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Chapter 22—The Death of Moses
This chapter is based on
Deuteronomy 31-34
.
Moses was soon to die, and he was commanded to gather the
children of Israel together before his death and relate to them all the
journeyings of the Hebrew host since their departure from Egypt,
and all the great transgressions of their fathers, which brought His
judgments upon them, and compelled Him to say that they should not
enter the Promised Land. Their fathers had died in the wilderness,
according to the word of the Lord. Their children had grown up,
and to them the promise was to be fulfilled of possessing the land
of Canaan. Many of these were small children when the law was
given, and they had no remembrance of the grandeur of the event.
Others were born in the wilderness, and lest they should not realize
the necessity of their obeying the Ten Commandments and all the
laws and judgments given to Moses, he was instructed of God to
recapitulate the Ten Commandments, and all the circumstances
connected with the giving of the law.
Moses had written in a book all the laws and judgments given
him of God, and had faithfully recorded all His instructions given
them by the way, and all the miracles which He had performed for
them, and all the murmurings of the children of Israel. Moses had
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also recorded his being overcome in consequence of their murmur-
ings.
Final Instruction to Israel
All the people were assembled before him, and he read the events
of their past history out of the book which he had written. He read
also the promises of God to them if they would be obedient, and the
curses which would come upon them if they were disobedient.
Moses told them that, for their rebellion, the Lord had several
times purposed to destroy them, but he had interceded for them
so earnestly that God had graciously spared them. He reminded
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