HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 557
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Lord your God will delight in you if you obey his
voice and keep the commands and decrees written in this Book of Instruction, and if you turn to
the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.
The Choice of Life or Death
11 “This command I am giving you today is not
too difficult for you, and it is not beyond your
reach. 12 It is not kept in heaven, so distant that
you must ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven and
bring it down so we can hear it and obey?’ 13 It
is not kept beyond the sea, so far away that you
must ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to bring it to
us so we can hear it and obey?’ 14 No, the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and
in your heart so that you can obey it.
15 “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice
between life and death, between prosperity and
disaster. 16 For I command you this day to love
the Lord your God and to keep his commands,
decrees, and regulations by walking in his
ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply,
and the Lord your God will bless you and the
land you are about to enter and occupy.
17 “But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve
and worship other gods, 18 then I warn you now
that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not
live a long, good life in the land you are crossing
the Jordan to occupy.
19 “Today I have given you the choice between
life and death, between blessings and curses.
Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the
choice you make. Oh, that you would choose
life, so that you and your descendants might
live! 20 You can make this choice by loving the
Lord your God, obeying him, and committing
yourself firmly to him. This* is the key to your
life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will
live long in the land the Lord swore to give your
ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Joshua Becomes Israel’s Leader
When Moses had finished giving these instructions* to all the people of Israel, 2 he
said, “I am now 120 years old, and I am no longer
able to lead you. The Lord has told me, ‘You will
not cross the Jordan River.’ 3 But the Lord your
God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will
destroy the nations living there, and you will
take possession of their land. Joshua will lead
you across the river, just as the Lord promised.
4 “The Lord will destroy the nations living in
the land, just as he destroyed Sihon and Og, the
kings of the Amorites. 5 The Lord will hand over
to you the people who live there, and you must
deal with them as I have commanded you. 6 So
be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and
do not panic before them. For the Lord your God
31
30:20 Or He. 31:1 As in Dead Sea Scrolls and Greek version;
Masoretic Text reads Moses went and spoke.
DEUTER ONOM Y 31
will personally go ahead of you. He will neither
fail you nor abandon you.”
7 Then Moses called for Joshua, and as all Israel watched, he said to him, “Be strong and
courageous! For you will lead these people into
the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors
he would give them. You are the one who will
divide it among them as their grants of land.
8 Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord
will personally go ahead of you. He will be with
you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
Public Reading of the Book of Instruction
9 So Moses wrote this entire body of instruction
in a book and gave it to the priests, who carried
the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, and to the elders of Israel. 10 Then Moses gave them this command: “At the end of every seventh year, the Year
of Release, during the Festival of Shelters, 11 you
must read this Book of Instruction to all the
people of Israel when they assemble before the
Lord your God at the place he chooses. 12 Call
them all together—men, women, children, and
the foreigners living in your towns—so they may
hear this Book of Instruction and learn to fear the
Lord your God and carefully obey all the terms of
these instructions. 13 Do this so that your children
who have not known these instructions will hear
them and will learn to fear the Lord your God.
Do this as long as you live in the land you are
crossing the Jordan to occupy.”
• Loneliness
DE U TE R ON OM Y 31:6
After forty years of leadership, it was time
for Moses to lay down his work. But his
people would go on to cross the Jordan
River and enter the Promised Land with
Joshua as their new military commander.
The parents and grandparents of the
present generation of Hebrews had been
fainthearted and had refused to go into the
Promised Land. As a result, they had all
died in the wilderness, leaving their grown
children to conquer the land. Moses’
charge to these people was for them to be
strong and courageous, not to be afraid
of the enemies in the land. Why? Because
the Lord was with them. He would be
there with them to fight for them. Without
the Lord, the conquest could be a lonely
ordeal. With the Lord, it could become a
great triumph. In the next adventuresome
chapter of your life, remember this
poignant scene. By accepting God as a
very present leader, you can achieve great
victories. Going on without him can lead to
some very lonely paths.