Deuteronomy 34
OGCDeuteronomy 34:1-8
F. THE DEATH OF MOSES (Deuteronomy 34:1-12)
- MOSES SHOWN THE PROMISED LAND FROM
MOUNT NEBO; DIES AND IS BURIED (Deuteronomy 34:1-8)
And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And Jehovah showed him all the land of Gilead, unto Daniel, 2 and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the hinder sea, 3 and the South, and the Plain of the valley of Jericho the city of palm-trees, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed; I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. 5 So Moses the servant of Jehovah died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of Jehovah. 6 And he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day, 7 And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. 8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; so the days of weeping in the mourning for Moses were ended.
THOUGHT QUESTIONS 34:1-8
Locate on a map the following places: (1) Gilead, (2) Dan, (3) Naphtali, (4) Ephraim and Manasseh, (5) Judah, (6) the hinder sea, (7) the South, (8) the Plain of the Valley of Jericho.
How was Moses buried? Why?
What do you imagine was the predominant thought of Moses on this occasion?
AMPLIFIED TRANSLATION 34:1-8
And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is opposite Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land, Gilead to Dan. 2 And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, to the western-’ [Mediterranean] sea. 3 And the South (the Negeb) and the Plain, that is, the valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. 4 And the Lord said to him, This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, I will give it to your descendants. I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there. 5 So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord, 6 And He buried him in the valley of the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows where his tomb is to this day.
7 Moses was 120 years old when he died; his eye was not dim, nor his natural forces abated. [But cf. Deuteronomy 31:2]
8 And the Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.
COMMENT 34:1-8
MOUNT NEBO, TO THE TOP OF PISGAH (Deuteronomy 34:1)See Deuteronomy 3:27, (notes), Deuteronomy 32:49. Pisgah and Nebo are usually synonymously, though we understand Pisgah to be the peak or summit. Much of the land, of course, was only seen as mountain tops from this point. He could also see:
THE HINDER SEA (Deuteronomy 34:2)that is, the Mediterranean, doubtless seen as only a shroud of glimmering blue in the distant west.
AND JEHOVAH SHOWED HIM ALL THE LAND (Deuteronomy 34:1)One Can only begin to imagine the emotion and feeling that must have seized the very soul of Moses at this hour. He had himself many times written of this land of milk and honey. Yet, so far as we know, this was his only view of it. He was still well enough to take in all the view, for his eye was not dim (Deuteronomy 34:7).
Moses has taken this journey up the mountain knowing just when and where he should die. His death, as his life, was in obedience to God’s word and will. It is not easy for us to enter into his feelings then. God called him up to a mountain top, and rolled away all the mists that might have covered that fair land, and there it all lay outspread. He saw its smiling green meadows at his feet, between which the Jordan swiftly flowed, and to the right his eye glanced along the valleys and woods, and bright waving corn [grain] fields that stretched away into the dim distance, where rose the purple, snow-crowned hills of Lebanon. To his left he saw the mountains swelling, like mighty billows of the sea, all struck into stillness. (Gray and Adams). How much of the future did God reveal to Moses now? We can only imagine. This great nation was soon to cover the land he viewed. Across the Dead Sea and high on the distant Judean hills was the great city of David to be establishedand become Jerusalem, the site of the temple and the center of Jehovah worship for a thousand years. Someday outside its walls on a nearby hill, a mere speck on the landscape, a cross shall one day stand, and the Son of God shall die to save the world. But the mind of Moses must surely have gone back for a moment, too, His entire life had, in a definite sense, led to this very point. His mission was not completea mission that had really begun with his birth.
His life in Pharaoh’s palace, the forty years in Midian, the contest with Pharaoh, the crossing of the Red Sea, the defeat of the Amalakites, the giving of the Law, rebellion of Israel, and setting up of the tabernacle at Sinai, the ill-fated report of the spies and consequent years of wandering, the endless, continual, incessant murmurings of his own countrymenthen the victories over the Sihon, Og, and the east side tribes. And now, what would become of this vast people encamped below him? Like Daniel (Daniel 7:15; Daniel 7:28), his own inspired prophecies doubtless troubled his own mind. He had been moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21) as he spoke, but what did these words mean? What would the future of this people be? What would happen to them? Surely Moses must have passed from this life with such questions still lingering in his mind.
THOU SHALT NOT GO OVER THITHER (Deuteronomy 34:4)It was to be the job of Joshua, a type of the risen Savior, to lead Israel to the Promised Landnot him who represented the law. God had forbidden Moses-’ entrance into that land because His servant had failed to sanctify Him in the eyes of the children of Israel (See Numbers 20:12, Cf. Deuteronomy 1:37 [notes] Deuteronomy 3:23-29, Deuteronomy 32:50-51).
AND HE BURIED HIM IN THE VALLEY (Deuteronomy 34:6)In Deuteronomy 32:50 Moses is commanded to go up into the mount, die, and be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people. The latter phrase normally infers a burial (Genesis 35:29; Genesis 49:29; Genesis 49:33). But the translators, (whether the A.V. of 1611 or the modern versions) uniformly translate the passage and he [that is, God] buried him in the valley. The marginal reading, he was buried seems highly improbable not only from a standpoint of linguistic scholarship, but also from the additional statement of fact: the whereabouts of his burying place was not known. Surely it would have been known had Moses been buried by the Israelites! A monument or memorial of permanence would most certainly have been erected at his grave! We suspect it might have been a sore temptation as a shrine or object of worship. So God himself took care of Moses, and the temptation to defy their leader was averted.
