Deuteronomy 31:19

Deuteronomy 31:19 says, Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.  God instructed Moses to write a divinely inspired song to be sung as a witness for God against the people of Israel when they failed to remain true to Him. We usually have songs that remind us of God's goodness and mercy, but maybe we need more that remind us of what will happen when we as Christians stray away from God.  Verse twenty adds, 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; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.  The song said that when the people of Israel had grown fat from the abundance food that God blessed them with in the land that He had given them that they would turn to other gods and provoke God.  Often, when Christians are blessed with more than what they need by the graciousness of God, they turn away from Him and His word.  Verse twenty-two continues, 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 it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.  God told Moses that the song would be a testimony against them when evils and troubles befell them.  God didn't say if, but when, because He said that He knew their thoughts often turned away from Him before He brought them into the land.  God was willing to fulfill His part of the covenant even when He knew that the people of Israel would fail in theirs.  God sent Jesus Christ to completely forever fulfill His covenant with any who would accept Him and become a pert of God's people, even though He knows that we will often fail to live up to our promise to follow Him in obedience to His guidance.  Verse twenty-two concludes, Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.  Moses wrote the song the same day and taught it to the people of Israel, even before they had entered the Promised Land.  Though it says Moses wrote the song, it was given to Him by God.  The whole Bible, though written by many different people, is inspired by God.  Verse twenty-three states, And he 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.  Moses gave Joshua the charge to lead the people of Israel, but it was God's charge and not just that of Moses.  We today need to make sure that what we as followers of Christ teach is God's word and not our own.  Verse twenty-four adds, 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,  Moses then finished writing all the words of the Law that God had given Him in a book.  Verse twenty-five continues, That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying,  Verse twenty-six, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.  Moses then called the Levites and told them to take the book and put it in the Ark of the Covenant.  This represented God's presence with them when they were traveling, and God's word written in our heart and the presence of the Holy Spirit is God's presence with us today.  Verse twenty-seven declares, For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: 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 said that he knew their rebellion and tendency to be stiffnecked even while he was with them, and asked how much worse would they be when he wasn't with them.  Verse twenty-eight adds, Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them.  Moses then called for the elders of all the tribes to be gathered to him so he could speak these words in their ears.  We need to hear God's word proclaimed often and accurately today, when we gather in His name especially.  Verse twenty-nine continues, For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, 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.  Moses said he knew that when he was gone that they would utterly corrupt themselves and it would lead to their having evil befall them in the latter days.  Verse thirty concludes, And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.  Moses then spoke not just to the elders but to all the people the words of the song.  Though ministers may lead us in worshipping God today, we are all individually responsible for our relationship with God.

Deuteronomy 31:10

Deuteronomy 31:10 says, And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles,  Verse eleven adds, When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.  Moses commanded that every seven years, at the feast of tabernacles that all of Israel were to gather together in the place that God designated and read the law so that they all could hear it.  This would have been no easy undertaking.  We as Christians should read God's word daily, and especially when we are gathered together in His name in the place He designates for us to worship Him, and though we don't do it daily, we should read through the entire Bible often.  Verse twelve continues, Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:  Moses said everyone in Israel was to be gathered together, even the stranger, so that they could hear and learn the law of God and fear, or respect, Him.  We still need to do this today as we gather together as the church, and we need to reach the strangers with God's word as well.  Verse thirteen concludes, And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.  Moses said this was to be done so that the children who had not seen the great works of God could hear and learn about Him and enter into a covenant relationship with Him as well.  We as Christian parents must teach our children to know God and pray that they will enter into a covenant relationship with Him by accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  This was to be done as long as the people of Israel lived in the Promised Land, and it is to be done by Christians today as long as we are on this earth.  Verse fourteen states, 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. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.  God told Moses that the time for him to die was near, and that he was to call Joshua and that they were to appear together in the tabernacle of the congregation so that God could give Joshua his charge.  The transfer of leadership was to be done openly and with the people knowing that God was the One Who ordained it.  We need that same orderly transfer of leadership in the church todsy when one pastor leaves and another takes his place.  Verse fifteen adds, And the LORD appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle. When Moses and Joshua appeared together before the people of Israel in the tabernacle, God came down in the pillar of cloud and stood over the door of the tabernacle.  Though we do not have this visible presence of  God today, when we do gather in His name, we should be aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit with us to guide us in all that we do.  Verse sixteen declares, And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.  God told Moses that after he died that the people would start to follow false gods.  Moses through his faith and by God's power had kept them following God's law, often interceding with God on their behalf, but he could not ensure that they would always follow God, and neither could Joshua when he replaced Moses.  We cannot ensure that coming generations will follow Jesus Christ today, but as long as we live, we must present His gospel to them.  Verse seventeen adds, Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?  God said once they started following false gods that He would turn away from them and they would experience many troubles and be devoured by other nations.  Their strength came from God and not from the fact of their birth.  We as followers of Christ today only have power over the world by our faith in Jesus Christ, and this could be gone in a generation if we fail to reach them with the gospel.  Verse eighteen continues, And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods. God said that His hiding His face from the people of Israel was a certainty if they turned away from Him and followed false gods.  We cannot follow the gods of this world and expect God to bless us, individually or as a nation. 

