Deuteronomy - Lesson 35

We come now to Moses Swan song or is it the narrator's swan song for Moses? The rest of the story. And with this it's over. Moses’ name relatively rarely appears in the First Testament after the Book of Joshua. It's there in Joshua repeatedly, because we are right after this, but after that, and usually when the texts refer to Moses, it's in the formulas, the Torah of Moses, or you call it the law of Moses, allusions to the Torah. That's where you get names. But other than that, the character of Moses doesn't appear very much in the story. 

This is so different from David. There's no doubt that in the overall story of the First Testament, God's revelation, God's plan of redemption through Israel, David is the most important character. It is about David. And when you come to the New Testament, you recognize that, too, because the Davidic Covenant is all over the place. 

The rest of the story, the death of Moses on Mt. Nebo. Again, back to our context here. We are in chapter 34. This is the eschaton, the end times, Moses’ end time. 

Let's talk quickly about his death, the death narrative. Moses has been working hard to secure Israel's future. In the ancient world when rulers were about to die, they were always concerned about legacy. But how did they work on that? They worked on that quite differently from what Moses does. They would build massive monuments to themselves and their accomplishments so that the world never forgets them. There's none of that in this. There is no effort in Moses to be sure you never forget me. He is replaced by the Torah. His passion is, Don't look at me, look at the Torah, the Word of God, the revelation of God. I've only been here. 

So, in his actions to secure Israel's well-being, it's not about a memorial to himself. It's about commissioning Joshua, transcribing his farewell addresses in the form of the Torah, teaching the people the national anthem, blessing the tribes which is so different from this. This is from 2200 B.C. Naram-Sin, King of Akkad. Look at that victory stele. Look how he paints himself. He's the big boy at the top, twice the size of all the people underneath his feet. This is the legacy. 

Or we could see Ramses II obelisk, massive thing. And then, of course, the massive sculptures at the end. 

Or Sennacherib, King, the Sennacherib's Stela. Now, he isn’t portrayed in this, but the whole thing is about, I am the great Sennacherib. The text on there in cuneiform is singing the praises of Sennacherib and cursed is anybody who crosses out anything and replaces my name with your own. That is what he has in mind. He is the… 

Moses does none of this. There is no memorial. We don't know where Mount Sinai is, as if that should be a memorial to Moses. The Catholics have put a memorial up on top of Mount Nemo. So, they think they've done something with Moses. I'm sure Moses would be quite embarrassed about - No, it's not about me. 

The account of Moses death comes in chapter 24 verses 1 - 6 is his death itself. The rest is the narrator's eulogy and it's an amazing story. So, let's look quickly at his death. 

In Deuteronomy 32, the Lord had said, “Go up to mount Arabim, Mount Nebo, which is the land of Moab.” Well, now he is obedient to the Lord to the end, having blessed the people. “Then he went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And Yahweh showed him all the land,” He asked to see the land earlier. He meant experience it but God says, I'll take you literally, I'll put my meaning into that. “And he showed them all the land, Gilead,” that's east of the Jordan, “as far as Dan.” 

Well, that's interesting - Dan. That's way up north. This is in Moses’ time, the tribal territories haven't even been allotted yet. Let alone the Danites having moved there. According to the original allotment, Dan was exactly straight west of there where they're standing, on the Mediterranean. 

So, you can tell, When does the narrator live? Who's writing this? Moses isn't writing this. He would have no idea. Of course, God could inspire him to see this but that's not a natural reading. It's natural in ancient texts, in autobiographies, for somebody - without compromising the integrity of the text - to add the final words, the rest of the story. And that's what we've got here. The narrator fills in the rest of the story. 

And it's all according to his time. In the narrator’s time, in my interpretation, the Danites are up north. They're associated with Naphtali. In fact, Dan stole land from Naphtali and then he goes to Ephraim and Manasseh, the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, and the Negev. Notice he's going in a counterclockwise direction, starting immediately north, and then working his way all around and ending up across the river here, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees. That's the other epithet for the city. 