HIS EYE WAS NOT DIM, NOR HIS NATURAL FORCE ABATED (Deuteronomy 34:7)The phrase I can no more go out and come in of Deu 31:2 should, in view of this statement, be understood in the light of Moses-’ realization that God was now about to take him. He was not yet spent, physically, but his time was up, for his service as leader of Israel through the wilderness and to the promised land was completed. But how often we have seen men taken in death before their time. Someone has said Death cannot come to him untimely who is fit to die, and so it was with Moses. His work was done, he had fought the good fight, and the crown of life awaited him.
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
SUMMARY OF CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Moses goes up to Mount Nebo to the top of Pisgah, and God shows him the whole extent of the land which he promised to give to the descendants of Abraham, 1-4. There Moses died, and was so privately buried by the Lord that his sepulchre was never discovered, 5, 6. His age and strength of constitution, 7. The people weep for him thirty days, 8. Joshua being filled with the spirit of wisdom, the Israelites hearken to him, as the Lord commanded them, P. The character of Moses as a prophet, and as a worker of the most extraordinary miracles, both in the sight of the Egyptians, and the people of Israel; conclusion of the Pentateuch, 10-12.
QUESTIONS, LESSON TWENTY-FOUR (Deuteronomy 32:48 to Deuteronomy 34:12)
From what vantage point is Moses told to view the Promised Land? How much of it could he see?
What reason is given in* this lesson* for Moses not entering into Canaan? How does this correspond to previous statements about this matter (as in Numbers 20, Deuteronomy 1:37; Deuteronomy 3:23 ff.)?
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Jehovah’s presence is said to have been seen in Sinai, Seir, and Paran (Deuteronomy 33:2). Give at least one incident in each area which would show this.
Where are all his saints (Deuteronomy 33:3)? What did Jesus teach about this?
Who or what is Jeshurun? Who is his (its) king?
What was to happen to Reuben’s population? Any reason for this?
How would Judah rank as a political and military power in Israel?
What tribe had the Thummim and Urim? What purpose did it serve?
How is this tribe’s fidelity toward God described and what incident is alluded to in the description?
Joseph (Manasseh and Ephraim) are likened to what animal’s horns? What is he doing with them?
Population-wise, Manasseh was to have __________, while Ephraim was to have ____________.
What does Zebulun’s going out indicate? How is this confirmed by geography and history?
Seas and sand would be valuable to Zebulun and Issachar, How?
(Give one possible answer) On what mountain were they to call the people to sacrifice?
How did Gad provide (choose) the first part for himself?
From where would Dan (the lion’s whelp) leap forth? How is this to be understood?
How would Naphtali possess the west and the south?
Asher would dip his foot in oil, and have doorbolts of iron and brass. Explain the implications of this prophecy,
Upon what other nation(s) would an obedient Israel be dependent?
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
In view of the fact that no one can see God, who is invisible, how do you explain the declaration that Moses spoke with God face to face? What does this phrase mean?
Deuteronomy 34:9-12
- JOSHUA ASSUMES LEADERSHIP; A FINAL TRIBUTE TO MOSES (Deuteronomy 34:9-12)
9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as Jehovah commanded Moses. 10 And there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom Jehovah knew face to face, 11 in all the signs and the wonders, which Jehovah sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, 12 and in all the great terror, which Moses wrought in the sight of all Israel.
THOUGHT QUESTIONS 34:9-12
How could we compare and contrast Moses and Joshua?
We can say that: God came into closer fellowship with Moses than with any man since the fall of Adamin what sense was this true?
What is meant by the expression: whom Jehovah knew face to face?
AMPLIFIED TRANSLATION 34:9-12
9 And Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him; so the Israelites listened to him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses. 10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, 11 [None equal to him] in all the signs and wonders, which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, 12 And in all the mighty power and all the great and terrible deeds which Moses wrought in the sight of all Israel.
COMMENT 34:9-12
Joshua had again and again demonstrated the qualities of leadership in the wilderness wanderings. See Deuteronomy 31:3, notes, and Numbers 27:15-23. Now, himself no youngster and certainly no novice, he is to lead Israel across the Jordan. While Moses had served as lawgiver, prophet, judge, and exhorter, Joshua is to serve primarily as a military generalthough a very godly one.
God spoke with Moses face to face (Deuteronomy 34:10 Cf. Numbers 12:5-8). That will ever be his highest distinction. God came into closer fellowship with Moses than with any man since the fall of Adam, His fellowship with Jehovah was real, personal, intimate, genuine. Thus though he was the meekest man in all Israel, he was also the strongest, for the closer one gets to God, the greater his inner power and personal courage. Moses, like Paul, found strength in his weakness and power in his helplessness. (No one sees the form of God, who is spirit and invisible. In the form of Jesus, he is declared or manifested in human flesh. See John 1:18; compare Colossians 1:15, 1 Timothy 1:17; 1 Timothy 6:16, Hebrews 11:27, 1 John 4:12). The fact that Moses spoke with God face to face is descriptive of the closest fellowship; there was no mediator used between Moses and God; he was his own mediator.
In Deuteronomy 18:5 ff. we saw Moses described as a type of Christ, the Prophet. As we see him passing from the scene, we are reminded of a few parallels: Both were preserved miraculously as infants; both had mighty contests with the power of Satan; both controlled the seas; both fasted forty days and nights; both endured great murmurings and persecutions from their own people; both miraculously fed the multitudes, both pled in intercessory prayer for their people; and both reappeared after death. But for all this, Moses most resembles the Savior in character and life, for both men were readily responsive to the will and teachings of the Father. Deuteronomy is an unmatched and peerless document; and Moses was the pure vessel through which it flowed from God to man.