Deuteronomy 31:1-30
Be Strong and Courageous
1When Moses had finished speaking these words to all Israel,
2he said to them, “I am now a hundred and twenty years old; I am no longer able to come and go, and the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’
3The LORD your God Himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will dispossess them. Joshua will cross ahead of you, as the LORD has said.
4And the LORD will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, when He destroyed them along with their land.
5The LORD will deliver them over to you, and you must do to them exactly as I have commanded you.
6Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
7Then Moses called for Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance.
8The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
9So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel.
10Then Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of remission of debt, during the Feast of Tabernacles,
11when all Israel comes before the LORD your God at the place He will choose, you are to read this law in the hearing of all Israel.
12Assemble the people—men, women, children, and the foreigners within your gates—so that they may listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and to follow carefully all the words of this law.
13Then their children who do not know the law will listen and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
14Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, the time of your death is near. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the Tent of Meeting, so that I may commission him.” So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the Tent of Meeting.
15Then the LORD appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent.
16And the LORD said to Moses, “You will soon rest with your fathers, and these people will rise up and prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake Me and break the covenant I have made with them.
17On that day My anger will burn against them, and I will abandon them and hide My face from them, so that they will be consumed, and many troubles and afflictions will befall them. On that day they will say, ‘Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is no longer with us?’
18And on that day I will surely hide My face because of all the evil they have done by turning to other gods.
19Now therefore, write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites; have them recite it, so that it may be a witness for Me against them.
20When I have brought them into the land that I swore to give their fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey, they will eat their fill and prosper. Then they will turn to other gods and worship them, and they will reject Me and break My covenant.
21And when many troubles and afflictions have come upon them, this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten from the lips of their descendants. For I know their inclination, even before I bring them into the land that I swore to give them.”
22So that very day Moses wrote down this song and taught it to the Israelites.
23Then the LORD commissioned Joshua son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land that I swore to give them, and I will be with you.”
24When Moses had finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end,
25he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD:
26“Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, so that it may remain there as a witness against you.
27For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you are already rebelling against the LORD while I am still alive, how much more will you rebel after my death!
28Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officers so that I may speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to witness against them.
29For I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt and turn from the path I have commanded you. And in the days to come, disaster will befall you because you will do evil in the sight of the LORD to provoke Him to anger by the work of your hands.”
30Then Moses recited aloud to the whole assembly of Israel the words of this song from beginning to end:
Berean Standard Bible
Moses tells Israel that he is 120 years old and will not cross the Jordan. The LORD has also said that he will not enter. Joshua will cross before the people, and the LORD will go before them. Moses' inability to continue does not mean God's promise has failed.
He tells Joshua to be strong and courageous, because Joshua will lead the people into the land. Moses then commands the people not to be afraid or terrified of the nations. The LORD will not leave or forsake them, but courage must belong to the next generation as well as the leader.
Every seven years, at the Feast of Tabernacles, the law is to be read publicly before men, women, children, and foreigners. The reading is meant to teach the people to fear the LORD and to help children who have not known the wilderness years hear the covenant for themselves.
The LORD tells Moses that Israel will later turn to other gods. Moses is commanded to write a song as a witness, because the people will be tempted by the prosperity of the land. The chapter holds preparation and foreknowledge together: Joshua is commissioned, the law is read, and the coming failure is not hidden.
Questions
1 Who would lead Israel across the Jordan?
AnswerJoshua would lead the people, while the LORD Himself would go before them.
2 Why could Israel be strong and courageous?
AnswerThe LORD would go with them, defeat the nations, and never leave or forsake His people.
3 Who was to hear the law read?
AnswerMen, women, children, and foreigners were all to hear it so they could learn to fear the LORD.
4 Why was Moses told to write a song?
AnswerThe song would witness against Israel when future prosperity tempted the people to turn toward other gods.
What This Means for Us
Healthy leadership prepares people to continue faithfully after the current leader is gone. It does not hide the possibility of failure or make one personality the foundation of the whole community.
Read God's word where the whole household can hear it, and let children receive it as something addressed to them too. Courage grows when people know both who leads them and what they are being asked to remember.
Prayer
Faithful LORD, be with us through change and succession. Give leaders humility to prepare others, give children ears to hear, and make our courage rest on Your presence rather than our own strength. Amen.