Basic HTML Version
The Death of Moses
This chapter is based on Deuteronomy 31 to 34.
In all God’s dealings with His people, mingled with His love and
mercy is the strongest evidence of His strict and unbiased fairness.
The great Ruler of nations had declared that Moses was not to lead
Israel into the beautiful land, and the earnest pleading of God’s
servant could not reverse His sentence. But Moses had still faithfully
tried to prepare the people to enter the promised inheritance. At
God’s command, Moses and Joshua went to the tabernacle, while
the pillar of cloud came and stood over the door. Here the people
were solemnly committed to the care of Joshua. The work of Moses
as leader of Israel was ended.
But he still forgot himself in his interest for his people. In the
presence of the multitude, Moses addressed these words of holy
encouragement to his successor in the name of God: “Be strong
and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Israel into
the land which I swore to them, and I will be with you.” He then
turned to the elders and officers of the people, giving them a solemn
command to faithfully obey the instructions he had given them from
God.
As the people gazed on the old man so soon to be taken from
them, they remembered with new appreciation his fatherly tender-
ness, his wise counsels, and his untiring labors. They remembered
bitterly that their own misbehavior had provoked Moses to the sin
for which he must die.
God wanted them not to make the life of their future leader as
difficult as they had made the life of Moses. God speaks to His
people by giving them blessings, and when they do not appreciate
these, He speaks to them by removing the blessings.
That very day the command came to Moses, “Go up ... Mount
Nebo ...; view the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of
Israel as a possession; and die on the mountain which you ascend,
295