Moses gathered to him all the elders of the tribes and their officers that he might speak these words and that he might call heaven and earth to witness against them (v. 28). He knew that after his death the children of Israel would utterly spoil themselves and turn away from the way that he had commanded them (v. 29a). As a result, evil would come upon them in the latter days, for they would do what was evil in the sight of Jehovah so as to anger Him by their undertakings (v. 29b).
As Moses was about to depart, his heart was set on the children of Israel, but he was not at peace. Knowing that Israel would rebel against God, Moses repeated his charge again and again. He seemed to be saying to the people, "I do not have peace regarding you, and I do not have any trust in you. You rebelled many times while I was alive, and I am concerned that after I leave, you will rebel even more." Eventually, what Moses felt regarding the children of Israel became the fact, for, not too long afterward, they rebelled once again. Therefore, Moses, the elderly father, was right in his concern.
We should not think that Moses' concern was excessive. He knew that the children of Israel were rebellious in nature, that the element of rebellion was part of their very being. Because they had a rebellious nature, they would eventually rebel even more against God. No matter how much teaching the people received through Moses, the judges, and the priests, they still went after other gods and worshipped idols. They went so far as to set up idols in the temple. It seems that the children of Israel became more pagan than the pagans. Despite the fact that they received so much training, they remained the same and continued to rebel.
We need to remember that what is portrayed regarding Israel is a picture of us today. This picture shows us what we are. Since we are the same in nature as the children of Israel, their exposure is also our exposure. Many of us have been in the church life for years; we have heard messages and have read the Recovery Version. However, we should not have any trust in ourselves, because we have a rebellious nature, a rebellious being. We are a constitution of rebellion. Therefore, we surely need the Lord's mercy and grace.
Now we can understand that Moses, shortly before he was to die, was not at peace regarding the children of Israel. His final exhortation was actually a repetition of much that he had spoken before. In particular, he exhorted them not to turn away from Jehovah their God and go after other gods. He seemed to be telling them, "Do not forget what you are, and do not forget what Jehovah your God wants of you. Remember my charge to you and the word I have spoken to you. Every seven years this law should be repeated before you by the priests. In the seventh year, while you are enjoying the Feast of Tabernacles, you must listen to the words of this law."
Today we all need to realize that we are the same in nature as the children of Israel and should not have any trust in ourselves. We should not have any kind of assurance that, in ourselves, we are able to stand and remain in the church life. We may enjoy the Lord in the morning, but a few hours later we may rebel against Him. Since we do not have the guarantee that we can remain faithful to the Lord, let us constantly come back to Him and inhale Him, receiving Him as the word into our being.