Deuteronomy 31:1

Deuteronomy 31:1 says, And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.  Verse two adds, And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the LORD hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.  Moses told the people of Israel that he was now a hundred and twenty years old and was no longer able to go in and out.  He also told them that God told him that he would not go onto the Promised Land.  His age and health were not what prevented Moses from crossing over Jordan, but it was his disobedience to God that did.  Disobedience to God by not accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord is what will keep us out of heaven, God's Promised Land, today.  Verse three continues, The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said.  Moses said that even though he wasn't going over the Jordan that God was.  Moses was God's spokesman to the people of Israel, but he wasn't God.  We may have powerful Christian leaders today, but they are not God.  Moses said Joshua would now lead them, and God will always call others to be His spokesmen and leaders as others get old and die.  Verse four states, And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed.  Moses said when they entered the Promised Land that they were to destroy all the people living there by the power and under the direction of God.  We as followers of Christ today have a different directive, and that is to reach out to people, even our enemies, with the love of God.  Verse five adds, And the LORD shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you.  Moses said that God would give the people in the land up to the people of Israel in accordance with His command.  If we are to be successful in reaching the lost in the world today, we must do so by obedience to God's commandments.  Verse six continues, Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.  Though the people of Israel had once failed to go into the Promised Land because of doubt and fesr, Moses called on them to now be strong and of great courage, and reminded them that God was with them.  Even if we as Christians have failed to do what God has called us to do in the past, we need to turn to Him in faith and be strong and of great courage now.  As Moses told the people of Israel, God goes with us and will not fail us.  Verse seven declares, And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.  Moses then called Joshua to him and passed the leadership role over to him.  We should never believe that we are so important that we alone can fill a certain position in God's kingdom today, but must be open to the Holy Spirit telling us when it is time for someone else to take our place.  Verse eight adds, And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.  Moses told Joshua that God would be with him and never fail him.  If we have put our faith in Jesus Christ, God will never fail us but will always be with us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  This should give us great courage no matter what is happening in the world today.  Verse nine continues, And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel.  Moses wrote down the law of God and passed it on to the priests, the Levites, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD.  As Christians, we are a part of the priesthood of believers and we carry God's law written not on stone tablets, but in our heart. 

