Deuteronomy 31

Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel.

He said to them, “I am one hundred twenty years old today. I can no more go out and come in. The LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’

The LORD your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua will go over before you, as the LORD has spoken.

The LORD will do to them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them.

The LORD will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandment which I have commanded you.

Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or scared of them, for the LORD your God himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.”

Moses called to Joshua, and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them; and you shall cause them to inherit it.

The LORD himself is who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be discouraged.”

Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the LORD’s covenant, and to all the elders of Israel.

Moses commanded them, saying, “At the end of every seven years, in the set time of the year of release, in the feast of booths,

when all Israel has come to appear before the LORD your God in the place which he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.

Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and the foreigners who are within your gates, that they may hear, learn, fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law,

and that their children, who have not known, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land where you go over the Jordan to possess it.”

The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, your days approach that you must die. Call Joshua, and present yourselves in the Tent of Meeting, that I may commission him.” Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the Tent of Meeting.

The LORD appeared in the Tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood over the Tent’s door.

The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers. This people will rise up and play the prostitute after the strange gods of the land where they go to be among them, and will forsake me and break my covenant which I have made with them.

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 come on them; so that they will say in that day, ‘Haven’t these evils come on us because our God is not among us?’

I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.

“Now therefore write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.

For when I have brought them into the land which I swore to their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they have eaten and filled themselves, and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods, and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant.

It will happen, when many evils and troubles have come on them, that this song will testify before them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten out of the mouths of their descendants; for I know their ways and what they are doing today, before I have brought them into the land which I promised them.”

So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel.

He commissioned Joshua the son of Nun, and said, “Be strong and courageous; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land which I swore to them. I will be with you.”

When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,

Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the LORD’s covenant, saying,

“Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the LORD your God’s covenant, that it may be there for a witness against you.

For I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. Behold, while I am yet alive with you today, you have been rebellious against the LORD. How much more after my death?

Assemble to 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 witness against them.

For I know that after my death you will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn away from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will happen to you in the latter days, because you will do that which is evil in the LORD’s sight, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.”

Moses spoke in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were finished.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter marks the transition of leadership from Moses to Joshua and sets the stage for Israel’s future after the conquest of Canaan. As Moses nears the end of his life, he delivers final exhortations, commissions Joshua, records the law and a prophetic song, and warns of Israel’s coming apostasy, all while reinforcing God’s faithfulness and the centrality of covenant instruction.

Flow.

Moses declares he will not enter the land and assures Israel that God will lead them across the Jordan, with Joshua as their leader (vv. 1–6).
He publicly commissions Joshua, calling him to courage and faith, emphasizing God’s abiding presence (vv. 7–8).
Moses records the law and instructs that it be read publicly every seven years so that all generations may learn to fear the Lord (vv. 9–13).
God summons Moses and Joshua to the Tent of Meeting, reveals Israel’s future unfaithfulness, and commands the writing of a song as a witness against them (vv. 14–23).
Moses stores the law beside the ark, warns the elders of their coming rebellion, and recites the song before the assembly (vv. 24–30).

Connections.
Following chapter 30, which ends with Israel’s promised restoration after repentance, chapter 31 tempers hope with realism about ongoing human failure. It prepares for chapter 32, which contains the song itself—a poetic witness to God’s faithfulness and Israel’s faithlessness—by explaining its divine origin and purpose. The warnings of apostasy in chapter 31 form a bridge between the renewal of the covenant in chapter 30 and its poetic lament in chapter 32, grounding the future in the pattern of grace and rebellion foreseen from the beginning.

What it teaches.
God’s covenant people are called to obedience and remembrance, yet their persistent rebellion is foreknown and anticipated by divine wisdom (WCF 17.4). The law is not only a rule for life but a witness against sin (WCF 19.1), stored with the ark to signify its centrality (). Public reading of Scripture ensures continual renewal of fear and knowledge of God (WCF 1.7). Though human leaders die, God remains present with His people (WCF 7.6), and His word—enshrined in law and song—preserves the testimony of His faithfulness across generations (HC LD 9). The inevitability of Israel’s failure does not nullify God’s promises but underscores the need for a greater covenant (; CD 1.1).

Apply.
God’s word is given not only to guide but to testify, so that in every generation the truth stands as a witness to His faithfulness and humanity’s need for grace.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.