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Deuteronomy 34. Remember, we 
find ourselves in the last section of the book. Obviously, it's 
the last chapter. It records the death of Moses. 
He did not write this last chapter in the book of Deuteronomy. But 
this deals with succession in terms of the covenant. We start 
off in chapter 1 with a preamble, the announcement of the God who 
is making the covenant with the people. There is a historical 
prologue, stipulations takes up the bulk of the book or the 
laws that they were to obey, and then sanctions deals with 
the blessings and the curses for those who obey or those who 
disobey the covenant, and then succession. Chapters 31 to 34 
deals with the transition from Moses to Joshua that the people 
will continue to go forward as God's covenant people. Chapter 
31 dealt with final arrangements. Chapter 32 was the song of witness 
that they would sing to remind them not to disobey the covenant. 
But if they had, in fact, that song would serve as a witness 
against them in the land that the Lord their God was giving 
them. Chapter 33 was specifically the blessing upon the tribes 
before they enter into the promised land. That was Moses' last official 
act in terms of the leader of Israel. And here chapter 34, 
as I've already said, records his death. So I'll just pick 
up reading in chapter 34 at verse 1. Then Moses went up from the 
plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is 
across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the 
land of Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, and the land of 
Ephraim and Manasseh. all the land of Judah as far 
as the Western Sea, the south and the plain of the valley of 
Jericho, the city of palm trees as far as Zoar. Then the Lord 
said to him, this is the land of which I swore to give Abraham, 
Isaac, and Jacob, saying, I will give it to your descendants. 
I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not 
cross over there. So Moses, the servant of the 
Lord, died there in the land of Moab according to the word 
of the Lord. And he buried him in a valley 
in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor. But no one knows his 
grave to this day. Moses was 120 years old when 
he died. His eyes were not dim, nor his 
natural vigor diminished. And the children of Israel wept 
for Moses in the plains of Moab 30 days. So the days of weeping 
and mourning for Moses ended. Now Joshua, the son of Nun, was 
full of the spirit of wisdom. for Moses had laid his hands 
on him. So the children of Israel heeded 
him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses. But since then, there 
has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew 
face to face in all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent 
him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his 
servants, and in all his land. and by all that mighty power 
and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight 
of all Israel. Amen. Well, we've come to the 
end of the most amazing book, which is the capstone of the 
whole Torah, the first five books of Moses. Obviously, we have 
gotten to know Moses along the way. He was indeed a godly man, 
as we see here. The end of verses 10 to 12 here, 
there is a testimony to his greatness as a man of God, as a prophet 
of God. So tonight we're just going to 
cover the three broad sections here. First, the view from Pisgah. That's why we sang 321 tonight, 
even though it isn't the Lord's Day. The view from Pisgah. Secondly, the death of Moses. 
And then thirdly, the succession of Joshua. Again, a lot of these 
themes are repetitious. We've seen them already rehearsed 
in these latter chapters in the book of Deuteronomy. Let's just 
go ahead and jump right into the view from Pisgah. The first thing we notice is 
that Moses saw the land. Back in chapter 33, or back in 
chapter 32 rather, God told him that he was to go up this mountain 
of the Abirim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, across 
from Jericho to view the land of Canaan, which I give to the 
children of Israel as a possession." And here Moses does this. Notice 
there's no gulf, there's no quiet retirement for Moses, there's 
no calm deathbed. The final thing we see this man 
of God doing is climbing a mountain at the bidding of his sovereign 
Lord. So Moses went up from the plains 
of Moab to Mount Nebo to the top of Pisgah, which was probably 
the highest peak in that particular range, which is across from Jericho. And from that particular vantage 
point, the Lord showed him all the land. And we see this panoramic 
view. He doesn't obviously probably 
see every jot and tittle of the land. I mean, His eyes were not 
dimmed, but just certainly distance itself would make it difficult. 
Gil supposes that God gave him a supernatural ability to see 
the land, which that's obviously part of God's prerogative to 
do that. But he sees the various portions 
of the land that his people will inherit. It is from the Lord 
showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali and 
the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far 
as the Western Sea, the south and the plain of the valley of 
Jericho, the city of palm trees as far as Zoar. The last time 
we noted that this may indeed be something of a legal process. when the person that would inherit 
the land would look over it. When Abraham was told to look 
north, south, east, and west, that functioned as sort of this 
economic transaction. And this may be the case here. 
