Deuteronomy 31 – Some Final Instructions from Moses

A. Moses charges the people, Joshua, and the priests.

1. (1-2) Moses at one hundred and twenty.

Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. And he said to them: “I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross over this Jordan.’

a. I am one hundred and twenty years old today: Moses, at 120 years, was not significantly limited by his physical condition. Shortly after this, he climbed to the top of a mountain. Yet, he could no longer go out and come in because he was limited by God’s command – the decree that Moses would not enter the land of Canaan (Numbers 20:7-12).

b. You shall not cross over this Jordan: These specific words of God to Moses are not recorded in the Numbers 20 account. This must be a further elaboration of the decree spoken by God to Moses, you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them (Numbers 20:12).

i. There is a difference between you shall not bring this assembly into the land and you shall not cross over this Jordan. By the first statement, it is allowable that Moses could go into the Promised Land, but not as the leader of the nation, having yielded his leadership to Joshua. But God made it clearer to Moses: you shall not cross over this Jordan.

ii. God’s correction of Moses was severe. This was more than being denied the leadership of bringing Israel into Canaan; it was to not enter Canaan at all. Moses had long known his calling to deliver God’s people out of Egypt and into Canaan, perhaps even as a child in the palaces of Egypt. Here Moses heard again that another man would finish the job that he had started, and his feet would never touch the soil of the land God had promised to the covenant descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

iii. This severe correction was appropriate because at Meribah (Numbers 20:7-12), when Israel complained and cried out for water, Moses significantly misrepresented God. He misrepresented God by lecturing the nation harshly and unnecessarily. Moses misrepresented God by acting as if God needed him to provide water for the people. And Moses both misrepresented and disobeyed God by angrily striking the rock twice, instead of simply speaking to the rock as God had told him to.

iv. Moses was being judged by a stricter standard because of his leadership position in Israel, and because he had a uniquely close relationship with God. At Meribah, the people acted worse than Moses did, but Moses had greater responsibility. It is right for teachers and leaders to be judged by a stricter standard (James 3:1), though it is obviously wrong to expect perfection from leaders and teachers among God’s people.

v. Moses also defaced a beautiful picture of the redemptive work of Jesus. The rock that provided water in the wilderness was a representation of Jesus the Messiah (1 Corinthians 10:4). Jesus, being struck once, provided life for all who would receive from Him (John 7:37). But it was unnecessary – and unrighteous – that Jesus would be struck again, much less again twice more, because the Son of God needed only to suffer once (Hebrews 10:10-12). Jesus can now be approached with words of faith (Romans 10:8-10), as Moses should have only used words of faith as the means of bringing life-giving water to Israel. Moses distorted God’s intended picture of the work of Jesus. Therefore, Moses shall not cross over this Jordan.

vi. “What Moses could not do because of the people’s unbelief – viz, to bring them to Canaan, Joshua did. So what Moses’s law could not do – viz, to bring us to heaven because of the infirmity of our flesh, Christ by his gospel hath done for us.” (Trapp)

2. (3-6) The encouragement to the children of Israel.

The LORD your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as the LORD has said. And the LORD will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites and their land, when He destroyed them. The LORD will give them over to you, that you may do to them according to every commandment which I have commanded you. Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

a. The LORD your God Himself crosses over before you: Moses had led Israel for 40 years and there was no one left in Israel who had known a previous leader. Yet Israel could be confident, and Moses could go his way in peace because He knew God was with Israel. Israel, Moses, or Joshua did not have to be afraid. Instead, they could be strong and of good courage, knowing that God Himself went with them.

i. Moses was a great man; one of the greatest to ever walk this earth. But Moses was not irreplaceable. God being with them, Israel was in good hands, with or without Moses.

ii. Joshua himself crosses over before you: “Once more, then, Moses reminded the assembly that Joshua was God’s choice to succeed him, a choice that appeared evident from many years past (Exodus 17:8–16; 24:13; Numbers 11:28) and one that was solidified by repeated verbal affirmation (Numbers 27:15–23; Deuteronomy 1:38; 3:23–29).” (Merrill)

b. Be strong and of good courage: It was now time for Israel to take courage in the LORD and not fear nor be dismayed. Moses would pass from the scene, but God would not abandon Israel.

i. He will not leave you nor forsake you: “Five times in holy Scriptures is this precious promise repeated; and in Hebrews 13:5, made common to all believers, with a very deep asseveration [solemn declaration].” (Trapp)

3. (7-8) The encouragement to Joshua.

Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. And the LORD, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

a. Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel: Bringing the people into Canaan was God’s work. He would certainly do it. But God almost always does His work through men and women who make themselves available to Him. The man God would use in bringing Israel into Canaan was Joshua, the former assistant to Moses.

i. God does His work, but He normally does it through people. It is still God’s work even when He uses human instruments (1 Corinthians 15:10).

b. Be strong and of good courage: Since God was going to use Joshua, he must be strong and of good courage. But Moses knew Joshua and knew that he would fulfill this. So, Moses confidently said to Joshua, you shall cause them to inherit it.

i. Moses blessed Joshua with this encouragement. Moses knew that Joshua might be wavering, so he encouraged him, and pushed him forward to fulfill the great calling God gave to him. God uses encouraging people to help His people fulfill their destiny.

ii. “David also picked up these words to urge Solomon to follow the decrees the Lord gave Moses, as David encouraged Solomon to build the temple (1 Chronicles 22:13; 28:20).” (Thompson)

4. (9-13) The encouragement to the priests.

So Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel. And Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of release, at the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the LORD your God and carefully observe all the words of this law, and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess.”

a. Moses wrote this law: Just as the kings of Israel were to write their own copy of God’s law (Deuteronomy 17:18), so Moses wrote this law. He, as an uncrowned king over Israel, loved God’s word and wanted to pass it on to the generation following him.

i. Commentators debate whether this law refers to all five books of Moses (Genesis through Deuteronomy), only the book of Deuteronomy, or only chapter 31 (which can be taken as summary of Deuteronomy).

ii. “Most of the material in chapter 31 is given elsewhere in Deuteronomy. This material appears to be in the nature of a summary with, here and there, some specific additions—just as one who knows that his ministry is coming toward its end repeats, for emphasis’ sake, things said before.” (Kalland)

iii. “Writing had been in common use in the ancient Near East for at least a thousand years before Moses. Even the use of the alphabet was known for perhaps three centuries before Moses’ day.” (Thompson)

b. You shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing: Part of the job of the Levites was to minister the word of God to Israel, as the Levites would settle in cities and villages appointed throughout all of Israel. In addition, every seven years the Levites were to have a public reading and explanation of the law of God, as was modeled in Nehemiah 8:1-8.

i. The law – either all the books of Moses, or just focusing on Deuteronomy – was to be read every seven years at the Feast of Tabernacles.

ii. The first we know of a public reading of the law is in Joshua 8:30-35. The next we hear of it is during the reign of Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 17:7-9), more than 500 years later. Then, in the reign of Josiah there was another public reading of the law (2 Chronicles 34:30), more than 250 years after Jehoshaphat. There may have been public readings of the law in fulfillment of this instruction that are not mentioned. Yet the fact that some are mentioned probably means they were unusual, not normal. If, in disobedience to God’s command, the word of the LORD was so neglected by the Levites to Israel, no wonder Israel was so often in trouble.

iii. “An unusually full account of this being done in later times (and perhaps an almost unique instance) is that of Nehemiah 8:13–9:38.” (Merrill)

c. And that their children…may hear and learn to fear the LORD: This seventh-year national focus on God’s word was especially important for the children among the people of Israel. They had to be taught God’s law, and through the proclaimed truth of God’s word, they could come to a personal relationship with the LORD.

B. Moses insures his legacy.

1. (14-15) The preface to Joshua’s inauguration as leader of Israel.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, the days approach when you must die; call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of meeting, that I may inaugurate him.”

So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tabernacle of meeting. Now the LORD appeared at the tabernacle in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood above the door of the tabernacle.

a. Present yourselves in the tabernacle of meeting: Through the wilderness journey, Moses and Joshua often presented themselves together before the LORD. Joshua was often at the tabernacle with Moses (Exodus 33:11). This was an important aspect of Joshua’s qualification for leadership. Joshua had a real relationship with God, and he was at home in the presence of the LORD.

b. Now the LORD appeared: This begins a solemn and important chapter in the history of the journey from Egypt to Canaan. What follows will be the retirement ceremony for Moses and the inauguration ceremony for Joshua. The importance of the event was marked by the visible presence of God in the pillar of cloud.

