D'varim/Deuteronomy
CHAPTER 34
1. Then Moshe climbed from the desert-plains of Moav to the mountains of Nevo, to the head of the summit which faces Yericho, and YHWH let him see all the land--Gil'ad as far as Dan,
How did Y’hoshua know what Moshe saw? He was Moshe’s student. When Moshe is said to have ascended the mountain “alone”, Y’hoshua still turns out to have been there. Such an understudy seems inseparable from Moshe, so it is more than likely that he went at least part of the way with Moshe again.
2. and all Nafthali, the land of Efrayim and Menashe, the whole land of Yehudah to the sea beyond it [to the west],
3. and the Negev, and the district of the plain of Yericho, the city of palm trees, to Tsoar.
The view from Nevo into Gil'ad. It must have been much less hazy then to be able to see to the Mediterranean! But Moshe's eye was not dim. (v. 7) YHWH may have let him see some of it in a vision. 4. And YHWH told him, "This is the land which I swore to Avraham, Yitzhaq, and Yaaqov, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants'. I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over to there."
Moshe’s obedience, even agreeing to YHWH’s punishment, is amazing. But seeing the Land of promise is a big thing as well. This is his reward for putting up with Israel’s constant griping and moaning for 40 years. He saw the territory of Efrayim and M’nasheh, who for 2,700 years did not see our connection to the Land, but are now looking toward it again, not as a thorn in the side of peace or something to slow down oil production, but as the Land of our ancestors and what our covenant is about. We can go beyond what Moshe was able to do, so let us make the most of this privilege.
5. Then Moshe the servant of YHWH died there in the land of Moav, according to YHWH's word.
He died, but we are not told how. But the “word” that immediately preceded his death was, “You won’t be going there.” It is almost as if these last words of YHWH to him were what killed him. He died upon command; that is how obedient he was! With no argument, he died because YHWH told him to. As many couples who have been married for many decades end up dying around the same time, Israel in the wilderness in YHWH’s presence was Moshe’s mate, even more than his wife was, for she is hardly heard from once he begins this task. He clearly loves Israel, or he would not have put up with them when they disappointed him so many times. They are what he put all of his time and affection into. Israel is YHWH’s bride, but Moshe was standing in as His surrogate. This stage of Israel’s history is about to end, and he knows it. When that relationship is no longer possible, his job is done; it was time to die, so Moshe remained in season. He understood that his part of the job was complete. It is a very wise man who knows when it is time to get out of the way. This phase of our history is dying, so Moshe dies with it. He goes on to the Kingdom, the more mature version of the Israel he had known. Realizing that this was really a reward for him helps us deal with the sadness we feel about his death after leading us for 40 years. It is as if we are losing a father, for he invested so much of himself, from which we still benefit.
6. Then He buried him in a steep gorge in the land of Moav, toward Beyth-Pe'or, but until this day no one knows the site of his burial.
Beyth-Pe’or: “place of the cleft”. He buried him: Does the “he” refer to Y’hoshua instead of YHWH? If Y’hoshua did bury him, he knew better than to tell anyone where. Yehudah (Jude) verse 9 upholds a tradition that the archangel Mikha’el disputed with the devil about Moshe's body. Considering how the brass serpent he made became an object of idolization later, how much more would the body of Moshe be idolized? And people would keep coming back out of the Land to pay him homage.
7. So Moshe was 120 years old when he died; his eye had not grown dim, nor had his vigor departed.
Vigor: or freshness; literally, moisture. He was without the ravages of time. When he approached, his presence was still strongly felt. He was old, but not worn out or shriveled up. He died not due to frailty or sickness, but because it was time to die. He died not from being weak and worn out, but because it was time for Y’hoshua to take Israel into the Land. In Scripture, 40 years symbolizes a complete era, after which it is time for a transition. Moshe had lived through three different “lifetimes”, so now it was time for a new cycle to begin. An eye that is not dim is also a Hebrew idiom for selfless generosity (as Yahshua alluded to in Mat. 6:22). He was not thinking of himself, but of YHWH’s will. A different kind of leader is needed for the next task, but he delivered YHWH’s sheep right to the doorstep, to the border, as far as he could go. Then he rested, moving on to his reward. It took far longer than he had imagined, for such a journey should not have taken more than three months, if they were lollygagging and buying souvenirs! But he stuck with it and finished his task—a great accomplishment, considering that Y’hoshua and the rest of Israel have still not finished the next stage to this day! There has never been a time when all the enemies were removed from the Land. David came close, but not all the way. In contrast, Moshe got his job done.
8. Then the descendants of Israel bewailed Moshe on the plains of Moav for thirty days, then the days of weeping and the period of mourning for Moshe were completed.