Moses, on behalf of Israel, is viewing the land. He will die. He will go the way of all flesh. 
But the children of Israel, under General Joshua, will go in. and 
legally possessed the land that the Lord God Most High had given 
to them. And not only did Moses see the 
land, but he also saw the Lord's faithfulness. And I think we 
need to appreciate this reality. Verse 4, Then the Lord said to 
him, This is the land of which I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, 
and Jacob, saying, I will give it to your descendants. I have 
caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross 
over there." This is the faithfulness of God Most High. How many times 
in the book of Deuteronomy have we been reminded that this is 
the land which the Lord your God is giving you. This highlights 
his faithfulness. It highlights the reality that 
the God who cannot lie fulfills his promise. This goes all the 
way back to Genesis chapter 12 when God calls Abram out of Ur 
of the Chaldeans. And he promises to make him a 
great nation, to make a name of him. Turn back for just a 
moment to Genesis chapter 12, where we see this promise initially 
made. Genesis 12, verse 1, now the 
Lord had said to Abram, get out of your country from your family 
and from your father's house to a land that I will show you. 
I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your 
name great. and you shall be a blessing. 
I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who 
curses you, and in you all the families of the earth shall be 
blessed." So what Moses is saying when he's on top of Mount Pisgah 
here is the faithfulness of God who made this promise to Abraham. What the builders at Babel tried 
to do was to make a tower that could reach up into the heavens. 
They wanted to make a name for themselves God confounds them, 
God confuses them, God disperses the nations. Interesting the 
way that Genesis 12-1 begins. Now, the Lord had said to Abram, 
God, in His amazing grace, calls Abram to do something that is 
absolutely amazing in light of the fact that man in rebellion 
has tried to rise up against this thrice holy God. So God 
sets His affection, sets His heart, sets His promise upon 
Abram, and tells him that he is going to make a great nation 
from him. He's going to make his name great 
and he would be a blessing. Now ultimately that is tied to 
the seed of Abraham which is identified for us in Galatians 
3 as being Jesus Christ. So it is Christ that is the son 
of promise, ultimately, that is the one who brings this to 
fruition or to pass. But here is where the promise 
is initially made. Turn over to Genesis 13 at verse 
14. And the Lord said to Abram after 
Lot had separated from him, lift your eyes now and look from the 
place where you are, northward, southward, eastward, and westward. 
For all the land which you see, I give to you and your descendants 
forever. It's interesting the way that 
the Apostle Paul interprets this. In Romans chapter 4, he tells 
us that Abram was the heir of the world. So that when Abram 
here is looking north, south, east, and west, it's not simply 
the confines of Palestine or Israel that he beholds, it is 
the entirety of the world itself, because again, it's in his seed 
that all of the nations of the earth will be blessed. Verse 
16, I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so 
that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your 
descendants also could be numbered. Arise, walk in the land through 
its length and its width, for I give it to you. And then again, 
in Genesis chapter 15, after the ratification with this ceremony 
with the animals split in two, in Genesis chapter 15 beginning 
in verse 18. It says, On the same day the 
Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, To your descendants I 
have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, 
the river Euphrates, the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 
the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the 
Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. And then again 
in chapter 17 and verse 8. Chapter 17 and verse 8, Also 
I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you 
are a stranger, all the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession, 
and I will be their God. You see, this was the promise 
made. This is what Moses views from 
Pisgah. This is what Moses saw. Not only 
the land, in terms of the geography, but he saw the faithfulness of 
the God who promised to give that geography. Not only did 
Abram receive this promise, but also to Isaac, Genesis chapter 
26, verses 3 and 4. Genesis chapter 26, verses 3 
and 4. dwell in this land, and I will 
be with you and bless you. For to you and your descendants 
I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore 
to Abraham your father, and I will make your descendants multiply 
as the stars of heaven. I will give to your descendants 
all these lands, and in your seed all the nations of the earth 
shall be blessed. And then again to Jacob in Genesis 
chapter 28. Genesis chapter 28 verses 13 
and 14. These are very important promises in terms of God's covenantal 
faithfulness. Genesis 28 verse 13, And behold, 
the Lord God stood above it and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham, 
your father, and the God of Isaac, the land on which you lie I will 
give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be 
as the dust of the earth. You shall spread abroad to the 
west and the east, to the north and the south, and in you and 
in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed." 
