Deuteronomy 31:14-23

Deuteronomy 31:14-23

[14] And the LORD  said  unto Moses,  Behold, thy days  approach  that thou must die:  call  Joshua,  and present  yourselves in the tabernacle  of the congregation,  that I may give him a charge.  And Moses  and Joshua  and presented  themselves in the tabernacle  of the congregation.  [15] And the LORD  appeared  in the tabernacle  in a pillar  of a cloud:  and the pillar  of the cloud  stood  over the door  of the tabernacle.  [16] And the LORD  said  unto Moses,  Behold, thou shalt sleep  with thy fathers;  and this people  will rise up,  and go a whoring  after  the gods  of the strangers  of the land,  whither they go  to be among  them, and will forsake  me, and break  my covenant  which I have made  [17] 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 befall  them; so that they will say  in that day,  Are not these evils  come  upon us, because our God  is not among  us? [18] And I will surely  my face  in that day  for all the evils  which they shall have wrought,  in that  they are turned  unto other  gods.  [19] Now therefore write  ye this song  for you, and teach  it the children  of Israel:  put  it in their mouths,  that this song  may be a witness  for me against the children  of Israel.  [20] For when I shall have brought  them into the land  which I sware  unto their fathers,  that floweth  with milk  and honey;  and they shall have eaten  and filled  themselves, and waxen fat;  then will they turn  unto other  gods,  and serve  them, and provoke  me, and break  my covenant.  [21] And it shall come to pass, when many  evils  and troubles  are befallen  them, that this song  shall testify  against  them as a witness;  for it shall not be forgotten  out of the mouths  of their seed:  for I know  their imagination  which they go about,  even now,  before I have brought  them into the land  which I sware.  [22] Moses  therefore wrote  this song  the same day,  and taught  it the children  of Israel.  [23] And he gave Joshua  the son  of Nun  a charge,  and said,  Be strong  and of a good courage:  for thou shalt bring  the children  of Israel  into the land  which I sware  unto them: and I will be with thee.

What does Deuteronomy 31:14-23 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Whereas previously Moses had presented Joshua to the people ( Deuteronomy 31:1-8), now God officially commissioned him to his new responsibility as Moses" successor. He did this at the tabernacle, the appropriate place for this official ceremony.
The bulk of this section concerns God"s revelation to Moses concerning Israel"s future apostasy ( Deuteronomy 31:16-22). Hiding the Lord"s face ( Deuteronomy 31:17-18; Deuteronomy 32:20) is the opposite of making His face shine on His people and turning His face toward them in blessing (cf. Numbers 6:25-26). To discourage this departure God gave Moses a song that he was to write down and teach the people to remind them of God"s faithfulness. As a song the people would have repeated these words frequently and remembered them easily. The singing of it would haunt them with how much they had lost for disobeying Yahweh.