Today's Reading:

Deuteronomy 31
Deuteronomy 32
Deuteronomy 33
Deuteronomy 34

Moses’ emotional farewell speech wrapped up the Torah-Hebrew (Pentateuch-Greek, first 5 books of the Bible). He gave everyone a blessing of encouragement and reminded them of God’s faithfulness despite human failure. You will fail- and that is okay, as God will pick you up when you turn back to Him. You do not even have to take a step forward; just turn to face Him. Though the people will be scattered, God promised that if they return and obey with all their heart and soul, He will restore them. When Moses said God would “circumcise their hearts,” he was pointing beyond the physical sign given in Genesis 17:10 to a spiritual reality- God removing what hardens the heart so His people can truly love and obey Him. This is God’s work, not something they can achieve on their own. Moses then emphasized that obedience is not unreachable or mysterious. God’s law was not “up in heaven” or far away; it was already near- the words were in their mouth and heart. If God’s word is already in our hearts, why do we make obedience harder than it needs to be? 

  

 

Moses was 120 years old and he knew the Lord would not allow him to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land and that his time was coming to an end. There is sadness for me here as his life is ending just short of the finish line due to his sin at Meribah (struck the rock). Moses, the faithful servant, led the Israelites for 40 years through miracles, the commandments, building of the tabernacle and plagues, yet died with only a glimpse of the land of “milk and honey.” Moses told them to be strong and courageous, that God would never leave them, even though the Israelites were always grumbling that their troubles were because God was not with them. I can imagine the tears in Moses’ eyes and the ache in his heart, yet the love he poured out over them during this speech to make sure they were ready with all the tools God provided to be successful and have hope in the future.  

God commissioned Joshua to be the new leader and take over from here , ensuring there was a smooth transition in leadership. Joshua was to divide the Israelites by tribe into their allotted land. Moses wrote down the law (Torah) and gave it to the priests and elders to read every seven years during the Feast of Tabernacles , ensuring each generation heard and adhered to learn the Word. God, being omniscient, knew that the Israelites would eventually rebel.  

God told Moses to write a song as a “witness” to the people when they turned away. It was part history and part scolding with hope. Heaven and earth were to be witnesses, praising God as the “Rock” (perfect, strength, and faithful), and the poetic name “Jeshurun” (meaning ‘upright one’) that God affectionately used for Israel. “Jeshurun grew fat and kicked” (Deut. 32:15) was a slight jab meaning the “upright one” became complacent, comfortable, self-reliant, forgetting God provided all that they had. The name was to be about who the Israelites were called to be, who they had become and yet God still claimed them as His own. When you grow comfortable and self-reliant, like spoiled children, then there would be consequences- this was a clear warning that without gratitude, their pride would grow into rebellion.  God is the loving Father, and His jealousy was not insecurity; it was about protection and love through a close relationship. In the New Testament, Romans 10:19, Paul referenced this passage that God would provoke Israel to jealousy through the Gentiles in return, as a way to correct their behavior. Israel had the laws and the promise of a Messiah, yet they rejected Jesus. God brought the Gentiles (those not of Jewish descent) and gave them salvation. The jealousy of Israel brought on by outsiders made them turn back to the relationship they were missing with God.  

Notice in his song, Moses called the Lord “the Rock” with a capital R to show his authority, while the false gods were referred to as a lowercase “rock” as they had no real power or ability to save. God declared His sovereign power to judge and to save, promising vengeance and compassion in His timing. Chapter 32 ended with God telling Moses that he would be allowed to see the Promised Land. This showed His mercy and the seriousness of being obedient.  

Moses blessed the 12 Tribes of Israel, a similar blessing to the one from Jacob in Genesis 49. Each tribe was given their own blessing. Note that the tribe of Simeon was not listed. Both Levi and Simeon had been rebuked when they had taken revenge on Shechem and massacred the men due to Dinah’s rape (Genesis 34). The tribe of Levi had redeemed themselves during the golden calf incident and became God’s inheritance. However, the tribe of Simeon’s curse continued and during the wilderness their men dropped drastically from 59,300 to 22,200. Remember, Zimri was also from this tribe, and he brought the Midianite woman back to his camp, where they were killed with a spear, which triggered a plague that killed thousands. While the Simeonites were given a land allotment (Joshua 19:1-9) that was surrounded by the tribe of Judah, they were eventually absorbed into Judah. The rest of the tribes were given an array of blessings which foretold their future roles. Moses said God would be with them as their shield and sword, offering protection over their enemies.  

Moses climbed Mount Nebo, where God showed him the entire Promised Land, and that is where Moses died. God Himself buried Moses in an unmarked grave. Though Moses died gazing on the Promised Land that he would not enter, he was still God’s chosen, faithful servant and deeply loved. He knew God face to face and would be greatly missed by a grieving nation that would never have another prophet lead them through fire, sea and wilderness with such devotion.  
 

Today's Discussion question: 

If God’s word is already in our hearts, why do we make obedience harder than it needs to be?

 
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