I call heaven and earth today as my witnesses, that I have set before you life and death in order that you may choose. Moses, the great prophet and giver of the law, in what can be called his last will and testament, gives his final instruction to the sons and daughters of Israel. The people 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 was not going to set foot in the Promised Land (cf. Deuteronomy 1:37; Numbers 20:6-12), reminds the community 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 within their grasp. It was now upon them to choose how they wanted to proceed. Charting their way forward was now their responsibility. They could choose to delay or even refuse to enter the Promised Land. The choice was theirs. They had to choose 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 times the people refused to obey the commands of God, death 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 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 reached 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 navigate the treacherous causeway that is our world. Only by listening to the command of God can we successfully accomplish this.