Chapter 32—Death of Moses
Moses was soon to die, and he was commanded of God, before his
death, to gather the children of Israel together, 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.
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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 also recorded
his being overcome in consequence of their murmurings.
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.
He related to the people his great sorrow because of his fault at
Meribah. “And I besought the Lord at that time, saying, O Lord God,
thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand;
for what God is there in Heaven or in earth, that can do according to
thy works, and according to thy might? I pray thee, let me go over, and
see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and
Lebanon. But the Lord was wroth with me for your sakes, and would
not hear me. And the Lord said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak
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