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The Scriptorium

The Death of Moses

A life well-lived. Deuteronomy 34.1-12

The Final Works of Moses: Deuteronomy 33, 34 (6)

Opening Prayer: Deuteronomy 32.4
He is
the Rock, His work is perfect;
For all His ways are justice,
A God of truth and without injustice;
Righteous and upright is He.

Sing Deuteronomy 32.3, 4
(Sagina: And Can It Be)
He is the Rock, His work is sure, and justice defines His every Word:
A God of truth, upright and pure, both just and righteous is our Lord!
Perfect is He in all His ways, without injustice, deserving praise!
Refrain, v. 3
I will proclaim our Savior’s fame, and sing the greatness of His Name.

Today’s Text: Deuteronomy 34.1-12

Preparation
1. Why did Moses die when he did? Was it because his body gave up living?

2. How did the people of Israel respond to Moses’ death?

Meditation
Moses’ final work was the easiest he ever did: He died “[by the mouth] of the LORD” (v. 5). As surely as God by His Word kept Moses alive all his life, by His Word He spoke him from this life to the next. It wasn’t that Moses was worn out and His body just finally gave up (cf. v. 7). God “spoke” him from this life to the next, just as He does all His faithful people. The last thing Moses saw was the blessing he had missed. The first thing he saw after He died was the Lord, face to face, as he so long ago earnestly desired (cf. Ex. 33.18).

We should think of this as a work because Moses obeyed the Lord in going to the top of Mt. Pisgah and looking out over all the land of promise. God spoke to Moses there, saying to him that he had been faithful in carrying out the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by leading the people to the brink of the land of promise (v. 4). Thus God pronounced Moses faithful to the end, and buried him in an unknown tomb at the age of 120 years (vv. 6, 7). The people mourned for Moses for thirty days (v. 8).

It’s not clear who wrote this portion of the book of Deuteronomy. Perhaps it was the same person who wrote the book of Joshua. Deuteronomy ends with the transfer of power to Joshua, and a brief rehearsal of the mighty works God did through Moses, His prophet (vv. 9-12).

In his book, Finishing Our Course with Joy, J. I. Packer counseled against a “retirement” mindset. We are called to seek the Kingdom and righteousness of Jesus Christ all the days of our life. There is always something new to learn and someone we can lead to a fuller realization of God’s promises. Moses certainly demonstrated the truth of Packer’s counsel.

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
My eyes tear up each time I read this dramatic end to a life well-lived. “So Moses the servant of the LORD died there…by the word of the LORD. And He buried him in a valley in in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows his grave to this day” (vv. 5, 6). We have grown to love Moses, we admire his courage, his love, and his determination to obey God. And we love God. And believe every word of this narration about Moses’ death. And for this act of faith, God is pleased with us. Just like a parent who is not hard to please, God is easily pleased with us. When we trust and obey Him. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11.6). And then there is the dramatic ending to Jesus’ life and His resurrection from the dead. “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay” (Matt. 28.6). Again, amazing, but with eyes of faith, believable!  

Contrast these two amazing dramas with the story that unbelievers peddled back in the day, and some still do. Here goes: “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept’” (Matt. 28.13). Really? Which one takes more faith to believe? My guess would be the one based on facts garnered whilst one was asleep. Your guess?

No matter. We will revel in the way God is pleased with us because we believe Him. And we will continue to be saddened by the drama of the death and burial of Moses; and rejoice in the amazing and saving power of Jesus’ resurrection.

Reflection

1. How does the death of Moses point forward to the death and resurrection of Jesus?

2. What other parallels can you find between the life and work of Moses and the life and work of Jesus?

3. Jesus said that all of Scripture is about Him (Jn. 5.39). How do the book of Deuteronomy and the life of Moses confirm that?

He died therefore as the Scripture states: “by the word of God”—not “in accordance with the word”—so as to make known that this was not an announcement of his death but was more in the nature of a gracious gift to one who was translated rather than left here and whose sepulcher was known to no one.
Ambrose of Milan (333-397), Cain and Abel 1.2.8

Lord, I thank You that the end of my life is in Your hands. This means that every day of my life I can…

Closing Prayer: Deuteronomy 32.9-14
Rejoice in the faithfulness and strength of God, Who guards and keeps you all day long, and calls you to His Kingdom and glory. Devote this day to seeking His Kingdom and righteousness in all you do.

Sing Deuteronomy 32.9-14, 3
(Sagina: And Can It Be)
Think now on all the days of old, the generations passed above,
how, by our fathers and elders told, we learned of God’s redeeming love.
When He the nations set apart, He kept His people in His heart.
Refrain, v. 3
I will proclaim our Savior’s fame, and sing the greatness of His Name.

Just like an eagle guards its nest, and spreads its wings to shield its own,
takes them and shelters them in his breast, so God preserved them all alone.
No foreign god assistance brings: He carries them on His own wings.
Refrain, v. 3

I will proclaim our Savior’s fame, and sing the greatness of His Name.

He made His people lords of earth, to eat the produce of their fields,
lavished them all with creation’s worth, and blessed their harvests and their yields.
He made their flocks and herds abound, and blessed the vintage of their ground.
Refrain, v. 3
I will proclaim our Savior’s fame, and sing the greatness of His Name.

T. M. and Susie Moore

Listen to our summary of last week’s study in Deuteronomy by clicking here. You can download all the studies in the series by clicking here. And check out our current ReVision series on encouragement.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All quotations from Church Fathers from
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy: Ancient Christian Commentary Series III, Joseph T. Lienhard, S. J. ed. in collaboration with Ronnie J. Rombs, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2001). All quotations from John Calvin from John Calvin, Commentaries on The Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Order of A Harmony, Rev. Charles William Bingham M. A., tr. and ed. (Edinburgh: The Calvin Translation Society, 1863. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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