They had truly lost a soul with whom they had exchanged energy; they had known him as leader all their lives. But there is a time to mourn, and a time to put mourning behind us. If they had just said they would sit there and die like Moshe had, Moshe would have failed. Y’hoshua brought them out of this and said, “Don’t fail Moshe! Do what he said to do!” They delayed their journey for 30 days—an honor Y’hoshua gave to his master. But there is also a season to stop mourning, and they remained in season. If they had learned anything from Moshe, it was “Keep moving!” Moshe had continued to walk when things looked hopeless and most would have given up. There are times to rest, but even the season to “stand still and see YHWH’s deliverance” only lasted a few minutes. (Ex. 14:10ff) Again, Y’hoshua told them to walk on. It was time to leave behind the other things they had invested themselves into, and not get stuck in their circumstances. There was another adventure waiting ahead. If we fear anything, it should be to stay still when YHWH has kept moving. Neither hard times nor easy times constitute a reason to stop moving when the journey is only half-done. Sometimes we cannot slow down, no matter how we feel. Even while we await the next stage of our journey, we need to walk in YHWH’s commands, and He will then walk in our midst. (Lev. 18:3ff; 26:3-13) The shepherd had been struck, but this time the sheep were not scattered, because Moshe had appointed another shepherd to succeed him.
9. But Y'hoshua the son of Nun became filled with the spirit of wisdom, because Moshe had leaned his hands on him, and the descendants of Israel listened to him, and did as YHWH had commanded Moshe.
10. And since then, there has not arisen a prophet like Moshe, whom YHWH recognized face to face,
Moshe is someone whose whole life we see in Scripture. For 40 years he probably received the best education anyone could have received in his day, but then he had the balancing experience of hard labor for his father-in-law for the next 40. Y’hoshua gives great tribute to his teacher, admitting that, though he groomed him well for his job, he does not have what he had. He sees the facts clearly, as any leader must. He does not have the same relationship with YHWH that Moshe had; he does not hear from YHWH face to face as Moshe did. Aside from the times he received direction from YHWH through the priests in regard to war decisions, he heard from YHWH through Moshe. Like the judges, he was also a prophet, speaking what YHWH had already spoken in the Torah—which is the test of any true prophet.
11. with respect to all the signs and outstanding miracles that YHWH sent him to do in the land of Egypt for Pharaoh and for all his servants and to all his land,
Apparently he had done such an impressive job of shepherding that YHWH asked him to do a job for Him as well. He knew YHWH because he obeyed—and saw the results. When YHWH says, “Do this, do this, and do this; I am YHWH”, it is not that He is saying, “Just do it because I am the boss.” He is not interested in us jumping through hoops; He tells us to do these things because by doing them we will see His heart, and get to know who He really is. He wants with us what He had with Adam—friendship. So stop hiding like Adam. But none of us can give YHWH all He wants; we need each other. Moshe is one of very few people with whom we see YHWH having a personal relationship as such, and even in his case it was still really about Israel. When we are hesitant to do what YHWH’s word clearly says, many use the fact that “He knows my heart” as an excuse, but He knew Moshe’s heart through what he did, and it is no different for us. (See 8:2.) He tests us to see if we will walk in His commands, even if there appear to be miraculous proofs that we should follow something else. (13:1-6) What we do tells Him whether we are the kind of people He wants working for Him. How much we prove to care shows Him how much care He needs to put into us. The tests also tell us where we stand with YHWH. May we merit being allowed to stand before Him face to face as well!
12. and with respect to all the hand of firm grip and with regard to all the great awe-inspiring acts which Moshe carried out in the eyes of all Israel.
The last word of the Torah is “Israel”. The first word is b’reyshith. The This book is not about the Church, personal salvation, or even the salvation of the world. It is about Israel. Creation was all for the purpose of men being in covenant with YHWH, which is what Israel is about. The Torah is not complete until Israel is functioning in its fullness. The Torah was given to Israel. A house not built on a rock cannot stand; without the foundation of the Torah, the “New Testament” has no authority. We are grateful for the prophets that point us back to the Torah, but the Torah is the heart of the matter. The last letter in the Torah is lamed; the first is beyth. Together they spell lev, the Hebrew word for “heart”. The Torah was written to reveal YHWH’s heart to us so our hearts could be changed. And there is more: Beyth means “house”, for the Torah is the blueprint of how to build YHWH’s house. Lamed is from the word lamad, which means “to learn”, and in another form, “teach” (cause others to learn). The final message Moshe leaves with us is a command to learn what YHWH’s heart is about, then show it to someone else who cares. Once the Torah becomes our heart and we do teach it to others, we will get back to the beginning and become the “House” of Israel again; then we can go back home. We are not quite ready to depart, but we are “putting our shoes on”. Let us not delay, but strengthen our grip and live it out properly as a unified people this time!
Commentary on
Parashat V'Zot haB'rakhah
Lessons from a
Life Well Lived
