Deuteronomy 31:14-30

The Lord's Charge to Moses and to the Levites

v. 14. And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die. Call Joshua, and present yourselves in the Tabernacle of the Congregation that I may give him a charge, the direct divine appointment to his office as leader of the people. And Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the Tabernacle of the Congregation.

v. 15. And the Lord appeared in the Tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud, Exodus 33:9; and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the Tabernacle, in demonstration of God's majesty and power.

v. 16. And the Lord said unto Moses, in a special discourse addressed to him alone, although in the presence of Joshua, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, lie down in the sleep of death to await the great day of resurrection; and this people will rise up and go a-whoring, in every loathsome form of spiritual adultery, after the gods of the strangers of the land whither they go to be among them, it being implied that they would not exterminate all the Canaanitish tribes, and will forsake Me, and break My covenant which I have made with them.

v. 17. Then My anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, thus shutting them out from all mercy; and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them, literally "find them," as though after a deliberate search; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us? This realization would be forced upon them, and they would pronounce their judgment with their own mouths.

v. 18. And I will surely hide My face in that day for all the evils, in punishment of all the sins and transgressions, which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods, the sin of idolatry being the basis of all other transgressions of God's holy Law.

v. 19. Now, therefore, write ye, Moses and Joshua, this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel, in the form inspired and dictated by the Lord; put it in their mouths, that this song, which follows in the nest Chapter, may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel. The manner in which the song should be used as a witness is now explained.

v. 20. For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey, and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat, under the rich blessings of Jehovah, then will they turn unto other gods and serve them, as the Lord foresees and knows, and provoke Me, and break My covenant, by a particularly contemptuous, insulting rejection.

v. 21. And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness, for in singing the praises of God's mercy it would remind them of their base ingratitude, and in holding out mercy to them in case they would repent, it would put them to shame; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed, being transmitted after the manner of a folk-song, it would live on among the people; for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware; the Lord was aware, by virtue of His omniscience, that they would realize their evil intentions and perform their idolatrous purpose.

v. 22. Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, obeying the divine command, as narrated in detail below, and taught it the children of Israel.

v. 23. And He, Jehovah, gave Joshua, the son of Nun, a charge and said, Be strong and of a good courage; for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them; and I will be with thee. Thus the Lord Himself, formally and solemnly, inducted Joshua, into office, by assuring him of His permanent assistance.

v. 24. And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this Law in a book until they were finished,

v. 25. that Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the Covenant of the Lord, the priests of the tribe of Levi charged with this special work, saying,

v. 26. Take this book of the Law, the five books of Moses, the Pentateuch, as Moses had written it to this point, and put it in the side of the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, your God, to be stored and kept safe in that sacred chest, that it may be there for a witness against thee. It was a commentary upon the Decalog, and would testify against Israel in the case of every transgression.

v. 27. For I know thy rebellion and thy stiff neck, the callous and disobedient disposition of the people. Behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the Lord; and how much more after my death? Moses now formally gave the book of the Law into the charge of the Levitical priests, together with the song which he composed by the inspiration of Jehovah.

v. 28. Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, as the representatives of the people, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them, Deuteronomy 30:19.

v. 29. for I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, for so Moses had just been informed by Jehovah, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days, because ye will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands, their idols and their idolatrous practices.

v. 30. And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, as given in the next Chapter, until they were ended. The great leader of Israel was faithful to the end, as a shining example to all whom the Lord places into positions of authority.