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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Deuteronomy 31:1 - 31:13
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The Charge to Joshua
v. 1. And Moses went, he appeared before the people in a last solemn farewell, and spake these words unto all Israel.
v. 2. And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day, Cf Exo_7:7; I can no more go out and come in, his personal work before the people had now come to an end, Num_27:17; also the Lord hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan, Num_20:24.
v. 3. The Lord, thy God, He will go over before thee, and He will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them, take possession of all the land which had formerly belonged to the Canaanitish tribes and which they still occupied; and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the Lord hath said, Deu_3:28.
v. 4. 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, Num_21:21-35.
v. 5. 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, Deu_7:2-24; for the Lord's intention was to make it a war of extermination.
v. 6. Be strong and of a good courage, Deu_1:21; Deu_20:3; fear not, nor be afraid of them, Deu_7:18; for the Lord, thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee, literally, He will not let thee sink down nor loosen His hold on thee; He would not leave them without His guiding, sustaining hand, nor indeed entirely forsake them.
v. 7. And Moses called unto Joshua and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, with formal solemnity, 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; as the future leader of the people he was bound, of course, to set them all the best example of steadfast courage.
v. 8. 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; he was not to sink down and shrink back in view of the magnitude of the task set before him.
v. 9. And Moses wrote this Law, the entire code of precepts as it had been transmitted to him by the Lord, and delivered it unto the priests, the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the Covenant of the Lord, Num_4:15, and unto all the elders of Israel; for these two classes were given permanent charge of Israel's ordinances and precepts, as being responsible for their promulgation and observance.
v. 10. And Moses commanded them, saying, at the end of every seven years, in the so called Sabbatical Year, in the solemnity of they ear of release, Deu_15:1-11, in the Feast of Tabernacles, the last great festival of the Jewish ecclesiastical pear,
v. 11. when all Israel is come to appear before the Lord, thy God, in the place which he shall choose, at the central Sanctuary, thou shalt read this Law before all Israel in their hearing, for that was the purpose for which they were entrusted with the written code of the Law, that they might proclaim and teach it.
v. 12. Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is time in thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord, your God, with that wholesome reverence and awe which flows from faith, and observe to do all the words of this Law;
v. 13. and that their children, which have not known anything, not having heard the proclamation of the various precepts by the mouth of Moses, 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, as long as they and their descendants occupied the land of Canaan. In this way the Law of the Lord was to be made pleasant and acceptable to the entire nation, and children and children's children were to treasure it as a precious gift of His mercy. Note the prominence given to the children at this point and the emphasis placed upon their being taught properly. We are also bound to the written Word of God, and if we are truly members of God's people, we shall be grateful for every opportunity to hear the proclamation of the Word of God and keep it with a cheerful observance.