Scroll to the bottom for thoughts/discussion questions!
One-sentence summary: The Lord tells Moses, and Moses prophesies to the people the evil that will befall them when they have entered the land and turn to other idols, but he promises that if they return to the Lord with all their heart and obey His voice, the Lord will bring them back from where He has driven them and bless them more than at the first; Joshua is also inaugurated and told to be strong and courageous because the Lord will be with Him.
Moses tells the people that even after all these curses have come upon them, when they "call them to mind in the land where God has driven [them]," if they will return to the Lord and obey His voice with all their heart and soul, the Lord will gather them from all the nations, bring them back from captivity, and have compassion on them, even if they are driven out to "the farthest corners of heaven." He will cause them to possess the land off their forefathers and will bless, prosper, and multiply them more than their forefathers. Also, He will circumcise their hearts so that they will "love [Him] with all their heart and soul and live." And He will put all the curses on their enemies who persecute them, and they will do all God's commandments. The Lord will bless them in their work and the fruit of their body, their livestock and produce. He will again rejoice over them with good. The Lord (through Moses) says, "For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven that you should say, 'Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us so that we may do it?' Nor is it beyond the sea that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us that we may hear it and do it?' But the word is very hear you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. See I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commands, His statutes, and judgements, that you. may live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear and are drawn away so that you worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your day in the land which you cross over the Jordan... to possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you that I have set before you today life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, choose life, that both you and your descendants may live, that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him. For He is your life and your length of days. And that you may dwell in the land which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."
Moses tells Israel that he is 120 years old, and that he can "no longer go out and come in." Also, the Lord has told him he will not cross over the Jordan. But He says the Lord will go with them and also Joshua, and the Lord will defeat their enemies for them. He tells them to "be strong and of good courage," and not to fear or be afraid of them, because "the Lord your God, He is the One Who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." Then Moses calls Joshua and tells him before Israel to be strong and courageous because he will lead the people, and the Lord will go before him and not leave him or forsake him, and not to "fear or be dismayed." So Moses writes all this law and gives it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who bear the covenant of he Lord, and all the elders of Isreal. He commands them that every seven years, in the year of release at the Feast of Tabernacles when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord in the place He chooses, they are to read the whole law before all Israel in their hearing so that they may "hear and learn to fear the Lord and carefully observe it," along with their children who have not known it. The Lord tells Moses he is about to die and to call Joshua and present themselves in the tabernacle of meeting. The Lord appears in a pillar of cloud above the tabernacle and tells Moses that the people are going to be unfaithful and forsake Him and break their covenant with Him, and that He will become angry and forsake them and hide His face from them, that they will be devoured, and that "many evils and troubles will befall them." Then, they will realize that God is not among them anymore. He tells him to write down a song to teach all Israel, so that it will be God's witness against them. This will be after they are satisfied in the land and have "grown fat" and decide to serve other gods and break their covenant. After evils and troubles have come upon them, the song will testify against them as a witness. The Lord says He already knows the "inclination of their behavior today." Moses writes down the song and teaches it to Israel, and he inaugurates Joshua. He tells him again to be strong and courageous because he will lead Israel into the promised land, and that God will be with him. Moses then commands the Levites to take the book of the law and put it beside the ark of the covenant to be there as a witness against Israel (that they were warned beforehand- my interpretation). He says he knows their rebellion and stiff-necked-ness. He says that if they have been rebellious against the Lord the whole time he (Moses) has been with him, how much more will they be after he is gone? He tells them to gather the elders of the tribes and the officers that he may speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth as witnesses against them, because he knows that after his death, they will become "utterly corrupt and turn aside from the way [he] has commanded [them], and evil will befall [them] in the latter days because [they] will do evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke Him to anger with the work of [their] hands." Then Moses speaks the song before all the people of Israel.
Thoughts/Discussion Questions:
It is so sad how God already knew that Israel would forsake Him. In fact, He knew that they never really had a heart to love Him and obey Him at all, and that He would need to circumcise their hearts Himself. God is the one who works good in us, the desire to do His will. Why is He so good??