So you see, when Moses is standing atop Pisgah and he sees that 
land, he not only sees, as I said, the geography, but he understands 
that the promise spoken by the Covenant Lord had in fact come 
to pass. Now remember, Moses' history 
will have cause to reflect upon this further when we move through 
this chapter. Moses had been through a lot. 
Moses had been through a lot of distress. He had been through 
a lot of trial. He had been through a lot of 
turmoil. He had been in Egypt. He had been the one, by God's 
grace, to lead them out of Egypt. He had seen his own people turn 
to the golden calf. He had seen his own people ultimately 
die in the wilderness. At times, it looked as if this 
was a completely losing proposition. I mean, I think it's tough at 
times when we just read the narrative. We say, oh, there's Moses standing 
on Pisgah, and he's surveying the land, and he's understanding 
the faithfulness of God. Well, there's probably a lot 
more to that. I mean, not that this any way 
remotely compares, but our 15-year anniversary that we had here 
in January sort of felt like that. I mean, again, just a small 
little emblem when you reflect upon the things that had gone 
on and the things that we've gone through, it's like, wow, 
God is faithful. And that's the message on Pisgah. God is faithful. Moses is getting 
to view right before his eyes the goodness, the kindness, the 
mercy, and the graciousness of God Almighty as he sets his eyes 
from Pisgah upon the promised land." That is the particular 
view that he has. Notice secondly, his death. Verses 5 to 8. His death is recorded 
very briefly really. So Moses, the servant of the 
Lord, died there in the land of Moab. according to the Word 
of the Lord." Everything in Moses' life was according to the Word 
of the Lord. Certainly Moses became probably 
one of the biggest fans of the Word of the Lord. Well, it was 
because of this Word of the Lord that Moses now dies. This had been foreshadowed, not 
foreshadowed, this had been announced several times In the book of 
Deuteronomy, chapters 1, chapters 3, chapters 31 and 32, Moses 
was not under any false ideas. He knew that he was going to 
die. He knew this series of addresses that he spoke to the people there 
on the plains of Moab, which is what Deuteronomy is. It's 
just Moses' addresses to the people. He knew this would be 
it for him. He knew this was his last, the 
11th hour for him. And so he does what the Lord 
God commands. on the top of this mountain and 
there he dies in the land of Moab according to the word of 
the Lord. Notice in verse 6, and he buried 
him in a valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth Peor. But no one knows his grave to 
this day. Now, isn't that interesting? The Lord buried him. The Lord 
buried him. So on the one hand, Moses doesn't 
get to enter into the promised land, but the Lord buries him. That's just a beautiful testimony 
of God's kindness and goodness to Moses. God had spoken. God gave his command there at 
Meribah. He told him to speak to the rock, 
but rather Moses struck it twice. So God says, because you did 
not hallow me in the presence of Israel, you will not enter 
into the promised land. There is severity there, the 
way that a good father is severe with his disobedient son. But 
there's mercy, there's kindness, there's love and affection continuing 
to Moses. He doesn't cut him off, he doesn't 
throw him away, he doesn't dispose of him, but rather what we find 
is that the Lord himself buries him. Kiel and Delitzsch make 
this observation. The fact itself that the Lord 
buried his servant Moses and no man knows of his sepulcher 
is in perfect keeping with the relation in which Moses stood 
to the Lord while he was alive. even if his sin at the water 
of strife rendered it necessary that he should suffer the punishment 
of death as a memorable example of the terrible severity of the 
holy God against sin, even in the case of his faithful servant. 
