What is Moses doing in Deuteronomy?
Moses is rehearsing Israel's history in Deuteronomy, recounting all that had gone before as the people stood on the borders of the promised land. He reviews the miraculous exodus from Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, and God's provision, preparing the nation to go in and occupy the land God had promised.
Les points out that in Deuteronomy, Moses is kind of rehearsing everything that has gone on before. The setting is the last 13 months of time, after Israel experienced the miraculous exodus out of Egypt, threw off the taskmasters, walked through the Red Sea on dry ground, saw the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night, and witnessed the thunder, lightning, and fire on Mount Sinai. They also saw God institute a plague that killed 21,000 people and then in mercy stop it. Now they stand on the very borders of the promised land, the land of milk and honey, where God said He would drive out the Canaanites just fast enough for them to occupy the homes, wells, and vineyards already prepared. Les directs the listener back to Deuteronomy chapter 1 so this can be seen in Scripture rather than taken on his word.