Moses began his third speech in chapter 29. Moses carefully laid out all the amazing works God had performed for the Israelites in their journey from Egypt all the way to the place where they were. He admonished them to carefully follow all the terms of the covenant. Including the first and second commandment to worship no other gods or make any images or idols. Moses warned them about feeling smug and safe because of this covenant and their natural tendency to indulge in the very things which had gotten them in so much trouble before. Bad things would happen if they abandoned the covenant. If they did leave the way of the Lord and they repented and obeyed His commandments, their fortunes would be restored by God. Even if they had been scattered throughout all the earth, God would bring them back to this land of their inheritance, and gather them in it, if they returned to God and obeyed Him. Moses set before them, in the plainest terms, the choice to choose God and live or choose other gods and die. Moses urged them to choose life!
Moses tells them that he is 120 years old and unable to lead them anymore. Moses said God would go into the land first and conquer it with Joshua and their enemies would be delivered to them, and not to be terrified or afraid. In the presence of the Israelites Moses confers his power to Joshua along with some beautiful sentiments of strength and faith. This ended the third speech.
Moses wrote down the law into a book and told the Levites in charge of the ark to place it in there beside the testimony (stone tablets). At the end of every 7 years during the Feast of the Tabernacles, they were to read the law to everyone.
God told Moses to go to the Tent of Meeting with Joshua. Then God appeared in the cloud and told Moses he would soon rest with his fathers. Then God described how the Israelites would fall away from Him and turn to other gods. He gave them a song to sing that the Israelites would remember. So even when they had turned away from God, they would remember the song. Then God blessed Joshua. Then Moses told the Levites that they would become evil soon after Moses was dead and that disaster would follow.
Moses sang the song so that all the Israelites could hear him. The words tell the story of their journey and relationship with God. It told them of Jacob and how God guarded him, hovering over him like an eagle guarding the nest. And how God gave them everything they needed to live abundantly even in the desert.
Tomorrow finish Deuteronomy! Then read Joshua 1:1-9
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