Moses has to say goodbye to the people. He informs them that God has shown him that he will not be crossing over with them into the Promised Land.
We can read this in Deuteronomy 31:1-3; Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all of Israel: “I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. The Lord said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’ The Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the Lord said.
Moses spent the first years of his life living in Egypt, then coming out of Egypt. He had been raised to become an Egyptian ruler; but God had let him know the truth of his birth and through the dire circumstances of life, had helped him to fulfil his desire to escape such a life.
Leaving the life of royalty in a palace and seeking his true identity as a Hebrew; Moses comes into the desert and meets his wife at a well. He stays in that nomadic desert lifestyle and lives the life of a shepherd for 40 years before God calls him out to lead the Children of Israel away from the bondage of slavery in Egypt.
Through many great miracles of God Moses leads the people to escape Pharaoh’s bondage and they then began to wind their way through the desert for the next 40 years; seeking God’s inheritance for the people, which was waiting for them in The Land of Canaan.
The journey had been long and hard. They had seen and heard and learned so much from God. Now they were about to cross over; but Moses was not permitted to go that far. God informed him that he would die and Joshua would take over the leadership role that would guide them into the new land.
Moses looks out on the thousands of people that he loves and he communicates this to them. They must be very sad and disturbed to hear that he will not be going any further and that they must meet their new destiny without him.
So Moses reassures them in Deuteronomy 31 verses 4 – 6; And the Lord will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, whom he destroyed along with their land. The Lord will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
God had been with them every moment of their journey. Why would He forsake them now?
He would not.
Moses encouraged them to follow Joshua the rest of the way by being strong and courageous.
The end of Moses journey was going to be the beginning of a whole new journey with Joshua and The People of Israel.
Their Great God would be with them.
He would never forsake them!
So; the people began to prepare for what was to come.