Deuteronomy 30:11

Deuteronomy 30:11 says, For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.  Moses said God's commandment was not hidden from the people of Israel, nor was it far off.  God's command that we enter into a covenant relationship with Him by putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord is not hidden today, nor do we have to search the world to know it.  Verse twelve adds, It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?  Moses said God's commandment were not in heaven so they didn't need to ask who could go up to heaven and bring it down to them.  God first sent His commandments down to Moses and they were written down for the people of Israel, and then Jesus Christ came down from heaven to fulfill God's laws that we were unable to keep so that we might have the death penalty of sin removed and have everlasting life with God.  Verse thirteen continues, Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?  Moses said God's commandment was not beyond the sea so that they would have to ask who was going to go and get it for them.  These were God's chosen people who had received His law, so there was no need to go anywhere else to look for it.  As followers of Christ, He has come to us to bring salvation to us and we do not need to look anywhere else to know what God expects of us. Verse fourteen concludes, But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.  Moses said the word was very close to them, in their heart and mouth, so that they could do it.  We as Christians have God's word written in our heart so that we can speak it to the world, and this is what we need to be doing.  Verse fifteen states, See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;  Moses said he had set before them that day two choices.  Though Moses was the spokesman, the choices were really from God.  They could choose life and good or death and evil.  These are still our only two choices today spiritually.  Verse sixteen adds, In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.  Moses said that he commanded them to choose to love God and then everything would be well with them.  Of course, Moses could not really make the choice for them, and we cannot make the choice to follow Christ for others today.  Verse seventeen continues, But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;  Verse eighteen concludes, I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.  Moses said if their heart turned away from God that they would not have their days prolonged after they crossed over Jordan into the Promised Land.  If we do not accept Jesus Christ alone as our Savior and Lord but turn away to chase other gods, we will not gain everlasting life in heaven.  Verse nineteen declares, I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:  Moses said he called on heaven and earth to be his witness that he had that day set the choices before them and called on them to choose God and life.  We still have the same two choices today, and we must choose life by putting our faith in Jesus Christ if we are to be a part of God's kingdom.  Verse twenty adds, That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.  As Moses said then, we must love God with all our heart if we are to claim His promise of everlasting life, which comes from faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord and not from anything else that we may do or not do.  

Deuteronomy 30:1

Deuteronomy 30:1 says, And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee,  This is a call for the people of Israel to remember both God's promise of blessings when they obey His commandments and His curses on them if they don't while they are in captivity in other nations.  Verse two adds, And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;  Moses said when they remembered God's promises that he hoped they would repent and return to Him in obedience.  If we stray away from God today we need to remember His promises and return to Him and obey His commandments.  Verse three continues, That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.  Moses said that if they repented and returned to God that He would gather them from all nations.  If we as followers of Christ stray away from God's commandments, we will not lose our salvation, but we may not have God's protective hand on us in the world today.  If we stray away from Him, we must first realize that we have and then repent.  Verse four declares, If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:  Moses said that they could never be so far away from God that if they repented that God would not find them.  There is no place today, in heaven or earth, that God cannot find those who repent and call on Him by faith.  Verse five adds, And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.  Moses said God would would return them to the Promised Land if they repented of their sins. Again, though we as Christians do not lose our salvation if we sin again, we can certainly lose the joy of our salvation if we do, and if we repent and once more live by faith in God, He will not restore our joy.  Verse six continues, And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.  Moses said that if they returned to God that He would mark them as His own once more,  If we are followers of Christ, and have strayed away from Him, if we repent and return to Him, we will rejoice in being a part of His kingdom once more, and the people of the world should be able to see this.  Verse seven states, And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.  Moses said once they repented and God restored them as His people, that God would put the curses on their enemies.  The biggest curse on people today is everlasting separation from God, and the only way to be restored to Him is through faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  Once we repent and come to Him in faith, this curse of everlasting separation is removed, but it still remains on those who do not repent and accept Jesus Christ.  Verse eight adds, And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day.  Moses said once God restored them that they were to obey all His commandments.  Even though we are forever saved as Christians, we are still expected to follow God's commandments.  If we do, we should be different than the rest of the world, and they should be able to see this difference.  Verse nine continues, And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers:  Moses said that after they repented and returned to God that He would bless their works.  Though we are forever saved by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, if we stray away from Him, we still need to repent and return to Him if we want His protection and blessings in life. Verse ten concludes, If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.  This restoration was based on the people of Israel repenting and returning to God.  Our restoration today whoever we are is based on our accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and once we do the joy of our salvation is based on our obeying His commandments. There needs to be a change in how we live our life once we become a follower of Christ. 