Yet after the justice of God had been satisfied by this punishment, 
He was to be distinguished in death before all the people and 
glorified as the servant who had been found faithful in all 
the house of God, whom the Lord had known face to face and to 
whom he had spoken mouth to mouth. So this was a very distinguishing 
feature of the death of Moses. So on the one hand, he is forbidden 
to enter into the promised land, but on the other hand, God himself 
buries this very faithful servant and ends the book of Deuteronomy 
on this high note of praise, not in a sinful way, but this 
high note of respect for this covenant servant of the Lord, 
even Moses, the man of God. So the Lord buries him. And then it's highlighted here 
that there is this anonymous grave. Notice. But no one knows 
his grave to this day. Now apparently, some of the commentators 
suggest that the Jews had this idea that the devil was arguing 
with Michael over the body of Moses. Jude 9. seems to intimate 
this very thing. Yet Michael, the archangel, in 
contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of 
Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but 
said, The Lord rebuke you. All of that is difficult at best, 
right? All that we know is that this 
grave was not known. Was it because the Jews might 
worship him, who had done such great and glorious things? Some 
of the people suggest that. I don't know. I got a John Gill 
quote, just so that we can kind of smooth over this bit here. 
He says, the death and burial of Moses were an emblem of the 
weakness and insufficiency of the law of Moses and the works 
of it. to bring any into the heavenly 
Canaan, and of the law being dead, and believers dead, to 
that through the body of Christ, and of the entire abrogation 
and abolition of it by Christ, according to the will of God, 
as a covenant of works, as to the curse and condemnation of 
it, and justification by it." So he does deal a bit with this 
whole idea of the body of Moses and the archangel Michael who? Gil says, is Jesus Christ? A lot of Protestant commentators 
take Michael as being Christ. I know the Jehovah's Witnesses 
teach that, but that doesn't necessarily mean that if you 
read John Gil, and he refers to him that way, that John Gil's 
a Jehovah's Witness. But all that to say, whatever 
happened in terms of the devil and Michael the archangel, Gil's 
observation, I think, is very fitting at this particular portion. He says, the death and burial 
of Moses, this is thinking more covenantally, spiritually, thinking 
large picture Bible. The death and burial of Moses 
were an emblem of the weakness and insufficiency of the law 
of Moses. In other words, that law cannot 
bring you into the promised land, right? It's Joshua. It's Yahweh is salvation. It's 
grace that brings you ultimately into the promised land. Joshua, 
of course, is the old covenant name. The old covenant, or Jesus 
is the new covenant, or the Greek translation of Joshua. So he says, the death and burial 
of Moses were an emblem of the weakness and insufficiency of 
the law of Moses. The lawgiver himself. The one 
who gave the statutes, the one who gave the ordinances, the 
one who stood there with the two tablets didn't even enter 
into the land of promise in terms of the temporal. application. I certainly am convinced he's 
in the spiritual realm in terms of the promise. But there is 
some emblem here. The law does not take us into 
the promised land. It is the grace of God through 
his Joshua that ultimately brings us into the promised land. And 
then notice, interestingly enough, it highlights his age and his 
vitality. Moses was 120 years old when 
he died. We can separate that into three 
sections. The first 40 years was when he 
was a youth. The second 40 years was when 
he was in Midian. The last 40 years was when he 
was in Egypt with his people, led them out, and then went through 
the wilderness to get to this very place. And it highlights 
the reality, not only of his age, but his eyes were not dim, 
nor his natural vigor diminished. Again, it's not because he was 
decrepit. It wasn't because he was an invalid 
that he didn't enter into the promised land. We need to remember, 
it was that statement in Numbers 20, whereby God forbade him to 
go into the promised land. I mean, here he is at 120. climbing 
the mountain he's going to die on. Certainly, he would have 
had the wherewithal to be able to wander over the border into 
the land of promise. So it's underscored again. I think there is at least this 
observation that we can make. The best of men are men at best. I mean, in terms of the top five 
men in the Bible, certainly Moses would be in that top five list. He was a godly man. He was a 
righteous man. In fact, the chapter ends where 
God says, I spoke with him face to face. And yet, instead of 
speaking to the rock like he was told, he whacked it twice. 
