Moses Says Farewell and Commissions Joshua

Context

Israel had reached the plains of Moab, with the Jordan River between them and the land God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants. Moses had led the people out of Egypt and had given them God’s commands, but he would not lead them across the river.

His approaching departure raised an important question: How would Israel move forward without the leader they had known for so long? The people stood on the edge of a new land and a new generation, needing leadership for the crossing and a way to keep God’s words before them after Moses was gone.

Story

Moses spoke before all Israel. He told them that he was now one hundred and twenty years old. He would not lead them across the Jordan, because the Lord had told him he would not enter the land.

Moses would not go with them, but the Lord would. He would go before Israel and defeat the nations in their path, just as he had defeated kingdoms they had already faced. Joshua would lead the people across, and Israel was to keep all the commands God had given through Moses.

Moses gave the whole nation a clear command:

“Be strong and courageous.”

They did not need to fear the peoples ahead of them, because the Lord their God would go with them. He would never fail or abandon them.

Then Moses called Joshua and addressed him in the sight of all Israel. Joshua would go with the people into the land God had sworn to give their ancestors, and he would lead them as they took possession of it. Moses repeated the same command to him: be strong and courageous. The Lord would go before Joshua, remain with him, and never forsake him.

Moses also prepared Israel to keep hearing God’s words after his death. He wrote down the law and entrusted it to the priests and Israel’s elders. Every seven years, when the nation assembled before the Lord, the law was to be read aloud. Men, women, children, and foreigners living among them were all to hear it, so that the people—and generations still to come—could learn to honor the Lord and obey him in the land.

As the time of Moses’ death drew near, the Lord told him to bring Joshua to the tent of meeting so Joshua could receive his charge. Moses and Joshua went together. There the Lord appeared in a pillar of cloud that stood over the entrance.

The Lord then warned Moses about what would happen after Israel settled in the land. The people would enjoy its abundance, yet they would turn to foreign gods, abandon the Lord, and break his covenant. His anger would burn against them. He would forsake them and hide his face, and disasters and troubles would follow. In their distress, they would ask whether these things had happened because their God was no longer among them.

So the Lord provided a witness that would remain after Moses. He instructed Moses to write a song and teach it to Israel, putting its words in their mouths. When trouble came, the song would testify to their unfaithfulness, and their descendants would not forget it. Moses wrote the song that day and taught it to the people.

Then the Lord himself gave Joshua his charge. The command came once more: Joshua was to be strong and courageous. He would bring the Israelites into the land God had promised, and God would be with him.

Later, Moses left the plains of Moab and climbed Mount Nebo to a high point overlooking Jericho. From there, the Lord showed him the promised land, stretching from the northern regions southward and westward toward the sea. This was the land God had sworn to give to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses was permitted to see it with his own eyes, though he would not cross into it.

Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in Moab according to the Lord’s word. He was buried in a valley, but no one knew where his grave was. Though he was one hundred and twenty years old, his eyesight was still clear, and his strength had not failed.

The Israelites mourned for Moses on the plains of Moab for thirty days. When the time of mourning ended, Joshua was full of the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. The people listened to Joshua and followed what the Lord had commanded through Moses.

Still, no prophet had arisen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. He was remembered for the signs and wonders God sent him to perform before Pharaoh and throughout Egypt, and for the mighty deeds he did in the sight of all Israel.

What We Learned

• God’s work does not depend on one human leader. Moses’ service ended, but God’s presence and promise remained with Israel.
• Courage was grounded in God’s faithfulness. Israel and Joshua were told to be strong because the Lord would go before them and would not abandon them.
• Faithful leadership includes preparing others to carry responsibility. Moses commissioned Joshua publicly, and God confirmed Joshua’s calling.
• God’s word was meant for the whole community, including children and foreigners, so that every generation could learn to honor and obey him.
• Prosperity can bring spiritual danger as well as blessing. Israel needed deliberate reminders so that abundance would not lead them to forget God.