Deuteronomy 31

The Explanation

Moses is one hundred and twenty years old. He knows this is his last speech. For forty years he has led the people of Israel through the desert, but he will not enter the Promised Land himself. God has told him that clearly. So Moses stands before all the people and says goodbye.

He does not begin with himself. He begins with God. "Yahweh your God himself will go over before you," he says. God Himself will go ahead into that new, unknown land. And Joshua, Moses' helper for years, will be the new leader. Then Moses says something he will repeat several times: "Be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid or scared of them; for Yahweh your God himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you."

Moses calls Joshua forward, in front of everyone, and says almost the same words to him. Everyone hears it. Joshua does not have to figure it out on his own.

Then Moses writes down the law, God's teaching, in a book. He gives it to the priests and the elders. Every seven years, at the feast of booths, they must read this book out loud to everyone: men, women, children, and even foreigners living among them. Nobody is left out.

After that, God calls Moses and Joshua into the Tent of Meeting. A pillar of cloud comes down. And then God says something painful. He knows the people will forget Him later. They will chase after other gods. They will break the covenant, the promise-bond between God and His people. God even says He will hide His face from them.

That is why God tells Moses to write a song, a song the people must learn by heart. Songs stick. Even when the people go astray, that song will keep singing in their heads and remind them of God.

At the end, Moses lays the book of the law next to the ark of the covenant. And he speaks the words of the song out loud to the whole assembly.

What Does This Mean?

This chapter is full of two things at the same time: goodbye and hope. Moses is going to die. That is sad. But God is not going away. That is the whole point. Leaders come and leaders go, but God stays.

There is also something honest and hard here. God knows in advance that the people will let Him down. He does not pretend everything will go perfectly. Yet He does not walk away. He gives them a book and a song so they can always find their way back. That says something about who God is. He knows us through and through, and still He wants to belong to us.

The Common Thread

Moses cannot bring the people into the land. Joshua can. The name Joshua means "Yahweh saves." In Hebrew, Jesus has the same name: Yeshua. Later, another Joshua comes, Jesus, who brings us into a much bigger Promised Land, into life with God forever.

And notice what Moses says to Joshua: "Yahweh himself is who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you." Those are almost the same words Jesus says at the end of Matthew: "I am with you always." God's promise of being with us runs like a thread through the whole Bible.

For You

Maybe you sometimes feel afraid. Afraid of a test, of a new school year, of what people think of you. Moses says four times in this chapter: do not be afraid, God goes with you. He does not say the land will be easy. He says God will be there.

And there is something else. God already knew the people would mess up, and He still stayed. So when you mess up, you do not have to hide from God. He knew already. And He is still there.

Try this week to learn one Bible verse by heart, like a song. Maybe verse 6 or verse 8. Then it stays with you when you need it.

Talk About It

Why do you think God says beforehand that the people will go astray? Is that not strange?

What helps you when you are afraid? Does knowing God is with you actually change something?

Praying Together

Lord, thank You that You go before us, just like You went before Israel. Thank You that You never leave us, even when we fail. Help us to be strong and courageous, because You are with us. Teach us Your words, so we do not forget them. Amen.