December 15, 2009 (Deuteronomy 31-34, Psalm 91)

Moses is now 120 years old and is soon to die. In front of all the people he summons Joshua and says to him:

^{Deuteronomy 31:7} 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.”

Then Moses wrote down the entire "book of the law" - all the things he had been teaching them, so that they would have those words to read and remember.

^{Deuteronomy 31:12} 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.”

He kind of sounded like a broken record. But it was because of the stubbornness of the people's hearts that he had to tell them the same things, over and over.

Then God steps in and tells Moses it's time for him to die, and time for Joshua to be commissioned as the new leader. He also tells them ahead of time that the people will continue in their stubborn ways. He gave Moses a song to teach the Israelites (Deuteronomy 32:1-43). This song was basically a "replay" of God's faithfulness and then a "replay" of their sin, hoping to show them one last time how their actions had led to their downfall, and how God was able to deliver them. They were to learn it by heart so that every time they heard it, it would stand as "evidence against them" - The song says: (vs. 39) "When all their strength is gone, He will proclaim "Look now; I myself am He! There is no god other than Me! I am the One who kills and gives life. I am the One who wounds and heals; no one delivers from my power!"

I found this following verse very interesting. It was to serve as encouragement to Joshua. He needed God to speak this to him. I would imagine Joshua "clung" to these words as he led the Israelites into the promised land, knowing how stubborn they were, but being reminded that God promised He would be with him:

Deuteronomy 31:²³ Then the Lord commissioned Joshua son of Nun with these words: “Be strong and courageous, for you must bring the people of Israel into the land I swore to give them. I will be with you.”

And then, Moses died. This is a reminder that God always does what He says He will do. His word is trustworthy.

^{Deuteronomy 34:5} So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, just as the Lord had said.

My reading for today finished with Psalm 91. This is what some might call "The Warriors' Psalm" and is a great psalm to pray over our deployed warriors, and for our deployed warriors to pray back to Him.

Psalm 91

¹ Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
² This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
³ For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
⁵ Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
⁶ Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
⁷ Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
⁸ Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.

⁹ If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
¹⁰ no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
¹¹ For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
¹² They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
¹³ You will trample upon lions and cobras;
you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

¹⁴ The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
¹⁵ When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
¹⁶ I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.”