2. (16-22) An introduction to the song of Moses, warning Israel of future apostasy.

And the LORD said to Moses: “Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. Then My anger shall be aroused 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 befall them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’ And I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.

“Now therefore, write down 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. When I have brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey, of which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and filled themselves and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods and serve them; and they will provoke Me and break My covenant. Then it shall be, when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify against them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten in the mouths of their descendants, for I know the inclination of their behavior today, even before I have brought them to the land of which I swore to give them.”

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

a. This people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land: After Moses died (resting with his fathers), and even after Joshua died, Israel would decline into idolatry, going after the gods of the Canaanites. Israel’s unfaithfulness would be like harlotry, forsaking God and dishonoring their covenant with Him.

b. Then My anger shall be aroused against them: In response to Israel’s idolatry, God would show His anger and, in some sense, withdraw from His people. Israel would receive the curses previously mentioned (Deuteronomy 27-28), receiving the great evils God had promised in response to their evil.

i. I will hide My face: “Hiding his face (Deuteronomy 31:17–18; 32:20) is the converse of making his face to shine on his people and turning his face toward them as in the Aaronic blessing (Numbers 6:25–26).” (Kalland)

c. Write down this song…teach it to the children of Israel: In anticipation of their future idolatry, God inspired Moses to compose this song. The poetic arrangement would help Israel remember the words and themes, reminding them that any present calamity was due to their disobedience to the covenant.

i. Put it in their mouths: “Implies sufficient repetition to fix it in the minds of the people. Only then would they be able to sing it, and only then would it be a witness.” (Kalland)

ii. “Songs often remain after commandments are forgotten, and it was that this might be so that Moses was instructed to write.” (Morgan)

iii. “Things which were of great importance and of common concern were, among the ancients, put into verse, as this was found the best method of keeping them in remembrance, especially in those times when writing was little practised.” (Clarke)

d. Therefore Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel: This was a strange national song, because the purpose of this anthem was to testify against Israel as a witness. The song Moses composed as inspired by the LORD is found in Deuteronomy 32.

i. “As they sang it, its words would remind them of the covenant pledges they had made and the judgments they freely and voluntarily invoked upon themselves.” (Merrill)

ii. “The song should testify against them, by showing that they had been sufficiently warned, and might have lived to God, and so escaped those disasters…. Never was a people more fully and faithfully warned.” (Clarke)

3. (23) The inauguration of Joshua.

Then He inaugurated Joshua the son of Nun, and said, “Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land of which I swore to them, and I will be with you.”

a. Joshua the son of Nun: Joshua – who was not a young man at this time – had spent his entire career previously as the assistant of Moses. Joshua found that now it was his time to lead, but only after God had prepared him.

i. Joshua was the leader of the group of 12 spies sent to Canaan before Israel’s opportunity to enter the Promised Land (Numbers 13:4-16). The Numbers 13 passage explains that Joshua was originally named Hoshea (salvation) but Moses changed his name to Joshua (Yahweh is salvation).

ii. Among those 12 spies, only Caleb and Joshua returned from Canaan with a faith-filled report, confident God would empower Israel to overcome the challenges in the conquest of Canaan. Because of their faithfulness, Joshua and Caleb were the only adult Israelites of the generation that left Egypt to survive the wilderness years and enter Canaan (Numbers 14:30).

iii. Some 38 years before his inauguration, Joshua believed God would work through Israel to give them the land, and he still believed it. Moses was not allowed to lead Israel into the Promised Land because of his disobedience (Numbers 27:12-14).

iv. The Hebrew name Yehoshua is translated into English as “Joshua.” That Hebrew name is translated into biblical Greek as “Iesous.” In English, we translate the Greek name Iesous as “Jesus.” In other words, in English the names “Joshua” and “Jesus” are translations of the same Hebrew name, Yehoshua. “The Conqueror of Canaan and the Redeemer of the world bear the same name. The Jesus whom we trust was a Joshua.” (Maclaren)

b. He inaugurated Joshua the son of Nun: At God’s command, Moses had already formally recognized Joshua as his successor to lead Israel (Numbers 27:18-23). Though Joshua was not of noble birth or a literal son of Moses, there were many things that in God’s eyes qualified him to be the successor of Moses.

