As Moses prepared the children of Israel for his departure there were several things that he did to make sure that they would continue in the direction that God wanted them to go in. The first of these was that Moses told the Israelites that his time was at an end, but the Lord would continue to be with them. "And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel. And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the LORD hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan. The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them..." (Deut 31.1-3). God, however did not leave them without leadership. We find that God provided a means for this as Joshua was appointed to carry on the work that Moses had begun. "... and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said." (Deut 31.3). Through the faithfulness of Joshua the people entered the promised land and subdued the nations that were there. It was Joshua who later reminded the people that they needed to decide who they would serve (Josh 24.14). God realized that strong leadership was necessary in order for his people to remain strong and faithful to him.
As the Hebrews embarked on this mission, to claim the land that God had promised to them, the Lord realized that there would be times when they may be fearful. Moses told the people, "Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." (Deut 31.6). In this instance, bravery was a command from God through Moses.
God also realized that the people would have to know his law in order to keep it. There are instructions throughout the book of Deuteronomy to keep the Law. As Moses final address comes to a close there is another command from God that will address any neglect that should arise. "And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law..." (Deut 31.10-12).
The purpose for this was so that they would learn, and fear the LORD, as stated above. As we look at what we are doing for the Lord we realize that we are not being sent to physically conquer a territory, we are simply asked to teach those around us who are not Christians so that they may have the opportunity to obey. In order to do that we need to remember that God will be with us, and that Christ has gone on ahead to show us the way that we need to travel. There are no mysteries to the life of Christian. All things have been revealed and we need only follow them. We are not required to meet in a central location every seven years to hear the Law read, we have worship services, Bible Studies and personal study to occupy our time. In spite of the things above however, Israel became neglectful and eventually lost their kingdom. Christians on the other hand can become neglectful and lose our souls. Our choice.
TLC