Well, “And Yahweh said to him, ‘This is the land that I swore.’” I love this announcement. This is fabulous. This is it. And if I were Moses, Oh, we're so close. So close. But it's okay. It's okay. 

He said “’To your offspring, I will give it. I have let you see it with your eyes, but you're not crossing over.’” Sorry. Well, by now, he's already at the top of the mountain, so it's okay. 

“So, Moses, the servant of Yahweh died.” 

In chapter 32, Go up the mountain and die. And even in this, Moses is the servant of the Lord. He obeys. Have you ever heard anybody command anybody to die, or then fulfilling that command? He died there. 

“The servant of Lord.” Notice how the author of the book is talking. He loves this guy Moses. I am convinced he is a prophet in the train of Moses and inspired prophetic mind, eyes, hand is writing this. He is one of those in that train because he has caught the spirit of Moses in the way in which he preserves it, and he preserves the legacy of Moses. This is the way it should be. “Let others praise you.” Don't praise yourself. 

And the narrator had done this earlier, where, as a passing comment is, Oh, by the way, Moses was the humblest man in all the earth. I mean, who would say that other than an admirer? 

They’re in the land of Moab. Ouch. But why doesn't he say in the land of Reuben? Because by now this has been allocated to Reuben. Later on, the Moabites would come and claim this territory. The land of Moab used to be up this far, and it would again be until the Amorite, Sihon of Heshbon, had claimed it from the Moabites. And it's given now to Reuben. 

But is this the author's way of dissing Reuben? And these guys on the other side of the Jordan, You should never have asked for this territory. Not quite legitimate. 

“In the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.” I love that again. This is Moses, according to the word of the Lord. He died in the land as predicted.,

“And he buried him in the valley, in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day.” The author is talking 200 years later, 300 years later, we are not sure. But in any case, if it is at the tail end of David's reign possibility, then we're about 1080 B.C.. So, to that point, it's an unknown spot. 

Of course, the account of Moses death here is interesting. Moses went up and he died. He saw the whole thing as far as Nebo. 

The topographical markers, we've already talked about: Plains of Moab, Mount Nebo, Jebel en-Nebu. So even to this day, the Arabic name for this is en Jebel, en Nabu, the Mount Nebo in Arabic. 2700. I've never been here. We have seen it looking out the window from the bus as we're driving by on the other side, but it's rarely clear enough that you can see it clearly. But in any case, one of these days. 

“On the top of Mount Pisgah.” Is Pisgah a single peak there, or is it a mountain range? Is Mount Nebo the peak of Pisgah or Pisgah the peak? It's hard to tell. Doesn't really matter. 

“Opposite Jericho.” Here's what the Catholics have put up there. Mount Nebo Memorial of Moses. A Christian holy place. Well, really? Then why are we so anti-Mosaic? But then the Catholics aren't nearly as anti-Mosaic as Protestants are. This is Luther who made us anti-Mosaic, anti-Deuteronomy and anti-Law, or whatever else. So, yeah, they'll go with it. 

Well, again, we've seen this before. We have we have come, the Israelites have come, up here. The Moabites down here. This is the border of Sihon’s territory to the Arnon. So this much has been given to Reuben here. And then this much would have been given to Gad and half tribe. But Moses has come back up the mountain and on Mount Nebo, this where he is buried. 

Note the focus on Yahweh’s actions. The Lord shows Moses the land. The Lord speaks. The Lord buries Moses. Who's in charge? What a way to go. What a way to go. The Lord is the sexton, the grave digger. Who knows? But of course, all sorts of legendary stories have grown up around this. 

“All the land.” 
Gilead, up to Dan, Naphtali, Ephraim and Manasseh. 

And if you look here, Gilead on the map, first Gilead, Dan (question mark), then Naphtali, then Ephraim, then Judah, and the Negev, and then the kikkar, the valley on the other side in the Jericho Valley. 

We've seen the whole land. His eyes have taken it . And from Mt. Jebel Musa, you could see all that. So, this is a great vantage point from which he would see the land. 

