The  Book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Bible. It contains a series of “farewell” messages by Moses on the plains of Moab which he addressed to the new generation as they prepared to enter the Promised land. The Book focuses upon “renewing the Covenant” that was established at Mount Sinai forty years earlier. Moses wanted to provide a word of encouragement to the people that if they would love and obey God, they would receive His blessings when they entered the Promised Land. But there was also a warning, as we shall see, if they failed to do so.

As I review the Book, there are actually two passages that are intimately connected, and I would like to focus upon both of them. The first is a portion of Moses’ “Farewell Address” to the people, and the second is a single verse that supports and follows up on his final message. Let’s look at some aspects of that message:

“For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach….But the word is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it” (Deut. 30:11-14).

Moses is telling the people that his commands are not too difficult to observe. In fact, they were very near to them, both in their “mouth” and in their “hearts.” And then, Moses sets before them two options,

“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity” (Deut. 30:15).

Okay – So Moses sets before them two choices, choices which they would have to make, choices that would reflect their love for God and their commitment to keeping His commandments. Moses continues,

“I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgements, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it” (Deut. 30:16).

So, here is the first part of God’s promise: Blessing and prosperity if they love the LORD and keep His commandments. But, the promise is two-fold, as there is more if they fail to do so. Moses continued,

 “But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You shall not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it” (Deut. 30:17-18).

And then in closing, Moses wanted to be sure that they heard and understood his prophetic words, so he called upon heaven and earth to be his witness saying,

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse” (Deut. 30:19).

And then Moses made his final appeal to the nation as they prepared to enter the Promised Land,

“So, choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him….” (Deut. 30:19-20).

In His “Farewell Address,” Moses is not only acting as a “Shepherd” to the people, but also as a “Prophet.” He is not only pleading with them to love and to honor God by keeping His commandments, but he is also giving them the results of both “obedience” and “disobedience.” In short, obedience would result in receiving God’s “blessings” of prosperity and life, and disobedience would result in God’s “judgment” of perishing and being thrown out of “the Land.” As you know, the history of Israel shows that they only rarely “loved the LORD” and only occasionally did they “keep His commandments.” In fact, the Scriptures tell us that they actually “rebelled” against the LORD and the Prophets sent to them, including Jesus Himself. The result was that they were thrown out of the land in both 586 BC by the Babylonians, and then again in AD 70 by the Romans. And on both occasions, tens of thousands perished as the city was overrun and the temple destroyed.

Now this brings me to the second most important verse in Deuteronomy. As we have seen, Moses was a Prophet in that he both “forthtold” God’s message to the people as well as “foretold” the future. But Moses also predicted that another “Prophet” would arise, One whom everyone should listen to,

 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, and you shall listen to him” (Deut. 18:15).

It’s interesting to note that during Jesus’ day, many asked about “the Prophet” foretold by Moses.  Some wondered if he might be John the Baptist, and they asked him,

 “Why are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” (Jn. 1:25).

And then, on the Day of Pentecost, Peter proclaimed that Jesus was “the Prophet” who was to come, and he demonstrated it by quoting Moses’ own words,

“The LORD God shall raise up for you a prophet like Me from your brethren: to Him you shall give heed in everything He says to you” (Acts3:22).

But that’s not all, because during Stephen’s trial, Stephen also quoted Moses’ words saying,

“This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘God shall raise up for a Prophet like me from among your brethren’” (Acts 7:37).

 Moses was a wonderful Prophet who proclaimed God’s Word and foretold the future for the nation. Jesus is the fulfillment of Moses’ prophecy, and we should, as Moses said, “listen to Him.” During His ministry, Jesus provided many prophecies regarding the nation, including the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple in AD 70. But He also provided two important prophecies for individuals like you and me to “take to heart.” Here are the two I’m thinking of:

“Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Lk. 13:3, 5)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16).

In both of these “prophecies,” Jesus provided a warning about “perishing” if we refuse to repent and believe in His provision for our sins. On the other hand, both repentance and faith in Christ would lead to eternal life. Let’s heed the words of “The Prophet” of whom Moses spoke. His name is Jesus, and He came to save us from our sins and give us eternal life. It’s a tough assignment for any one of us to repent of our sins and believe in Jesus’ provision for them, but both are absolutely necessary if we are going to receive His gift of eternal life. If you haven’t already done so, I pray that you will receive His gift today.