· Joshua had led the army of Israel against the Amalekites (Exodus 17:8-16).

· Joshua was an assistant to Moses (Exodus 24:13).

· Joshua helped Moses at the tabernacle after the golden calf disaster (Exodus 33:7-11).

· Joshua was zealous to preserve the authority and leadership of Moses (Numbers 11:28).

· Joshua was one of the two faith-filled spies among the total of twelve who spied out the land of Canaan (Numbers 13:30-14:38).

· Joshua was a “man in whom is the Spirit” (Numbers 27:18), the most important qualification of all. The Holy Spirit would empower and enable him to fulfill the challenging role of leading the nation into Canaan.

i. God used the consistent, demonstrated faithfulness of Joshua in many small things to prepare him for this essential role of leading Israel into Canaan, a land with strong enemies reluctant to leave their land.

c. Be strong and of good courage: This was a manly, straightforward exhortation to a man who would soon take on tremendous responsibility. It is remarkable how often this exhortation is directed towards Joshua. Seven different times, it is recorded that God spoke this to Joshua (Deuteronomy 31:6, 7, 23; Joshua 1:6, 7, 9, 18).

i. Wonderfully, the last time this phrase was used in connection with Joshua, he was encouraging others to be strong and of good courage (Joshua 10:25). Joshua could encourage others with the encouragement that the LORD, through others, had given to him.

d. You shall bring the children of Israel into the land: These words came from Moses, but by the inspiration of the LORD. God assured Joshua that he would bring Israel into the land of Canaan.

4. (24-27) Moses preserves the Law of God as a witness against Israel.

So it was, when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book, when they were finished, that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying: “Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there as a witness against you; for I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. If today, while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the LORD, then how much more after my death?

a. When Moses had completed writing the words of this law: Moses finished the first five books of the Bible and gave them to Israel, and to all creation, as the inspired words of God.

i. Some raise objections at this point, wondering who wrote the last three chapters of Deuteronomy, because the text says that Moses finished here. No doubt, Joshua had the remainder of Moses’ words and deeds recorded and added to the end of his great written work.

b. Put it beside the ark of the covenant: The Ten Commandments were placed inside the ark of the covenant (Hebrews 9:4). But the whole Book of the Law – Genesis through Deuteronomy – was placed beside the ark of the covenant.

i. “There is no hint anywhere that those tablets were ever removed from the ark in the interim, so one may infer that the scroll of the tora was placed alongside the ark in the holy of holies as a supplement to them…. The holy of holies thus became a kind of sacred archives housing the documents that attested to the Lord’s relationship to his people throughout the years.” (Merrill)

c. That it may be there as a witness against you: Moses knew Israel would eventually rebel. He knew this both from the promise of God (Deuteronomy 31:16-17), and from common sense (If today, while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the LORD, then how much more after my death?). Therefore, the law would stand as a witness against a rebellious Israel.

i. It is wonderful to find refuge in God’s word in times of stress and trouble. Yet believers don’t often consider that God’s word can, in some sense, be our adversary. It will be a witness against any who depart from its truth, a witness that rises to testify.

5. (28-30) The elders and officers of Israel gather for the song of Moses.

Gather to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to witness against them. For I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days, because you will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands.”

Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song until they were ended:

a. For I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt: Moses said this either by divinely given prophetic insight or through intuition based on experience. Either way, his words were true. Joshua succeeded Moses, and Israel stayed generally faithful to God through Joshua’s leadership. Afterward, in the days of the book of Judges, Israel did turn aside, they did do evil, and they did provoke the LORD to anger.

i. “His pessimism was well founded both in experience and in the predictive warnings from the Lord. The conduct of Israel fluctuated between obedience and disobedience with gray areas of partial obedience all through their history as a nation.” (Kalland)

ii. “In fact, the song of Deuteronomy 32 is strongly reminiscent in its structure and content of a well-known secular political form, namely, the formulation of a complaint against a rebel vassal by his overlord with the threat of punishment. It is not impossible that some, at least, in Israel would have understood such a pattern and Moses would certainly have met it in the pharaoh’s court.” (Thompson)

b. Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song until they were ended: The sense is that Moses knew he could not prevent the turning away to come, but through his warning he could delay it. The warning would also set a foundation for Israel’s repentance and return to the LORD.

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