And Zoar as far south. Whether or not that's the real Zoar associated with Sodom and Gomorrah. There is a debate now that Sodom and Gomorrah are not actually down here, which we've thought for a long time, but in this plain of Moab. If we go back to this other map, in geographic terms, this region here is called the kikkar, the plate, the platter. And Sodom and Gomorrah are located in the kikkar. 

And Abraham, from a place of Bethel over here, from Bethel, he and Lot are standing somewhere near Bethel, Ai somewhere in that region. From here they are looking across the Jordan and they see Sodom and Gomorrah. Where are Sodom and Gomorrah? We've always thought its way down at the southern end of the Dead Sea. And in all the books, it's there. But there is a group of archeologists digging here right now. And one of these guys is very convinced that that is the real Sodom and Gomorrah, because this was a lush, fertile region which you could see from the other side. And there are mounds representing a half a dozen big cities here. And so, they're looking for it. 

I actually have a jar of grain that they found there. The city was burned and this grain is dated to 1100 B.C., carbon dating. So that's not Sodom and Gomorrah yet, that's another 600 years earlier. That's a different event. But we don't know if the mound they're digging is the Sodom or the Gomorrah or what. But in any case, that's a little off track. 

But the kikkar, in my mind, it makes far more sense to have Sodom right there than way down south. How could they see that from where Abraham and Lot were standing? I have no idea. And when was that a lush place and Zoar is a picture of Eden. No, I don't know. In any case, we’re as far as Zoar; he is seeing the whole land. 

A couple of things to say about Yahweh’s last words, or the author's last words, his interpretation of what Moses sees. Revelation here. In fulfillment. No. Where are we? 

“This is the land that I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob saying, 
‘I will give it to your descendants.’ 
I'll let you see it with your eyes, 
but you won't go over there.” 

I swore to you; it's an oath confirmed. Finally. It's a promise remembered. But of course, you can't go over there “because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh in the wilderness.” 

Student: Did he really have to say that one last time? 

Dr. Block: One more dig. That's exactly how I feel when I am reading this. But the interesting thing, we haven't heard it since the first address. We haven't heard it since the first address. Nope, not until now we're at the end. 

“You broke faith.” “You didn't treat Me as holy.” The actual story is in Numbers. You can go there for further detail. 

So, let's look at the burial of Moses. “So, Moses the servant of the Lord died there, according to.” “And He buried him… Nobody knows the place.” 

What shall we do with this? All kinds of stories have risen about this. It’s the Book of Jude. I mean, what are these New Testament writers doing? Where did they get their information? Not from Deuteronomy. When the archangel Michael, ‘Who is like God,’ that's what the name means, which is what we have as the coda to the blessings, ’Who is like God.’ “When the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.’” 

Or Josephus: “Now, as soon as they'd come to the mountain called Abarim, (which is the high mountain situated over against Jericho, and one that affords to such as are upon it a prospect of the greatest part of the excellent land of Canaan) he dismissed the Senate. And as he was going to embrace Eleazar and Joshua, and was still discoursing with them, a cloud stood over him on the sudden, and he disappeared in a certain valley: although he wrote in the Holy Books that he died: which was done out of fear lest they should venture to say, that because of his extraordinary virtue, he went to God.” He was transported up into heaven. 

In Josephus’ day, people are saying he wasn't actually buried. But of course, if he was transported up into heaven, that would make sense of the mountain of transfiguration. He would match Elijah. You know, all of these links. But it is interesting here. 

The Testament of Moses, intertestamental thing. The lost ending based on, well, it was not intertestamental; this is fifth century. He quotes the Testament of Moses “In the book of the Assumption of Moses, the Archangel Michael, disputing with the devil says, ‘We have all been created from His Holy Spirit.’ As elsewhere, [Michael] says, ‘God's spirit went forth from his presence, and the Word came into being.’ Moses’ spirit ascended to heaven, and it seems that Michael buried his body.” Interesting. 

But what does the narrator say? His eulogy. 

“Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak, nor his strength gone.” He could have lived a lot longer. He was the Eveready battery. 

