Today's verse comes from the Book of Deuteronomy. Moses stands before Israel knowing he will never enter the Promised Land. Moses calls heaven and earth as witnesses and demands the people choose life.
Moses stands before the gathered tribes of Israel on the plains of Moab where he can see across the Jordan River into a land he will never step foot in. Forty years of walking in the desert have worn down a whole generation of people who once lived as slaves in Egypt. Now their aging leader faces his final moments before he dies and he calls heaven and earth as witnesses against the people. He lays out two paths for them to walk in the days ahead. Obey God and live in the land he promised to their fathers. Turn away from him and face death in a strange country. Every eye fixes on him as he presses the people to pick life while they still have breath in their lungs.
Moses does not offer a gentle suggestion here but builds the covenant that will shape Israel from this day forward. Joshua will stand before the same people years later and echo these exact words when he tells them to choose this day whom they will serve. The choice between life and death becomes the pattern for every prophet who comes after Moses and each one calls the people back to this same decision.
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