There were times when he indicted or he rebuked the people. And 
again, I'm not standing in judgment of him. He didn't do it as much 
as I fear I would have done. But there were times he would 
call them rebels and that sort of thing. I think what we need 
to appreciate as we come to the end of the book of Deuteronomy 
is that as great a man as Moses was, and as great as Joshua is, 
and as wonderful as some of the judges might be, and what the 
history of Israel will ultimately tell us is that there is someone 
else that we most desperately need. That's a recurring theme 
throughout the Old Testament. Just when we start to get really 
fond of a particular fellow, he does something very sinful 
and very ungodly. It's almost as if the Lord continually 
is weaning his people and continually telling them to look to the one 
who will ultimately come from his bosom, who will ultimately 
come from his own side, the one that will surpass Moses, the 
one that will be preeminent, the one who Moses has written 
about. So when we come to the end of 
this book, it is easy to reminisce and say, what a great guy Moses 
was. And yet Moses was a sinner. saved 
by the same grace that you and I are saved by, and the real 
hero on Pisgah's Mount is God Most High, Covenant Lord, who 
is faithful to his promise, and who has said that he will bless 
all the families of the earth in this man Abraham. So it is 
God that we need to appreciate, and not Moses. Now, I know there 
is a part of me that appreciates Moses. He's a great guy. If they had hockey cards back 
then, or profit cards certainly, Moses would have been a real 
keeper. But nevertheless, his eyes were not dimmed, nor his 
natural vigor diminished. And then verse 8 tells us, the 
children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab 30 days. So the days of weeping and mourning 
for Moses ended. This was typical. This was common. This was not unique for Moses 
alone, but we see rather that they did that when Aaron died 
also. And so they move on. And that's 
the point of this section of the book. And that brings us 
finally to consider the succession. the succession of Joshua. So it's good that they move on. 
They don't continue to stay in this particular place. And then 
in verse 9 we read, Now Joshua, the son of Nun, was full of the 
spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the 
children of Israel heeded him and did as the Lord had commanded 
Moses. So the spirit of wisdom is upon 
Joshua. This is needful in terms of rule, 
in terms of government, in terms of ability, and equipment. He needs to be a spiritual man. 
You see, the job of entering into the land and conquering 
the land and dividing the land isn't simply about military strength. Certainly Joshua had military 
ability. Joshua knew his way around the 
battlefield. But that's not all there is to 
it. He needs to have that spiritual discernment He needs to have 
that spirit of wisdom whereby, God willing, he is able to rightly 
rule over, lead the people of Israel as they go into this most 
difficult leg of their particular enterprise. I mean, up to this 
point, basically, they followed Moses. There were some skirmishes 
along the way, to be sure. But now, that is what they're 
going into the land to do. They're going into the land to 
kill people, to dispossess the land, and to take that land and 
make it their own. Certainly, this part of their 
particular journey is going to be a bloody one. It's going to 
be a difficult one. And in some respects, Joshua 
has a much more difficult situation ahead of him in terms of engaging 
the enemy head on. Again, not that Moses didn't, 
not that there weren't some skirmishes with Og and Sion and the various 
other enemies along the way, but this is specifically what 
is going to happen when we cross over into the book of Joshua. 
And so certainly he needs this spirit of wisdom. And then it 
indicates again, for Moses had laid his hands on him. This is 
all on the up and up. This was all done before Israel. 
This was all done in public view. They understand and they know 
who the new leader is. there was a certain degree of 
pomp and show about this so that the people were not left in wonder 
as to who was leading, who was calling the shot. As John Gill 
says, which was this Moses laying his hands on him, which was a 
symbol of the government being committed to him and devolving 
upon him after his death an expressive of prayer for him, that he might 
be fitted for it, of which action see numbers 27, 23. That's the 
parallel or that's when initially Joshua is identified for that 
role as successor. And then notice it indicates 
the response of the children of Israel. So the children of 
Israel heeded him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses. I wonder if we're there. especially 
what we know in the rest of the Old Testament, if we're supposed 
to pick up on the reality that that doesn't always work. In 
fact, if you look at Joshua 1.16 for just a moment, Joshua 1.16 
to 18, so they answered Joshua saying, all that you command 
us, we will do, and wherever you send us, we will go, just 
as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you. That's not 
absolutely the case. I bet they, you know, again, 
they're fervent, they're earnest, they want to follow Joshua, and 
that's a good thing. But again, what we are to see 
as we move our way through the Old Testament is that it's incomplete. We have not reached the final 
point. We have not got to the destination. After every ratification of a 
covenant, it seems like someone breaks it. I mean, all these 
things take place, again, to show us, ultimately, our need 
for the Messiah that God would send to save His people. Verse 
17, Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you. 