“The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days.” I mentioned before that if you marry a captive woman, you let her grieve thirty days. That's how long you let a hero be mourned. Do that with a woman. That's extraordinary. Until the time, the customary. 

“Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with a spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what Yahweh commanded Moses.” Joshua’s authority is derived authority because Moses laid on his hands on him. They listen to Moses as it is written in the Torah. And now we have it. 

“Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel, like Moses, whom Yahweh knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders Yahweh sent him to do in Egypt.”

I think, I may be wrong, but I think this is the only place where anybody attributes the signs and wonders to Moses. The book doesn't. All the signs and wonders, “that you might know that Yahweh is God. There is no other.” Remember? Chapter four. 

But here he says, “Who did … whom Yahweh knew face to face.” And again, it's from God's perspective. It's not, Moses knew Yahweh face to face, but God knew Moses directly, personally, one on one, “who did those miraculous signs that God sent him to do in Egypt - to Pharaoh and to all his officials. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did.” What?! Moses did the awesome deeds? Really? Maybe this is why in later times people divinized Moses. 

In the essay I'm working on, could that first address be pseudepigraph? And given the negative portrait of Moses in that first address, I have gathered all the evidence for what people in the later First Testament and in the Intertestamental period, and in New Testament times did with Moses. Philo calls him a god. The Samaritan Pentateuch calls him divine. Others, Josephus and others, call him a perfect, a man of perfect virtue. Maybe this is where they get it because here the author has so linked Moses with Yahweh that what Yahweh did, Moses did. And you have to ask about the validity of that. 

Whoever wrote this really had a high view of Moses, despite what he knew about him. And his view of Moses was such that when he preserved the negative images, he kept them. He didn't fix them. Philo and people afterwards, they would all have fixed that. We can't let Moses look this way. But this guy is honest, an honest biographer who tells it like it is. 

On the one hand, he has feet of clay. But on the other hand, he is the agent of Yahweh. So that just as prophets speak with Yahweh’s voice, Moses acted with Yahweh’s hand. This is an amazing moment. 

Well, it is an amazing story. “He was 120 years old when he died.” We talked about his age and the symmetry of his age. But here is a guy who didn't die of old age. He didn't die of cancer. He didn't die of any disease that gives us premature death. He died because his time was up. That's it. He could have had energy to live another 40 years in the Promised Land. I'm sorry, your time's up, come. But let Me bury you. We can only imagine. 

But of course, we have to ask about, “There's not been a prophet like him since then.” Not because he was perfect physically, but because he was such a remarkable prophet. He was the founder of a long movement, by my interpretation, as you understand this now. The prophet like Moses, we've not had anybody since then. 

And of course, if this guy is authoring this after Dan is up north, he's had 100 years, 200 years, 300 years. Jephthah says, he talks about when the Ammonites want to claim their land, he says, We've owned this land for 300 years already. And the story of the Danites comes after Jephthah. So, it could be two or three centuries since Moses. And there's lots of time in there. We don't know that we have a record of all the prophets from God. I have a feeling there were lots more than what we have. So there's no reason why we should Christologize this character. There is no reason. 

And so, I think the most natural explanation for this is to see that the guy who writes this and who compares Moses with a long history of prophecy, he knows we've had these people around us for a while, but none of them is like Moses. And that's his point. He's unprecedented. And as it turns out, in the history of prophecy to come, he will be it; there won't be another man like Moses in my mind until Paul. And I think Paul views himself as perhaps somewhere in there. 

Now, John the Baptist is a prophet after the order of Moses. But in the story, in the Gospels, John the Baptist is to Jesus what Samuel was to David. It's very clear in the way the narrative is structured. So, he is a prophet. after the order of Samuel, who is after the order of Moses. So, John the Baptist is clearly in this long train. 

But I have a feeling that the exclamation mark on the history of prophecy is actually Paul. And he perceived himself to be to the New Testament gospel, what Moses was to the Old. He talks with the same kind of language: Cursed is anyone who has a different message than what I proclaim. And so that is very Mosaic. And I think that that's where we go with this. 

