Having presented Joshua as his successor to the people, Moses now turned to commit the law to them. The importance of the law must not be diminished. Here in Deuteronomy 31:9-13, Moses left instruction for the law which he had written down to be perpetuated and remembered. He gave the law which he had written to the priests, the Levites, who were responsible for ferrying the ark of the covenant, and the elders of Israel. The law was to be read and preserved for generations to come.
The
importance of the law could not be overemphasized. So the priests and elders
were instructed to have it read to the people. Here in these five verses, Moses
told them when and to whom was the law to be read. Firstly, the law was to
be read on the year of release. Every seventh year was the year of release. It
was the year where debts owed would be forfeited, and servants acquired would
be discharged and set free. The was the occasion when the law was to be read.
Secondly, the law was to be read during the celebration of the Feast of
Tabernacle. This was a festival to remind the people of how God had
preserved them throughout their journey. What a befitting occasion for the law
to be reread. Thirdly, the law was to be read publicly. The Law formed an
important part of educating the people whenever they came together to worship
and commemorate all that God had done for them. Fourthly, the law was to be
read to everyone, the young, the old, citizens as well as foreigners. Everyone
must be made to know the law of God so that they would be careful to live them
out.
The
law captured in writing would be more reliable than the oral transmission of
it. In the written form, everything that God wanted the people to know and to
practice had been captured and preserved. The people could always make sure
that what they communicated or heard were no distortions. They would be forever
available as a reference and guide for them to lead a God-honoring life.
We
have come to acknowledge that the law refers to the first five books of the
Bible written by Moses, known commonly as the Pentateuch. However, the Bible
has also generally been referred to as the Word of God or the law of God. The
first five books of the Bible were what the people of Israel had then. Today we
have the complete Bible that includes the first five books of the law written
by Moses. The whole counsel of God has been written and captured in the
sixty-six books of the Bible. Hence the importance of reading, hearing, and
obeying the Bible can never be overemphasized. It is God’s own word to us
believers. We need to read it, study it, meditate on it, memorize it, digest it,
and assimilate it if we want to lead a God-pleasing, God-honoring life.
Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that it is “…profitable for teaching, for
reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so
that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
The Word of God is given to help us shape a godly life. Don’t neglect it!
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