Deuteronomy 29:18

Deuteronomy 29:18 says, Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;  Moses called on the entire nation to enter into a covenant relationship with God, so that no one's heart would be tuned away from Him and lead others to follow other gods.  I don't believe that once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord that we can ever lose our salvation, but someone can profess to without really doing so and try to lead others away from Him.  Verse nineteen adds, And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:  Moses said that they needed to take the curses seriously unless they should say in their heart that they would have peace even in disobedience.  We should never fool ourselves into believing that we will have peace without being a follower of Christ.   Verse twenty continues, The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.  Moses said that anyone who felt this way would have all theses curses fall upon him and his name would be blotted out from under heaven.  If we reject Jesus Christ in favor of other gods, so will our name. Verse twenty-one states, And the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law:  Moses said God would separate anyone who failed to keep His covenant from the rest of Israel, and one day He is going to separate those who put their faith in Jesus Christ from all others.  If the plague of idolatry began to rule Israel, other nations would see the plagues that had befallen them fall on the nation of Israel if they turned away from their covenant relationship with Him.  Verse twenty-two adds, So that the generation to come of your children that shall rise up after you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which the LORD hath laid upon it;  The plagues would begin with sickness that the LORD would place on them.  Verse twenty-three continues, And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:  The plagues would grow to be like those sent on Sodom and Gomorrah, or total destruction.  Total everlasting punishment or destruction is what awaits those who refuse to put their faith in Jesus Christ today.  Verse twenty-four continues, Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger?  Moses said other nations would ask why God had done this to those who were supposed to be His people.  The answer would be because they had failed to do so.  Verse twenty-five says,Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt:  As just stated, the answer would be because they had failed to live up yo their covenant relationship with God.  We cannot be a Christian nation without living up to our covenant relationship with Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-six adds, For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them:  The answer would also include the fact that not only did they fail to put their faith in God, but that they also served and worshipped other gods.  As Christians, we need to make sure that we don't begin to worship the things of this world more than we worship Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-seven continues, And the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book:  Moses said because of their disobedience, the world would see God send plagues upon the people of Israel.  Verse twenty-eight states, And the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.  Moses said that because of their disobedience to God that the people would be rooted out of the Promised Land and once again be scattered throughout other nations. Verse twenty-nine adds, The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.  Moses said that we will never totally understand the things of God, but we know enough to put our faith in Him.  We are also to seek to know more about God, though we should never think that we will ever know everything. .

Deuteronomy 29:10

Deuteronomy 29:10 says, Ye stand this day all of you before the LORD your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel,  Moses said that the people of Israel stood before God that day.  We also stand before God every day, whether we admit it or not.  Verse eleven adds, Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water:  Moses said they all stood before God, even their little ones and the strangers.  We need to bring our little ones and strangers to God.  Verse twelve continues, That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God, and into his oath, which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day:  Moses said that they stood before God to enter into a covenant relationship with Him.  We today all stand before God, but the question is will we enter into a covenant relationship with Him by putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse thirteen concludes, That he may establish thee today for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.  Moses said that God stood ready to enter into a covenant relationship with them, as He had sworn to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  He was still the same God, and He was calling them into a covenant relationship with Himself, and this is still true today, not just for the people of Israel, but for everyone.  Verse fourteen states, Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath;  God said that He wasn't just making the oath with those who stood there that day,  God's redemption plan was not and is not limited to just certain people at a certain time, but is available to anyone at any time.  Verse fifteen adds, But with him that standeth here with us this day before the LORD our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day:  God said that His plan included even those who weren't there that day, and that would include you and me.  Verse sixteen continues, (For ye know how we have dwelt in the land of Egypt; and how we came through the nations which ye passed by;  Verse seventeen concludes,  And ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them:)   Moses reminded them of how God had dealt with Egypt and other nations because of their abominations and idols.  God still will one day deal harshly with those who reject Him and worship idols.