Tin children of Israel are still in the wilderness, though it may be almost within sight of the green fields of the Promised Land. In this fifth book of Moses, he addresses them as soon to enter upon their inheritance, and again and again encourages them to obedience as the alone ground of enjoying Jehovah's blessing.
In the first three chapters, Moses rehearses the way they had been brought on their wilderness journey from Horeb (chapter 1:6); he refers also to some of their victories, and speaks of God's goodness to them. In the fourth chapter, in the prospect of going in to possess the land, he admonishes them not to add to, or take from, the word which he commanded them, and encourages them to obedience because of their relationship to God. In the fifth chapter, Moses repeats the Ten Commandments. The sixth chapter gives exhortations to obedience, the seventh reminds them that their blessings are conditional, and the eighth encourages them by bringing to their remembrance the way God had led them, 'and His faithfulness.; and warns them against pride of heart, and thus forgetting the Lord their God. In chapter 9 Israel's rebellions are rehearsed, while the 10th and 11th chapters give the most solemn charges to obedience.
From chapters 12 to 29, we find a variety of instruction given, suited to an earthly people brought into relationship with God, who therefore are a holy and peculiar people; such as forbidding to eat blood, warnings against idolatry, the difference between clean and unclean living creatures, the year of release, the three principal yearly feasts—the Passover with feast of unleavened bread, the feast of weeks, and feast of tabernacles. We have also Christ prophesied of as the prophet whom the Lord God would raise up (chapter 18:15), the cities of refuge are referred to, and the punishment of certain evil doers, and they were not to forget to utterly destroy Amelek chapter 25:19). The 27th, 28th, and 29th chapters give a list of curses for those who are evil doers, 5, list of blessings for those who are obedient, and the most solemn threatenings to those who disobeyed the word of God.
Chapters 30-33 begin with promise of mercy to those who are penitent Moses foretells their apostasy after his death, and then rejoices (chapter 32) in the truth that they are still God's people, and that His purposes of love will yet be accomplished by delivering them from the power of their enemies, and establishing them in blessing in their own land, In chapter 33 Moses pronounces blessing on the various tribes of Israel, concluding by the certainty of Israel yet being a happy people saved by the Lord, and all their enemies put under their feet. The last chapter gives us the death of Moses, and we are told that God. buried him, so that "no man knoweth of his sepulcher unto this day.”
Here we see that Moses failed to bring the Israelites into the land, and could not enter into it himself because of his own sin; the people have the law still ringing in their ears, with curses or blessings, and Jordan the river of judgment rolling between them and Canaan. Joshua must bring them into the land, and on him we are told Moses laid his hands, and he was full of the spirit of wisdom (chapter 34:9).