Deuteronomy 30:11-31:8

Deuteronomy 30:11-31:8

The conclusion of this long section about the Law is found at the end of Deuteronomy 30 and just happens to be the verse that has pretty much always been at the top of this blog. Moses concludes his long speech by clearly laying out two choices for Israel. First he explains how it is not hard to keep the Law. God was not asking some ridiculous task from the Israelites. He was simply asking for obedience. Sure, He had given them quite a long list of commands, but many of them were practically common sense. The others were doable, and none of them require too much of Israel, especially considering what God had already done for them. The same is true for us today. In some ways we might have it easier than Israel in that we do not have to keep up with all the different commands about sacrifices and offerings. Because of what Jesus did on the cross, that portion of the Law has been replaced. Yet because of what Jesus did on the cross, we should be even more careful about keeping the laws that God has given us. Our obedience is one way that we thank God for what He has done for us.

Moses then gives Israel the two choices one last time: life or death. God promised that for those who kept the Law and were careful to obey Him would have life and blessings. For those who chose to disobey God, He would give them death and curses. There was no gray area between these two choices either. They could not keep part of the Law, or the parts that they like the most. They had to keep all of the Law. In the same way, we have a choice under the New Covenant. We can either choose life, that is Jesus or choose death, that is rejecting Jesus. We should still remain obedient to His commands, but when we choose Jesus, to obey and follow Him, obedience should become our nature. We will still sin, but our desire from that point forward should be to remain obedient to our Lord. So just like Moses gave Israel, we have a choice as well: life or death. Will you choose to believe in, trust, and follow Jesus or will you choose to reject Him and endure the consequences?

The story continues in Deuteronomy 31 with a transfer of leadership. Moses, now 120 years old realizes that his time as Israel’s leader is drawing to a close. He knows that the time of their entrance into the Promised Land is not far away, which means that his death is close as well. Because of his disobedience on the way to the Promised Land, God stripped him of his chances of entering into the land. Moses accepted the punishment, but instead of being angry with God, he turned his life around and continued to serve God to the best of his ability. Although he knew that God would not change his mind, Moses knew it was far more important to be obedient to God.

So Moses gave Israel one last charge, reminding them of what God had done to the nations on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Some of the tribes already had their possession. Moses assured Israel that when they began to conquer the land on the western side, God would give them the same power and protection. He would overthrow those nations as well, ultimately giving them the land. So Moses encouraged them to obey God and listen to their new leader, Joshua. A theme that will come up in Joshua begins here at the end of Deuteronomy. In the face of large tasks and overwhelming odds, it is easy to become discouraged and give up. Moses encouraged both Joshua and Israel to find confidence in God. He told them to be strong and courageous, having no fear, even if the numbers end up being stacked against them. God will provide, and they can find their strength in Him. This should serve as encouragement to us as well. We may seem like the odds are against us at times or that we will never make it through life’s latest challenge. Like Israel, we can always turn to God, and He will be our source of strength.

Matt