Deuteronomy 34:1-12 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 34:1-12. Let’s go!
Deuteronomy 34:1-12 (NIV)
1 Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole land–from Gilead to Dan,
2 all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea,
3 the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar.
4 Then the LORD said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.”
5 And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said.
6 He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is.
7 Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.
8 The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over.
9 Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the LORD had commanded Moses.
10 Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,
11 who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt–to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land.
12 For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.
On verses 1-12: In the last chapter of Deuteronomy, God takes Moses up to the top of Mount Nebo to a peak called Pisgah. There God shows Moses the entire Promised Land (v1-4). Shortly after, Moses passes away in the country of Moab (v5).
Moses was honoured for his leadership after his death. For example:
- The traditional time for mourning a dead loved one was 7 days, but the Israelites grieved for Moses 30 days (v8).
- From that time on Moses would always be known by the honoured title “the servant of the Lord” (v5).
- Verse 6 even says that God personally buried Moses and that to this day no one knows where his grave is. When this mourning period was over, Joshua, on whom Moses had laid hands, succeeds Moses as leader over Israel (v9). This is how the book of Deuteronomy ends.
As a final lesson from Deuteronomy, let me focus on this one verse:
Deuteronomy 34:7 (NIV)
7 Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.
As people get older, they tend to lose two things — their vision and their strength. Yet verse 7 says that at 120 years old, Moses’ eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. In fact, in Scripture you never hear of Moses ever getting sick.
What was the secret to Moses’ clear vision and strength even in his old age? I believe it’s in verse 10: “no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face“. More than any person before him, Moses cultivated intimacy with God. He consistently spent time with God, drawing close to Him. Other than Jesus, Moses was the greatest champion of GAME time. The Bible describes how God would speak to Moses as a friend speaks to a friend (Exodus 33:11). And out of that friendship, in his private times with God, Moses was given the 10 commandments, the details to write the first five books of the Bible, the entire law for the Israelites, and clear directions to lead his people. Out of that intimacy also came many of the greatest miracles ever recorded in the Bible.
What can we learn from this? When you have a close relationship with God, your spiritual vision will not blur but get clearer and clearer, and your spiritual strength will not decrease.
Have you lost your vision? Has the vision God given you been blurred by busyness, distraction, or fear? God can restore that vision to you once again. The key is to draw close to God, to be still in His presence and let the Word of God speak to you. If you draw near to God consistently and with a humble heart, like Moses your eyes will not be weak nor your strength gone.
That ends our look at Deuteronomy. I hope you’ve benefited as much as I have from this amazing book. Upon finishing this book, there is a special place in my heart for Moses. Other than Jesus, Moses is to me the greatest leader in the Bible.
There are 2 things I value most about Moses:
1. His longevity as a leader. I respect how Moses persevered and served God for 80 years through so much difficulty and opposition, doing so with excellence. Because Moses stuck it out and never gave up, over time God used him to accomplish more than anyone else in the Old Testament — using him to write the first 5 books of the Bible, using him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt to the edge of the Promised Land, and using him to establish Israel as a nation with laws that would point all of us to Jesus, the Messiah.
2. His humility as a leader. Moses didn’t have a great start to his ministry, but he was teachable. In fact you won’t find anyone in the Bible who grew and improved more as a leader than Moses. Surely there were leaders more talented than Moses. Moses didn’t sing like David, fight like Samson, or run like Elijah. But no one worked harder or grew more as a leader than Moses did.
It’s no wonder Deuteronomy closes by saying “no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses” (v10) and “no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel” (v12). Not only was he finally honoured by men on earth, but even more by God in heaven. For example, when Jesus appeared transfigured before his disciples, it was Moses who stood by his side (Matthew 17:3).
Father, I pray that we would take all the great lessons we can learn from Moses’ life — his perseverance, his longevity, his hard work, his humility, his standard of excellence — and serve You the same way with what You have given us. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
