In the Name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
I. Fearful Foreshadowing
Already it is
clear: There will be trouble.
Moses is
speaking to the Israelites one last time. They are about to enter the
Promised Land, while it is time for him to climb Mount Nebo and die.
These are his last words to the people that he has led as a called
servant of the Lord; he preaches the Word of the Lord, sings his
final song.
It has been a
long haul, this journey: No sooner were the Israelites safe from
Egypt that they built agolden calf and elected to call it their god.
The Lord mercifully spared them that day, but other apostasy would
follow. The disobedience of the people has made it a very long haul,
for they were rewarded with forty extra years in the desert because
of their doubt.
Now they are to
enter, and Moses speaks one last time.
