Deuteronomy 31:1-8

LESSON TWENTY-THREE Deuteronomy 31:1 to Deuteronomy 32:47

IV. MOSES-' LAST DAYS

Deuteronomy 31:1 to Deuteronomy 34:12

A. CHARGE TO JOSHUA (Deuteronomy 31:1-23)

JOSHUA PRESENTED TO THE PEOPLE (Deuteronomy 31:1-8)

And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel. 2 And he said unto them, I am a hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: and Jehovah hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan. 3 Jehovah thy God, he will go over before thee; he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt dispossess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as Jehovah hath spoken. 4 And Jehovah will do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and unto their land; whom he destroyed. 5 And Jehovah will deliver them up before you, and ye shall do unto them according unto all the commandment which I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them: for Jehovah thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. 7 And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of good courage: for thou shalt go with this people into the land which Jehovah hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. 8 And Jehovah, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 31:1-8

533.

Moses cannot go over Jordan to possess the land, but someone can and will. Who was it? (We are not thinking of Joshua.)

534.

For what reason should Israel and Joshua be strong and of good courage?

535.

Beyond the bare word of Moses, how would Israel know Jehovah was with them?

536.

What one quality has Moses exemplified for our emulation?

AMPLIFIED TRANSLATION 31:1-8

And Moses went on speaking these words to all Israel.
2 And he said to them, I am 120 years old this day; I can no more go out and come in; and the Lord has said to me, You shall not go over this Jordan.
3 The Lord your God will Himself go over before you, and He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them; and Joshua shall go over before you, as the Lord has said.
4 And the Lord will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when He destroyed them.
5 And the Lord will give them over to you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandments which I have commanded you.
6 Be strong, courageous and firm, fear not, nor be in terror before them; for it is the Lord your God Who goes with you; He will not fail you or forsake you.
7 And Moses called to Joshua, and said to him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong, courageous and firm; 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 possess it.
8 It is the Lord Who goes before you; He will [march] with you; He will not fail you or let you go, or forsake you; [let there be no cowardice or flinching, but] fear not, neither become broken [in spirit] (depressed, dismayed and unnerved with alarm).

COMMENT 31:1-8

One cannot help but be struck with the solemnity of these words, and those to follow. They remind us of Paul's touching farewell to the elders of Ephesus (Acts 20:18 ff.) Both these esteemed and beloved servants realized the seriousness of their position and that of the persons they were addressing. Thus the urgent, sincere, solemn heart-to-heart appeal. The application Mackintosh makes is good: All who really enter into the situation and destiny of the people of God in a world like this must be serious, The true sense of things, the apprehension of them in the divine presence, must, of necessity, impart a holy gravity to the character, and a special pungency and power to the testimony.

I AM A HUNDRED AND TWENTY YEARS OLD THIS DAY (Deuteronomy 31:2)Not that the very day of this announcement was necessarily his birthday. This day usually means now, at this time in Deuteronomy, as we just saw in Deuteronomy 30:15; Deuteronomy 30:18-19.

THOU SHALT NOT GO OVER (Deuteronomy 31:2)See Deuteronomy 1:37-38, note, and Deuteronomy 32:51-52.

JOSHUA, HE SHALL GO BEFORE THEE (Deuteronomy 31:3)This man was no newcomer to the role of a leader in Israel. Forty years before, as military leader and captain of Israel's hosts, he had defeated Amelek (Exodus 17:8-14). As Moses-' minister and attendant he accompanied him unto Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:13; Exodus 32:17). He also accompanied Moses during those times in which God spoke to him face to face, apparently acting as his special minister in the tent of meeting (Exodus 33:11) before the tabernacle was erected. He and Caleb were the only ones among the twelve spies sent into Canaan who brought back an encouraging report (Numbers 14:6-10, Deuteronomy 1:35-38), and as a result were the only Israelites among those numbered who were not recipients of God's curse (Numbers 14:28-34; Numbers 26:65). Thus he was a man in whom is the Spirit. He and Eleazer the priest were instructed to oversee the proper division of the land, Numbers 34:17, and he had just finished leading Israel in victorious battles on the east-side, Deuteronomy 3:21.

Concerning the present charge, see also Numbers 27:15-23. His further history is found in the book bearing his name, and one cannot but stand in awe and admiration of this war horse for God, whose farewell to Israel was, ... choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah (Joshua 24:15). And to the credit of this man's character, the sacred historian could write as his epitaph, And Israel served Jehovah all the days of Joshua. (Joshua 24:31).

Joshua is now about 78, as he died 32 years later at age 110 (Joshua 24:29).

AS HE DID TO SIHON AND OG (Deuteronomy 31:4)Recorded in Deuteronomy 2:26 to Deuteronomy 3:11.

BE STRONG AND OF GOOD COURAGE, etc. (Deuteronomy 31:6)A verse that provides encouragement and challenge to every soul in the Lord's armed forces. Here (as in Deuteronomy 1:29-30, etc.) all Israel is being addressed. But such words of encouragement are elsewhere given to Joshua aloneDeuteronomy 31:7; Deuteronomy 31:23, Deuteronomy 3:21-22, Joshua 1:5-9. His was a very grave and sobering responsibilityespecially that of exterminating the Canaanite tribes and settling Israel in their divinely given land. The sequel in the book of Joshua reveals that the leadership of Israel was in able hands.

HE IT IS THAT DOTH GO WITH THEE; HE WILL NOT FAIL THEE, NOR FORSAKE THEE (Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:5)What man who is truly fighting the Lord's battles is not heartened and emboldened with these words? Because of God's nearness and presence, we need not fear his (our) enemies. And the Hebrew writers rightly used the same principle to teach us we ought to be free from the love of money; content with such things as ye have (See Hebrews 13:5). Who is not helped and spurred on in the Lord's service by the assurance that Christ himself is near, with his strength (Matthew 18:20; Matthew 28:20, Acts 18:9-10).