Only the Lord your God be with you as He was with Moses. Whoever 
rebels against your command and does not heed your words in all 
that you command him shall be put to death. Only be strong 
and of good courage. That's a blessing on behalf of 
the people. I mean, to their credit. Now, not necessarily 
when we get through the book of Joshua and Judges are they 
as obedient, but that's a great sign of support for Joshua. Joshua didn't have to wonder. 
Joshua didn't have to think, are these people really for me? 
Because of the way that God had led them through, because of 
the way that Moses had led them, because of the way that they 
did this transition and this succession, everything was done 
in such a way as to promote within the people this realization that 
Joshua is the man. We need to obey Him. We need 
to follow Him. We need to go where He takes 
us. That's a good thing in the lives of God's people in this 
particular instance. So we see the succession of Joshua, 
but the book ends with that, as I've already intimated, with 
reference to the uniqueness of Moses. Verses 10 to 12. So Joshua 
is the man. He's got the spirit of wisdom. 
Moses laid his hands on him. The children of Israel heeded 
him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses. Never forget, God buried 
Moses. God loved Moses, and here's why. Verses 10 to 12. But since then, 
there has not risen in Israel a prophet like Moses. Now since 
then, at the time of writing. Did Joshua write 34? Did Joshua 
write Joshua? Some speculate that the author 
of Samuel wrote chapter 34. So whatever point up to then 
meant, No prophet had arisen since then, but I think arguably, 
if you look at the history of Israel, as great a man as Isaiah 
was, as great as Jeremiah was, as great as Ezekiel or Hosea 
or Joel, if you ask all those brothers, who was the prophet 
of Israel? It's St. Moses. and say, we played 
with his hockey cards when we were little. I mean, we love 
Moses. Moses is the man of God, the 
prophet premier. Since then, there has not arisen 
in Israel a prophet like Moses. And then he gives the reasons 
why. Whom the Lord knew face to face. It's an amazing statement. God knew Moses face to face. Not that he doesn't know you 
and I face to face in the sense that there's an intimacy there, 
but he spoke with Moses like he hadn't with others. He had 
that intimacy, that communion with Moses. Moses was special 
to the Lord our God. So perhaps what we are meant 
to learn as we end this book, it's not that Moses was a horrible, 
terrible person for not going into the Promised Land. I mean, 
he was a sinner, and he was stopped from going in there, but God 
loved this man. And since this time, there's 
not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew 
face to face in all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent 
him to do in the land of Egypt. I mean, just imagine all that 
happened from the burning bush to the top of Pisgah. Look at 
what Moses did. Look at what he saw. Look at 
how he communed with God. Look at how he just went and 
talked to God on the mountain. I mean, this was a special choice 
servant of the Lord Most High. So in all the signs and wonders 
which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt before Pharaoh, 
Remember with the staff, remember the plagues, remember all of 
those events that Moses took part in. God the Lord says, you 
go tell Pharaoh to let my people go. Remember Moses at the very 
beginning wasn't the most willing participant in this whole process, 
was he? He's like, here am I, Lord, send 
Aaron. I can't do this. I don't know 
how to talk. I'm not good at all this stuff." 
