Deuteronomy 31:14-30 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 31:14-30. Let’s go!
Deuteronomy 31:14 (NIV)
14 The LORD said to Moses, “Now the day of your death is near. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the Tent of Meeting, where I will commission him.” So Moses and Joshua came and presented themselves at the Tent of Meeting.
On verse 14: God had been preparing Joshua to be Moses’ successor for some time already (see Deuteronomy 3:28 and Numbers 27:15-23). Moses had already publicly commissioned Joshua so that all the people knew who would lead them after Moses died (Deuteronomy 31:7-8). Now in verse 14, we see God personally and privately commissioning Joshua at the Tent of Meeting in Moses’ presence (v14). In verse 23, God speaks to Joshua directly and tells him to be strong and courageous.
Notice that it is God who chose, prepared and raised up the next leader for Israel. It wasn’t done by a democratic vote by the people. It was God’s decision, which He communicated to Moses.
What can we learn from this? God is specific and intentional when it comes to choosing leaders. Whenever God wants to do a great work in, through or for His people, He chooses leaders to lead them. So if you are in a leadership role, do not take your role lightly. If you are serving under a leader, don’t take your leader’s God-given authority lightly either; rather serve them and work with them, with love and respect.
Deuteronomy 31:15-29 (NIV)
15 Then the LORD appeared at the Tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the Tent.
16 And the LORD said to Moses: “You are going to rest with your fathers, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them.
17 On that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters and difficulties will come upon them, and on that day they will ask, ‘Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is not with us?’
18 And I will certainly hide my face on that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.
19 “Now write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness for me against them.
20 When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their forefathers, and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods and worship them, rejecting me and breaking my covenant.
21 And when many disasters and difficulties come upon them, this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten by their descendants. I know what they are disposed to do, even before I bring them into the land I promised them on oath.”
22 So Moses wrote down this song that day and taught it to the Israelites.
23 The LORD gave this command to Joshua son of Nun: “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you.”
24 After Moses finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end,
25 he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD:
26 “Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God. There it will remain as a witness against you.
27 For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you have been rebellious against the LORD while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after I die!
28 Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officials, so that I can speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to testify against them.
29 For I know that after my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt and to turn from the way I have commanded you. In days to come, disaster will fall upon you because you will do evil in the sight of the LORD and provoke him to anger by what your hands have made.”
On verses 15-29: God and Moses both knew that the Israelites would not remain faithful to God, that their hearts were bent on rebelling against God and worshiping idols. That’s why God says that the Israelites will “forsake me and break the covenant I made with them (v16)…I know what they are disposed to do, even before I bring them into the land I promised to them on oath. (v19)”. That’s also why Moses says in verse 29, “For I know that after my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt and to turn from the way I have commanded you”.
Why do God and Moses both bother to lead, instruct and take care of the Israelites when they know that they are disposed to rebel against them? It’s because that’s how great God’s love is. He continues to love His children even though He knows how stubborn and sinful they are.
Similarly, when God created you and me, He already knew we would intentionally sin against Him in countless ways. Yet He still went ahead and created us. Why? It’s because God’s love for you is not based on your performance. God’s heart is always filled with love toward you and me, no matter what we do. He is faithful even when we are faithless. God’s propensity to love you is even stronger than our propensity to sin against Him!
Does that mean we should go ahead and sin as much as we want? Not at all. God’s Word is clear that if we choose to go ahead and sin, the result is that we will experience many “disasters and calamities” (v17) in life, and that is why God commands us to steer far from sin, so as to avoid unnecessarily troubling ourselves.
By the way, does the fact that God knew the Israelites would sin against Him mean that the Israelites did not really choose to sin? No. The Bible teaches that these two things mysteriously co-exist: God’s foreknowledge about the future, and our free will to choose. While we can never fully figure out how these two things work: we can’t deny that God is sovereign and knows everything that will happen, and we also can’t deny that we make real choices in life that have a real impact on us and those around us. Let’s focus on making the best choices we can and leave the rest to our good Heavenly Father.
Deuteronomy 31:30 (NIV)
30 And Moses recited the words of this song from beginning to end in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel:
On verse 30: We’ll take up verse 30 when we look at Deuteronomy 32:1 tomorrow.
Thank You, Lord, that You are predisposed to love me even more than I am predisposed to sin against You. Your love toward me can even outlast my sin toward You. What love is this that a perfect, holy God would be so full of love for me that He would never give up on me despite all the ways I sin against Him. I worship You today and thank You for never giving up on me. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN!
