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We are nearing the end of the yearly cycle of Torah readings, at which time we’ll return to Genesis. This week’s parasha, entitled Vayyelech, covers Deuteronomy 31. Israel has just reaffirmed the Covenant, and been assured, on the one hand, of great blessings if we would be obedient, but warned of dire consequences if we chose disobedience.

Our attention now turns to the transfer of leadership from Moses to Joshua. Moses reminds Israel he isn’t exactly a spring chicken anymore, saying, “I am one hundred twenty years old today; I am no longer able to come and go, and the Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross this Jordan.’”

I wonder how the people felt about this. Despite being a good and faithful leader, and though his memory is revered among our people, Scripture seems to indicate that many, if not most, of the Israelis resented Moses’ leadership. Consider the rebellions, and the accusations repeatedly leveled at him. After all, this man was no demagogue. He didn’t aim at popularity. He called sin ‘sin’ and took people to task for it. Unlike today’s avaricious career politicians, Moses was a reluctant leader. You’ll recall that he didn’t want the job in the first place.

But it is a fact of our sinful human condition that we don’t like change. We prefer the familiar to the unknown – even if what’s familiar is unpleasant! But Moses points the peoples’ sights upward. He won’t be going into Eretz Canaan with us, but Adonai will, and He is our true Leader. If we could just take that to heart, it would go a long way to curbing the anxiety we feel every time we’re in a presidential election cycle. Our destiny doesn’t lie with the choice of a man, but with the God who goes before us. Moses reminded the Israelis that the Lord had cleared the way before them, and charged them to be strong and courageous.

Now, Moses’ time was coming to a close. In the next chapter Adonai will summon Moses up Mt. Nebo in the region of Moab, there to die. Here, in chapter 31, God summons Moses and Joshua to the Tent of Meeting, where Joshua will be commissioned as Israel’s next leader. Just as Israel was assured that God would be with them, Joshua was assured that God will be with him and was urged to be strong and courageous.

But the saddest part about parasha Vayyelech isn’t the imminent death of Moses. Rather, it is the foretelling of Israel’s apostasy. Adonai tells Moses that once Israel settles in the land and becomes prosperous, they will turn away from God and break His covenant. In return, God will withdraw His presence and protection, and Israel will suffer disaster.

None of this had even happened yet; but the infinite and Eternal God knows all things. And for the good of His people Israel, and so that we would have no excuse for our unfaithfulness, and so that we might repent in the future and return to Him, Adonai commissioned Moses to write a song, and to teach it to the nation. That will be the subject of next week’s parasha, HaAzinu.

One could wish that Israel had simply remembered and obeyed the God who delivered them from slavery in Egypt. But before you and I pass judgment on Israel too quickly, let me remind you that Israel’s conduct is, in many respects, a mirror-reflection of our own. Israel was redeemed but eventually grew comfortable, conceited and corrupt.

You and I have received an even greater salvation. Through Messiah Yeshua, our sins have been completely wiped out, and we’ve been reconciled to God! Yet aren’t we just as prone to take God’s goodness for granted and become comfortable, complacent and corrupt? And we have the full record of God’s Word – so we are even more guilty.

How can you and I avoid the tragedy of apostasy? The key is to never forget where you’ve come from. And the key to never forgetting, is to immerse yourself in God’s Word. A fresh start is at hand in the yearly cycle of Torah readings; so why not make a fresh start in your own Bible reading?