Deuteronomy 31: 1-6 comments: Moses' declaration

 Deuteronomy 31:1 ¶ And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel. 2 And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the LORD hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan. 3 The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said. 4 And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed. 5 And the LORD shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Remember that God has forbidden Moses to cross over into the Promised Land.

Deuteronomy 3:26  But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter. 27  Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.

 

Read Numbers 20:1-13 to find out why Moses would not be permitted to enter the Promised Land. Notice also the figure of speech about not being able to lead as in I can no more go out and come in. This is not a euphemism for old age as we are told in a few chapters.

Deuteronomy 34:7 And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.

The promise here is that the Lord Himself will deliver the land into their hands. Let’s review my comments on chapter 9.

“Deuteronomy 9:1 ¶  Hear, O Israel: Thou art to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven, 2  A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak! 3  Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee. 4  Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee. 5  Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 6  Understand therefore, that the LORD thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people.

 

Here, Moses reinforces the supernatural success that the Israelites can expect from God. Though they face strong, fortified cities and giants the Lord will go before them and destroy their enemies.

 

What they are warned about is spending any time patting themselves on their collective backs. They aren’t going to have success in Canaan because of their goodness but because of the wickedness of the nations that God has ordained be destroyed. This should give us pause today to reflect on our own nation-state.

 

Psalm 9:17  The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.

 

Moses reinforces the stubbornness of Israel as being an impediment, not a reason, for success. We Christians are told;

 

Ephesians 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”

 

The Israelites were stubborn people and walked contrary to God quite often. It was not their goodness that gave them the land. It was God’s will from the curse on Canaan revealed in Genesis and the depravity of Canaan’s descendants.

Genesis 9:25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

But here in Deuteronomy 31 there is a positive message at the end of this passage. God is telling them to be strong and that He is with them and will not forsake them.

These are promises a Christian can hold onto when facing their conflict with sin and Satan’s discouragement.

6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.