Day 582: Words of life - Deuteronomy 32 vs 44 - 52

44 Moses came and recited all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he and  Joshua  the son of Nun.  45-46 And when Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, he said to them, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today,  that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. 47 For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

48-50 That very day the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel for a possession.  And die on the mountain which you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died in Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, 51-52  because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel. For you shall see the land before you, but you shall not go there, into the land that I am giving to the people of Israel.” Deuteronomy 32:44-52 (English Standard Version)

Near the end of his life the apostle Peter wrote to Christians and said: “Above all, you must understand this - that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21) Can you see how this was true of the song that Moses taught the Israelites? (vs 44)

The Holy Spirit enabled him to 'recite' the words of a song that was for their benefit. This work of the Holy Spirit is true of all of the Bible, but not always in the same way. But because it was God's word, what did Moses urge them to do (vs 45-46), and why? (vs 47)

The words God spoke by the Holy Spirit need to be taken to heart. They are not just for head knowledge! And the reason is because God's word is our very life. In the case of the Israelites, obedience to God's word would lead to a long stay in the land. But the apostle Peter went even further when he said of Jesus: “Lord, you have the words of eternal life!” (John 6:68) That's why the apostle Paul encouraged a man named Timothy to hold tightly to the truths of the Bible he'd been taught. Paul said to him; “From childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God!” (2 Timothy 3:15-16) 

This message of eternal life is important. What was about to happen to Moses? (vs 48-50)

The time had arrived when his life in this world was about to end. And, like his brother Aaron, Moses was going to die. This is a reality that all of us need to think about. The Bible teaches that “each person is destined to die once - and after that comes judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27) The good news for those who've believed in the God who gave us His words in the Bible is that death is spoken of as ‘being gathered to your people'. The soul of the believer goes to where the souls of other believers have gone. Death is not the end of our existence.

But, having said that, the time we have in this world is still important. What happened in Moses' life that caused him to miss out on something he would love to have been part of? (vs 51-52)

When God told him and Aaron to speak to a rock in the desert, and He would cause water to flow out of it to the thirsty Israelites, Moses lost his temper with the people and struck the rock. Because Moses failed to treat God as holy before the people, he was banished from leading them across the Jordan river into the land of promise. If we are true believers in Jesus Christ we are promised that no-one can snatch us out of His hands. Our salvation is secure. But if we neglect to live in the way His word calls us to live, we will lose out on much blessing that could have been ours. Relationships might be spoiled, deep regrets may follow, and our life in this world may even be shortened. God's words are not empty, they are our very life. Let us always take all of them to heart.