Right? I mean, Moses was not a guy who 
was looking for position. Moses did not ordain himself 
to the leadership in Israel. Moses was most unwilling initially. It was God who said, I want you 
to go to Pharaoh and I want you to let my people go. So Moses 
does this. He stands in the presence of 
the greatest man in the world, humanly speaking, and he says, 
you need to let these Israelites go. Well, why should I listen 
to you, Moses? Because Yahweh sent me. Who is 
this Yahweh? I don't know this Yahweh. That's 
what Pharaoh says to him. And yet Moses is faithful. He 
keeps going back. They go through those various 
plagues to the point where in that tenth plague they boldly 
leave out of Egypt because the Lord God Almighty had killed 
the firstborn in Egypt. Moses saw some amazing things. Moses talked with God. Moses 
maintained intimacy with God. Moses was close with God before 
Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land. And by all 
that mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed 
in the sight of all Israel. It's a great way to end the book 
on this note of a great exhibition of God's power and God's glory 
manifested through his servant Moses. Now there's something 
interesting as well about Moses. Let's just go back a little bit, 
just as we sort of sum up some things here. Let's just go back 
and visit him on Pisgah. John Gill also notes that this 
is something that the Lord gives to all of his people. He says 
this view Moses had of the good land a little before his death 
may be an emblem of that sight believers have by faith of the 
heavenly glory and which sometimes is the clearest when near to 
death or when you're singing 321 on the Lord's day. I don't 
know about you all, but something about corporate worship is just 
amazing. I hope it's that way. I hope 
everybody comes to corporate worship and it's a time to meet 
with God. There's something very special. 
It's almost as if we're getting glimpses of that heavenly promised 
land to come. Gil taps into that. He says, 
this site they have not in the plains of Moab, in the low estate 
of nature, but in an exalted state of grace, upon and from 
off the rock of Christ, in the mountain of the church of God, 
the word and ordinances being often the means of it. It is 
a site by faith, and is of the Lord, which he gives, strengthens, 
and increases, and sometimes grants more fully a little before 
death. Now, in our generation, I don't 
think it would take much to convince you all there's a difference 
between evangelical worship as it's conducted today and as it's 
stated here by John Gill. Notice the way he describes what 
happens in the church. He says, this site they have 
not in the plains of Moab in the lowest state of nature, but 
in an exalted state of grace upon and from off the rock of 
Christ in the mountain of the church of God. the word and ordinances 
being often the means of it. You see, the old writers, the 
Puritans, the reformers, spoke of the means of grace. They understood 
that prayer and that preaching and that sacraments and that 
corporate worship as a whole was a means whereby God blessed 
his people. You see, the idea that we would 
go to church for entertainment The idea that we would go to 
church to sip coffee and to put our hands in our pockets if we 
were preachers was simply unheard of to these men. As far as these 
men were concerned, when they entered into this mountain of 
God, which is the church, it was for holy business. It was 
to see this glimpse of the promised land. It was to enjoy the presence 
of God Almighty. They can take that entertainment, 
they can take their buns and lattes and their rock bands, 
and they can go jump off a bridge. What we want is to come before 
the thrice holy God in an acceptable manner, that means defined by 
Him, with reverence and godly fear, using the simple means 
that He has ordered for His glory and for our good. And I truly 
submit that when we do that, we will find blessing. It's inevitable. God knows what's best for us. 
He understands the way the creature works. He understands that simple 
means, such as we find in new covenant worship, are calculated 
to promote spiritual benefit on the part of his people. So 
it is not to be the case that we come for entertainment, that 
we come to see the guitarist shred, or to see people engage 
in stand-up comedy, but rather we ought to say something or 
have something of what Dill writes here. Upon and from off the rock 
of Christ, in the mountain of the church of God, the word and 
ordinances being often the means of it. It is a site by faith 
and is of the Lord, which he gives, strengthens, and increases, 
and sometimes grants fully a little before death." Often thought, 
one of the best places to die would be in the midst of corporate 
worship, singing praises to God. or for me, in the act of preaching. 
