Deuteronomy chapter 31

Moses names Joshua his successor. Moses delivers the Torah. The nation will reject the LORD God. Moses commissions Joshua. Moses delivers the Torah, continued. The Song of Moses.

 


 

MOSES NAMES JOSHUA HIS SUCCESSOR

 

VERSE 1. Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel.

 

VERSE 2. He said to them, “I am one hundred twenty years old today. I can no more go out and come in. The LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’

You shall not go over. The LORD God intimated to Moses that he was at the end of his life.

 

VERSE 3. The LORD your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua will go over before you, as the LORD has spoken.

Joshua will go over before you. Moses makes it clear that Joshua will be in charge.

as the LORD has spoken. The LORD God selected Joshua.

 

VERSE 4. The LORD will do to them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them.

 

VERSE 5. The LORD will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandment which I have commanded you.

 

VERSE 6. Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or scared of them; for the LORD your God himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.”

This verse is fantastic! Would you consider memorizing it? More great verses to memorize from the Book of Deuteronomy and from the entire Bible.

When we walk with the LORD God, we can overcome our fears and be bold. As bold as a lion! Read more »

 

VERSE 7. Moses called to Joshua, and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them; and you shall cause them to inherit it.

you shall cause them to inherit it. The LORD God is the one who guarantees their success. But Joshua is the one who actually does the deeds.

 

VERSE 8. The LORD himself is who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be discouraged.”

 

MOSES DELIVERS THE TORAH

 

VERSE 9. Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the LORD’s covenant, and to all the elders of Israel.

Moses wrote this law. The word “law” is a translation of the Hebrew word תּוֹרָה (“torah”).

and delivered it. Presumably, until this moment, the Scriptures had not been written.

 

VERSE 10. Moses commanded them, saying, “At the end of every seven years, in the set time of the year of release, in the feast of booths,

 

VERSE 11. when all Israel has come to appear before the LORD your God in the place which he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.

you shall read this law. As a nation, they are to read the Bible every seven years.

 

VERSE 12. Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and the foreigners who are within your gates, that they may hear, learn, fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law,

 

VERSE 13. and that their children, who have not known, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land where you go over the Jordan to possess it.”

 

THE NATION WILL REJECT THE LORD GOD

 

VERSE 14. The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, your days approach that you must die. Call Joshua, and present yourselves in the Tent of Meeting, that I may commission him.” Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the Tent of Meeting.

your days approach that you must die. This is sad.

 

VERSE 15. The LORD appeared in the Tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood over the Tent’s door.

When the LORD God liberated his people from Egypt, he led them with the spectacular Pillar of Cloud and Pillar of Fire. Read more »

 

VERSE 16. The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers. This people will rise up and play the prostitute after the strange gods of the land where they go to be among them, and will forsake me and break my covenant which I have made with them.

you shall sleep with your fathers. Moses will die.

play the prostitute. That is, they will worship other gods.

 

VERSE 17. Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come on them; so that they will say in that day, ‘Haven’t these evils come on us because our God is not among us?’

 

VERSE 18. I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.

 

VERSE 19. “Now therefore write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.

write this song. A song is a great way to get people to remember things.

 

VERSE 20. For when I have brought them into the land which I swore to their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they have eaten and filled themselves, and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods, and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant.

 

VERSE 21. It will happen, when many evils and troubles have come on them, that this song will testify before them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten out of the mouths of their descendants; for I know their ways and what they are doing today, before I have brought them into the land which I promised them.”

this song will testify. The song itself will rebuke them.

 

VERSE 22. So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel.

 

MOSES COMMISSIONS JOSHUA

 

VERSE 23. He commissioned Joshua the son of Nun, and said, “Be strong and courageous; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land which I swore to them. I will be with you.”

He commissioned Joshua. That is, “the LORD gave this command to Joshua.”

To commission somebody is to give them a command.

 

MOSES DELIVERS THE TORAH, CONTUNUED

 

VERSE 24. When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,

in a book. This is the Torah in written form.

 

VERSE 25. Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the LORD’s covenant, saying,

 

VERSE 26. “Take this scroll of the Torah, and put it by the side of the ark of the LORD your God’s covenant, that it may be there for a witness against you.

put it by the side of the ark. They will set the Torah next to the Ark of the Covenant.

 

VERSE 27. For I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. Behold, while I am yet alive with you today, you have been rebellious against the LORD. How much more after my death?

 

VERSE 28. Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to witness against them.

 

VERSE 29. For I know that after my death you will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn away from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will happen to you in the latter days, because you will do that which is evil in the LORD’s sight, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.”

you will utterly corrupt yourselves. These words are heavy. And so sad.

Moses is speaking as a prophet.

 

THE SONG OF MOSES

 

VERSE 30. Moses spoke in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were finished.

 


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DEUTERONOMY

CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34

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