Well, we could talk a lot more about this. The interesting thing is, you know, Joshua takes over. We have Joshua “filled with a spirit of wisdom for Moses had laid his hands on him.” Oh. How does this work? Does the Spirit work like an electric charge and move from him? Or a germ or whatever? In any case, this is a very physical transferal of authority. “And the people listened to Joshua” because they saw Moses do this. 

And of course, this is where we get in ordination ceremonies and whatever else, we do the laying on of hands when we commission missionaries so that they go out with our blessing but as representative of us. They don't go out as individuals, but they represent the community. 

And here, Joshua is not a brand-new character, or not a revolutionary character, he carries on the tradition of Moses. In fact, he brings it to the completion. Moses wanted to deliver the land into the people's hands. He wasn't let. So, Joshua gets that privilege. It is a fabulous way to end a story that has so many ups and downs. 

What a man, Moses. But he was only a man. Let's not forget. Very human. Sometimes fragile. But in the kind grace of God, He is able to take anybody. From the beginning, he resisted the call. I'm not going; send anybody but me. And he protests and all the way through it's a struggle for him to fulfill this calling. But I tell you, the honor that is granted him - the legacy. He didn't want the legacy. He didn't ask for it. He didn't buy it. Whatever. It just happened. Who am I, Lord? 

But of course, it all started - didn't it? - by him being adopted by the highest potentate on earth. His daughter adopted this man so that when he then protests, I can’t do this. I don't have the gifts. I don't, I, Who am I? 

The Lord could at every turn have said, You know who you are. Let me tell you, you're a prince of Egypt. You know the Egyptian language. You are one of the people you're supposed to. You have all the external qualities that I am looking for. That's why I'm sending you. But he doesn't do any of that. 

Moses protests and he says, I'm nobody and said, it doesn't matter; It's who I am. I have no gifts. That's not your problem; that's my problem. The people won't believe me. Fine, I can fix that. I don't. They'll ask who sent me. I'll fix that, too; I'll give you My name. 

Every one of the questions He answers. None of them have to do with Moses’ qualifications. None of them. Because it's not about Moses. The Lord doesn't in principle call anybody because they're qualified. He doesn't call according to gifts. He gives the gifts according to the calling. 

We know lots of people like that. We know lots of people like that. We also know lots of people like that. There are members in my own family. Uncanny people skill gifts and everything they turn. They walk in the room and the lights go on. They become the center of attention. Disaster. Disaster, the problems. You're really good and you come to believe it. It's not helpful. It's not helpful. God is still in the habit of choosing the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. 

When I am introduced, or when a student seeks me out with obvious gifts, I always worry. There’s where the problem lurks far more significantly than for those who have to work for everything they get. It doesn't come naturally, but in the process, you learn trust. You learn confidence. And you keep saying, I can't do this. And you hear the Lord say, That's not your problem. That's mine. I've opened the door, you've walked through. I'll hold your hand. And that is Moses' story. 

I mean, his being born in the palace or being raised in the palace of the king. I'm sure in God's mind that does have something to do. There is no more perfect candidate than you. But on the other hand, Moses doesn't recognize, he doesn't claim it. He doesn't ask for. He resists it. And God breaks him and he goes out a transformed man. Not perfect. Nobody is. And that I think therein lies hope for us. 

And his lack of concern for legacy. I mean, what a model. What a model. If only. I keep hearing the voice of Elmer Towns in my ears. I think I mentioned at the beginning, Pray every day for a soft heart. Absolutely. Keep reminding yourself. ‘All that we are or hope to be, O Lamb of God, we owe to thee.’ 

Let's pray. We thank You, Heavenly Father for Your mercy to us in Jesus Christ our Savior. We who deserve Your fury and Your wrath, we have rebelled against You, You've called mysteriously to Yourself. And then You've called us mysteriously to represent You to the world and to the church, to Your people. We pray O Lord, that Your name would be magnified and glorified in all that we do. You must increase. We always must decrease. May people see You in us. To the praise of Your glory, we ask it. Amen.