Deuteronomy 31: Proceed With Christ

Deuteronomy 31 calls believers to proceed with Christ by acting with courage, reading God’s word, and heeding His prophetic warnings.

Introduction

Deuteronomy 31 is a turning point. Moses, the great lawgiver, is about to die. Israel will need to cross the Jordan and take possession of God’s promise. Moses cannot lead them in. God appoints Joshua, whose name means “Yahweh saves.” This prepares us for the true Joshua—Jesus Christ—who leads His people beyond the law into the fullness of God’s salvation. The chapter calls us to proceed, not by clinging to the law and to Moses, but by following Christ who fulfills God’s promises.

Proposition: You should proceed with Christ.

By acting like a man (31:1–8)

Moses exhorts Israel and Joshua to act with courage. The LXX repeats the imperative, “Be strong, and act like a man.” The reason for such courage is clear: Christ is God with us (Matthew 1:23). In Him, God goes with His people (Matthew 28:20), God has already defeated their enemies (Colossians 2:15), and God will not forsake them (Hebrews 13:5). In Christ, we proceed with the same confidence, because He has conquered sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:55–57), He walks with us (Luke 24:15), and He promises never to leave us (John 14:18).

By reading God’s word (31:9–13)

Moses places the law in the priests’ hands and commands that it be read aloud to the whole assembly—men, women, and children—so that all may learn to fear the Lord. God’s people proceed in strength only as they hear, learn, and live by His word. For the church, this means continuing steadfast in Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16–17), gathering to hear it read and proclaimed (1 Timothy 4:13), so that Christ’s word dwells in us richly and we grow in reverence for Him (Colossians 3:16).

By heeding prophetic warnings (31:14–30)

God reveals to Moses that Israel will forsake Him, and He provides a song as a witness against them in their rebellion. This shows that God understands our nature, warns of what will come, and testifies against sin before it takes root. Prophetic warnings are not meant to drive us to despair but to vigilance (2 Timothy 3:1–4:6). In Christ, we heed these warnings by letting His word dwell in us richly through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Colossians 3:16), guarding our hearts against sin and stirring one another up to faithfulness (Hebrews 10:24–25).