Get It in the Ark
- Moses tells the people that he won't be able to enter the Promised Land with them. We already knew this, but it's still kind of a disappointment—we were hoping God would change his mind.
- So who's going to guide the people? God will go before them, and Joshua will lead them. Moses officially passes the mantle of leadership to Joshua, and then tells both Joshua and the people to be strong and not to fear.
- Break out the tissues.
- Moses writes down the law and gives it to the priests. He instructs them to listen to the words of the law every year during the festival of booths (see 16:13-15).
- God tells Moses that the people will start worshipping idols and doing wrong. Ugh—were they seriously not listening?
- He then tells Moses to recite a song as a witness against the people.
- We now officially find out that the priests put the law in the Ark of the Covenant.
- Like God, Moses has little faith in the Israelites. After all, they have been rebellious while he lived and will probably be even worse after he dies. He calls the Israelites together to hear the song he wrote chastising them. We're betting that's one concert a lot of the Israelites would have liked to skip.