I call heaven and earth today to be my witnesses, to the fact that I have set before you life and death in order that you may choose. In today’s First Reading from the Book of Deuteronomy, we hear Moses, the great prophet and giver of the law, in what can be called his last will and testament, giving his final instruction to the sons and daughters of Israel. The Israelites are continuing with their journey through the desert and are about to cross the Jordan in order to enter and occupy the land which had been promised them by the Lord their God. Moses, having been told by the Lord that he is not going to set foot in the Promised Land (cf. Deuteronomy 1:37; Numbers 20:6-12), sets the community on their way as he charges them not to frustrate God’s plan for them. The Promised Land which had been God’s plan for them since they left the land of Egypt was now very much within their grasp. It was now upon them to choose how they wanted to proceed. Their destiny was now in their own hands. Charting their way forward was now their own responsibility. They could choose to delay or even refuse to enter the Promised Land if they chose to do so. The only thing they needed to know was that it was a choice between life and death. If their choice was to enter the Promised Land and to have life, the only thing they needed to do was to observe the commands of the Lord, for the commands of the Lord are life. To the sons and daughters of Israel listening to Moses, this was a very practical instruction. The multiple times when the community had refused to obey the commands of God, death had mercilessly swept through their camp. 
The choice to life put before the Israelites by Moses was obedience to God's command. God was to be their sole guide as they journeyed through the wilderness towards the land flowing with milk and honey. They needed the guidance of the Lord God, not only to keep them safe from the dangers of the wild, but also to lead them to water and food. The command of God was also to help the Israelites live as a people of God once they set foot and settled in the Promised Land. 
The two choices that Moses presented to the sons and daughters of Israel are also laid before us as we undertake our journey here on earth. We have within us the power to choose life or reject it. If we have to live, we have to successfully navigate the treacherous causeway that is our world. Only by listening to, and obeying the commands of God can we successfully accomplish this. May we make the choice of life so that we may attain the eternal happiness that God has apportioned us. May our choices propel us into our Promised Land, heaven.