Passage Introduction
This is the end of Moses's last address to the people of Israel. God has brought them out of slavery in Egypt, through the challenges of the wilderness, given them water from a rock in the middle of the desert, fed them with manna and quail, and given them the Law and the tabernacle. Now they stand at the edge of the promised land. Moses will not lead them across the Jordan river and into their inheritance. Joshua will do that. So Moses stands of the edge of the promised land and addresses the people for the last time. He reminds them of what God has done for them and the Law that he has given them. Then he challenges them. He lays before them two choices, to choose God or to choose to go their own way. He lays out the consequences for each of these choices and challenges the people to choose God, to choose life.
We have the same choice before us every day. We can choose God, to choose life, or to reject him. As you read through this passage, imagine that you are one of the people listening to Moses. Take his words to heart. What will you choose today?
David Dalton
This is the end of Moses's last address to the people of Israel. God has brought them out of slavery in Egypt, through the challenges of the wilderness, given them water from a rock in the middle of the desert, fed them with manna and quail, and given them the Law and the tabernacle. Now they stand at the edge of the promised land. Moses will not lead them across the Jordan river and into their inheritance. Joshua will do that. So Moses stands of the edge of the promised land and addresses the people for the last time. He reminds them of what God has done for them and the Law that he has given them. Then he challenges them. He lays before them two choices, to choose God or to choose to go their own way. He lays out the consequences for each of these choices and challenges the people to choose God, to choose life.
We have the same choice before us every day. We can choose God, to choose life, or to reject him. As you read through this passage, imagine that you are one of the people listening to Moses. Take his words to heart. What will you choose today?
David Dalton
Moses Viewing the Promised Land
Church, Frederic Edwin, 1826-1900. Moses Viewing the Promised Land, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55653 [retrieved February 12, 2023]. Original source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Moses_Viewing_the_Promised_Land_Frederic_Edwin_Church.jpg.
Spiritual Practices: Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina, or Diving Reading, is a method of reading, reflecting on, and praying the Scripture that has been used by the church for centuries. It focuses on communing with God in Scripture rather than simply studying Scripture for intellectual understanding. Click here for more information on how to practice Lectio Divina. Here are some suggested verses in this passage that may lend themselves to conversation with God through the practice of Lectio Divina.
Suggested VersesChoose life! Be completely faithful to the Lord your God, love him, and do whatever he tells you. The Lord is the only one who can give life, and he will let you live a long time in the land that he promised to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Deuteronomy 19:c-20)
Lectio Divina, or Diving Reading, is a method of reading, reflecting on, and praying the Scripture that has been used by the church for centuries. It focuses on communing with God in Scripture rather than simply studying Scripture for intellectual understanding. Click here for more information on how to practice Lectio Divina. Here are some suggested verses in this passage that may lend themselves to conversation with God through the practice of Lectio Divina.
Suggested VersesChoose life! Be completely faithful to the Lord your God, love him, and do whatever he tells you. The Lord is the only one who can give life, and he will let you live a long time in the land that he promised to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Deuteronomy 19:c-20)