, Moses concludes by saying, ‘you have been rebellious against the LORD ever since I have known you.’, Deuteronomy 9:24.
Although Israel had proclaimed that they would do all of God’s commands, the Lord knew that they were a rebellious people, Exodus 19:8 / Deuteronomy 5:29. although the Lord said he wouldn’t forsake Israel they would indeed forsake Him in the future, Deuteronomy 31:6.
The Lord God, is a God of fierce anger against those who break His covenant law, Deuteronomy 29:24 / Deuteronomy 29:28. Notice that the day Israel forsakes God’s commandments is the day that God ‘forsakes them and hides his face from them’.
As long as Israel put their faith and obedience in God He would never fail nor forsake them, Deuteronomy 31:6. The moment, however, Israel forsook God and break His commandments, is the moment God forsakes them.
The reason God forsakes and hides His face from them so that people say, ‘our God is not among us’ is because of ‘I will certainly hide my face in that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods’, James 1:13 / 1 John 1:5.
Remember Moses called upon the people to make a choice, Deuteronomy 30:15 / Deuteronomy 30:19, and he commanded them many times to love the Lord God with all their heart, mind, and soul, Deuteronomy 30:15-16. He warned them of the miserable existence for their disobedience, Deuteronomy 27:26 / Deuteronomy 28:15 / Deutyeronomy:28:47.
Israel has seen some wondrous things, Deuteronomy 11:7 / Deuteronomy 29:2-3, and they had seen the detestable practices of the nations, Deuteronomy 29:17.
Once in Canaan, they will be free to make a choice as to serve the Lord with all their heart or get involved with the detestable practices of the people around them. It’s their choice and many will choose to get involved in detestable living.
The song Moses writes is recorded in Deuteronomy 32:1-43. The main purpose of the song was to communicate the words of God in song to the people, they could memorise the song, and so, continually have on their lips the word and will of God, Ephesians 5:19 / Colossians 3:16.
The other purpose of the song was to expose the dark minds of many of the people of Israel so that they would be without excuse as they experience the miserable torment of God’s fierce curse against the disobedient.
Joshua is once again told to be strong and courageous and that God will be with him in the conquest, Joshua 1:6-7 / Joshua 1:9 / Joshua 1:18, which later, he encourages Israel to do the same, Joshua 10:25.
After writing the words of the law, Moses commands the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant, to place the writing beside the ark.
Because the structure of the ark contained the commandments of the covenant, the ten commandments were written on stone, it was known as the ark of the covenant.
Moses explains to the priests that the book of law would serve as a witness against them. Notice the words of the written law, the Torah, were placed beside, not in the ark, Hebrews 9:4. In this way, it would continually be a witness to the sin that Israel would commit, 2 Kings 22:8.
As Moses speaks directly to the priests he tells them that they had been rebellious throughout the days he has been acquainted with them and he is confident that they will continue to be rebellious after his death. I wonder what was going through the minds of the priests when he told them this? Jeremiah 15:1.
The priests, elders, and officials were representatives of all the people, these men heard these disparaging words and were to relay them to all of Israel, Deuteronomy 31:1. Moses tells the elders and officers of the people the same thing he told the priests.
Moses had little confidence in the people’s faith, he knows they will be rebellious and stiff-necked when he dies, Matthew 7:13-14.
While the people were called upon to remember all the wondrous signs God had performed before them and warned regarding the detestable things they saw, we find Moses also paying attention to some things. Moses lived his life seeing Israel’s rebellious spirit and thereby makes his conclusion.
This last verse should be the introduction to the song of Moses in the next chapter. The song was to be memorised by the nation and sung while they were in their homes, Ephesians 5:19 / Colossians 3:16.