Deuteronomy 31 as a Prophetic Warning

In Deuteronomy 31, the mood becomes quite somber as Moses approaches his death.  God makes it quite clear that Moses is not to enter the promised land because of his mistake with the rock at Meribath-kadesh.  But one major theme stood out to me, both Moses and Yahweh continually refer to the cyclical disobedience of the Israelites.  I will site a few of these here:

“Take this book of the law and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God; let it remain there as a witness against you. For I know well how rebellious and stubborn you are.  If you already have been so rebellious toward the Lord while I am still alive among you, how much more after my death!” 31:26-27

“For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey… they will turn to other gods and serve them, despising me and breaking my covenant.  And when many terrible troubles come upon them, this song will confront them as a witness, because it will not be lost from the mouths of their descendants.” 31: 20-21a

“Then this people will begin to prostitute themselves to the foreign gods in their midst, the gods of the land into which they are going; they will forsake me, breaking my covenant that I have made with them.” 31: 16

Something I found quite interesting about this passage is that the Lord tells the Israelites ahead of time that they are going to continue in their disobedience, but he provides checks to help them when they stray.  He tells Moses to teach the Israelites a song that will serve as a witness to their ancestors that Yahweh is the God of Israel when they inevitably stray away.  Likewise, Moses instructs the Israelites to place the book of the law near the ark of the covenant as another witness against their iniquity when they stray away from Yahweh. 

In this single chapter, we are provided a basic outline of the things that will take place in the remainder of the Old Testament cannon.  From Joshua and Judges, to the monarchy, to the exile and time of the prophets, the pattern of Israel’s history is that of “prostituting themselves” to other gods, coming upon great woe and trouble, and then being reminded of their true allegiance toward and worship of Yahweh.  In the course of the Old Testament, we see the law, songs, and prophets/judges serve as the “witnesses” against the iniquity of the people that eventually draw Israel back to the correct worship of the Lord.  In this one chapter, we can look back and see the wandering and complaining of the Israelites in the wilderness serve as a warning and foreboding of what the Israelites will continue to do for thousands of years.  Yet we also see that God remains patient and faithful, providing mechanisms to remind the Israelites of His goodness towards them.