I wouldn't mind keeling over. If I keel over, just praise God. Okay, yeah, wait till the end, 
yeah. Yeah, at the end, keel over. And then he breathed his 
last. That's what I, where else would you want to be? You see, 
the idea that church is all about us, or that church is all man-centered, 
or that church is, you know, some of the things I've already 
mentioned, that is just, that is so North American. That would go well in McDonald's. Living the good life together. Yeah, those verses seem to get 
neglected. I don't know what it is. But 
yeah, I really think the way forward, as one of my brothers 
says, is the way backward. The old boys seem to have it 
a lot better than we do with reference to worship, a simple 
approach to God Most High and the corporate place, and to value 
and prize those means. It's one of the things that I've 
observed that people who value the means of grace more often 
than not are those who grow in the grace and knowledge of the 
Lord. I know it seems zany, seems odd, you know, the people that 
eat a balanced diet and get exercise, you know, they seem to be doing 
okay. It's the same thing spiritually 
speaking. When you eat your Wheaties, when 
you eat your broccoli, when you take in the nourishment that 
God affords in His Word as defined by Him, nine times out of ten, 
you will grow thereby. It really, well, ten times out 
of ten, you will grow thereby. And then one other observation 
that we need to make before we say farewell to Moses is that 
when he stood on Pisgah, he saw a mount that he himself would 
stand upon again. Anybody know that one? See, Moses isn't finished here 
at the end of Deuteronomy 34. What's that? Well, Mount of Transfiguration. Meredith Klein said this, he 
nailed this, though not now able to enter the land, Moses beheld 
its northern mountain peaks on one of which he with Elijah was 
afterwards to stand speaking with the mediator of the new 
covenant concerning the exodus he must accomplish at Jerusalem 
before he might cross over into the heavenly inheritance. So 
we have this Moses, the primary prophet of Israel until the coming 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at Luke's gospel, specifically 
in Luke chapter 9, that Mount of Transfiguration, where Moses 
and Elijah come and they speak to Jesus. It's interesting because 
Luke tells us specifically what they talked about. Notice in 
verse 28 of Luke 9. Now it came to pass about eight 
days after these sayings that he took Peter, John, and James 
and went up on the mountain to pray. As he prayed, the appearance 
of his face was altered, and his robe became white and glistening. And behold, two men talked with 
him, who were Moses and Elijah. who appeared in glory and spoke 
of his decease, literally it is his exodus, which he was about 
to accomplish at Jerusalem. So Moses, the mediator of the 
old covenant, who had led the people of Israel out of, who 
had engaged in an exodus out of Egypt, is now standing with 
the mediator of the new covenant. And what do they discuss? They 
discuss his exodus, his decease that is going to take place wherein 
he as the mediator of the new covenant will lead his people 
out of bondage, will lead his people out of that place of great 
slavery and despair. So Klein is right on, was afterwards 
to stand speaking with the mediator of the new covenant concerning 
the exodus he must accomplish at Jerusalem before he might 
cross over into the heavenly inheritance. So while Moses was 
dead and God buried him, Moses was not finished in terms of 
redemptive history. He comes, he stands on the Mount 
of Transfiguration, and Jesus and Peter and James and John 
all see him. It's interesting in verse 32, 
but Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep, and when 
they were fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men who 
stood with him. Then it happened as they were 
parting from him that Peter said to Jesus, Master, it is good 
for us to be here. Let us make three tabernacles, 
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah, not knowing what 
he said. While he was saying this, a cloud 
came and overshadowed them and they were fearful as they entered 
the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud 
saying, this is my beloved son, hear him. When the voice had 
ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet and told 
no one in those days any of the things which they had seen. I 
bet if you ask Moses, would you like better standing on Pisgah 
or standing on the Mount of Transfiguration? I get to see Jesus. I got to see my Lord. I got to 
see him incarnate. So that's Moses, the man of God. That's the end of the book of 
Deuteronomy. The Lord willing, I think in three weeks time, 
we will start the book of Joshua. Next week, we'll do something 
sort of in the interim. The following week, I will not 
be here that Wednesday night. So the week after is when we 
will start Joshua, which deals with the people of Israel entering 
the land, conquering the land, and dividing the land. And then 
it ends with an admonition to retain the land or to keep it. And then, of course, the book 
of Judges shows challenges with reference to that final element. 
Let us pray. Our Father, we thank you for 
this wonderful study in the book of Deuteronomy. It is a massive, 
wonderful testimony to your kindness and to your graciousness and 
to your goodness. God, certainly you who promise 
is faithful. And certainly what you spoke 
to Abraham was brought to fruition. And we see it even more clearly 
now on this side of the cross that his seed has come and that 
in Christ all the nations of the earth are blessed. How we 
thank you that you've made us participants, how we thank you 
that by your grace you've made us members of the new covenant 
and we give you glory and praise and adoration. We just ask now 
that you would go with us and watch over us in the remainder 
of this week and we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.