Deuteronomy 31:1-13 "Passing the Torch"

Introduction

Illustration of the torch being passed from person to person until the Olympics is started.

Text Read

So Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel. 2 And he said to them, “I am 120 years old today. I am no longer able to go out and come in. The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’ 3 The Lord your God Himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, as the Lord has spoken. 4 And the Lord will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when He destroyed them. 5 And the Lord will give them over to you, and you shall do to them according to the whole commandment that I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

7 Then Moses summoned 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 that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. 8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

9 Then Moses wrote 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. 10 And Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at the Feast of Booths, 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place that He will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, 13 and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

Text Explained

So Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel. 2 And he said to them, “I am 120 years old today. I am no longer able to go out and come in. The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’ Moses has said what the Lord would have him say. His life is coming to a close and he knows it. He knows he will not enter the Promised Land and in fact, his earthly service to God is just about over. God had raised him in Pharaoh's house, God had brought him to the wilderness to shepherd, God had brought him back to Egypt where he became the voice of the Lord to Pharoah. God had used Moses to bring the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, and God had used Moses to lead God’s people through a forty year adventure, where they wandered in the wilderness. And finally God had used Moses to call the new generation together and to give them the Law a second time. Moses had been the only leader this generation had ever known. At the end of his life, at a point where the Israelites may feel lost without their earthly leader, Moses points to the unchanging One who is the true leader of Israel. Moses says, 3 The Lord your God Himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, as the Lord has spoken. So Moses reminds the people that their God is still with them and He will still go before them. He will destroy the nations. They do not need to be afraid. Yet understanding the people’s need for an earthly point of authority, the Lord through Moses points to Joshua as the one who will lead the Israelites in this conquest. Yet the focus does not stay on Joshua. In fact the focus quickly shifts back to the Lord. 4 And the Lord will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when He (the Lord) destroyed them. So the focus is back on what the Lord had done. Moses takes no credit for the victories or his leadership, rather he consistently says the Lord has done these things and uses that to give them the confidence that...5 And the Lord will give them (their enemies) over to you, So the people can be confident that just as God has given the victory over kings mightier than they, He will give them the victory over all the other enemies they will encounter. The people were not responsible to gain the victory, the people were responsible to obey. and you shall do to them according to the whole commandment that I have commanded you. In all of this, Moses gives barely a phrase to Joshua as the next leader. The true leader is the Lord their God and He is the One in charge of the outcomes of all the battles they will face. However, that does not mean the Israelites are to sit idly upon their hands and wait. No, they were to be faithful in their obedience. Moses knowing that the human response to the challenges they would face is that of fear, he charges the people 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, Why? for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Moses seems to tip his hat to the fact that yes, conquering the Promised Land would be difficult and perhaps impossible for a second generation of wilderness wandering slaves, but if the Lord their God is with them, the do not need to fear. And then Moses adds this little phrase. The Lord will not leave them alone nor will the Lord their God forsake them. So verses 1-6 is this beautiful address to the people of God as a whole. Though earthly leadership may change, the One in Heaven is still on His throne. Moses then, in front of everyone, turns to Joshua. 7 Then Moses summoned 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 that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. 8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” If this sounds a little repetitive, that is because it is. You see, Moses gives Joshua nearly the exact same charge that Moses had just given to the entire congregation. However, Moses makes it clear that Joshua is to be the earthly point person leading the people in the way of the Lord. He is to be the earthly example of what God had commanded the people to do. And what all the people were to do, from the one in the highest earthly position (Joshua) to the common everyday person is to be strong and courageous in their obedience, for the Lord is with them. Next, Moses passes on the Law of the Lord. He gives it to the religious leaders as well as to the civil leaders. 9 Then Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord (Religious Leaders), and to all the elders of Israel (Civil Leaders). From here Moses gives a charge to those who would lead the people of God. 10 And Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at the Feast of Booths, 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place that He will choose, Here Moses gives a charge based upon a Promise that Moses would never see. When the Israelites have a permanent place of worship, when they finally settle in the Land of Promise, Moses tells them to carry on a tradition every seven years, he says you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, the Law of the Lord is for everyone so assemble them all so that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, 13 and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, this Law is for all the people and it was to be passed down from generation to generation, and this was to continue as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” In other words, this tradition was to continue for as long as they were following the Lord.

Text Applied

Earthly Leadership Changes: Whether we like it or not, all people in all positions of leadership will change. Hebrews 9:27 “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,” This is true for good leaders as well as evil leaders. In our text, one of (if not the) greatest leader in the history of Israel was stepping down. His time had come. His time of leading the children of Israel had reached its end. Yet Moses consistently points to the One who has already been leading them all the His people through Joshua. Dear one, all earthly leaders will pass away. Both the good and the evil. In time, I will pass away. I will eventually get to the point that I will no longer be able to fulfill my role as a Pastor. When that day comes, someone else will have to fill this position. But what we need to remember is that while earthly positions of leadership may change, the God of the universe, the one who loves me. Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Dear one, there is an upcoming election. Exercise your God-given right to vote based upon your Christian beliefs. Do your due diligence, but then trust that regardless of who sits in the Oval Office, the King is still on the throne and His Kingdom, the Kingdom you are a part of, is still moving forward regardless of our current political climate. Earthly Leadership changes, But the One who made the Heavens and the Earth is still reigning just as He always has.

God’s People are to be about God’s Business: The people were commanded to serve the Lord regardless of their leader. Each person was being commanded by God to be strong and courageous. They were each one being commanded to walk by Faith and in obedience to the Lord their God. Each individual was being commanded to go forward in Faith and conquer the Promised Land. Each individual was commanded to go into the battle and fight. They were to put their faith into action. They were not to sit back, twiddle their thumbs and wait for God to set everything up. Dear one, it does not matter who your civil authority is, it does not matter who your pastor is, you will have to give an account for your life. Romans 14:12 “So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” Each one of us must be obedient to the Lord regardless of the outcome. When you stand before the Lord, you will not get to say, well my leader did good or did bad and that is why I didn’t obey. No! You are to be strong and courageous as you fight the good fight of faith. So many of us are willing to point out the faults we see or say that is someone else’s responsibility. Some of us think it is only the Pastor or specially skilled Christians who can share their faith. No! There is an old hymn called “Am I a Soldier of the Cross?” Dear Christian, I believe fits well with this text: Am I a soldier of the cross, A follow’r of the Lamb? And shall I fear to own His cause, Or blush to speak His name? Must I be carried to the skies On flow’ry beds of ease, While others fought to win the prize, And sailed through bloody seas? Are there no foes for me to face? Must I not stem the flood? Is this vile world a friend to grace, To help me on to God? Sure I must fight if I would reign; Increase my courage, Lord; I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain, Supported by Thy Word. Thy saints in all this glorious war Shall conquer, though they die; They see the triumph from afar, By faith’s discerning eye. When that illustrious day shall rise, And all Thy armies shine In robes of vict’ry through the skies, The glory shall be Thine. Dear Christian you are to be about God’s Business. Be Strong and Courageous in it, because...

He will never leave you nor forsake you. Matthew 28:18–20 “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” The words of Jesus echo the same sentiment that Moses told the Israelites. God will never leave you. You can be strong and courageous because God is with you. We do not need to be anxious, because the Lord is with us always, to the end of the age. Dear One, if you are born again, God will never leave you nor forsake you. He is with you always until the end of the age.