Be positive

Explore the Bible
February 26, 2012

By Bill Scroggs, pastor
First Baptist, Petit Jean 

Scripture passage:
Deuteronomy 31:1-34:12

God has never left His children unprepared or without instruction. Even as Moses prepared for the end of His life, God was giving him the Law for the children of Israel to obey. Moses loved the children of Israel even as God loved them, having led them through the trials and struggles of wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. Moses shared with them honestly from his heart, having seen their tendency to wander away from following God. 

In Deuteronomy 31, Moses summoned Joshua to commission him for the rest of the journey into the Promised Land. God had told Moses he would not be leading the children of Israel the rest of the way into the Promised Land, but that at 120 years of age, he would step aside for Joshua to finish the task. Moses challenged Joshua to be strong and courageous in the task. He wrote down the Law on a scroll to be given to the Levites to read to the children of Israel when they crossed over the Jordan River into the land promised to their forefathers. 

God, knowing the hearts of the people, gave Moses a song to teach the people so when they rebelled and went to other gods and trouble came upon them because of their sin, they might remember and turn back to worship Jehovah God instead of the idols of the people of the land they were entering.

In Deuteronomy 32, Moses gave them the song to learn and rehearse for future generations to remember and turn back to God. 

Moses read all the Law to the people and challenged them to take to heart all of the words of the Law and to teach them to their children, as they are not meaningless words, but words to bring them long life in the land God was giving to them.

In Deuteronomy 33, Moses blessed each of the tribes as they were getting ready to enter the Promised Land and he was nearing the end of his journey into the arms of God and the eternal rest. 

This section ends in Deuteronomy 34 as Joshua assumes leadership with the children of Israel listening to Moses’ words and obeying as God had commanded them.