Deuteronomy 34 is the section of the Pentateuch (first 5 books of the Bible written by Moses) that Moses did not write because Moses could not have written the section about his own death. This section is attributed to Joshua. Moses died at the age of 120 years old.
Read Deuteronomy 34
It took Israel two years to go from Egypt to Kadesh. It took Israel 38 years to travel from Kadesh to the promise land. Anyone who was over 20 would not live to see the promise land. Only those under 58 years would enter the promise land. Some were teenagers when the saw the plagues of Egypt and the Exodus. Most only talked about it. But you all have the privilege of knowing Moses.
We will remember his life and pay our respects. This is a memorial service and not a funeral. Only God attends Moses’ funeral. God himself buried Moses.
The life of Moses 120 years can be divided into 3 parts
1. Birth to 40 years in Egypt
2. Age 40 to 80 Shepherd of Midian
3. Age 80-120 Shepherd of God’s people in the wilderness
Moses name means drawn out of water. He was not ordinary child (Hebrews 11). Moses was born in perilous times and except for God’s hand of providence on the life of this child he would have died as an infant.
Pharaoh did not remember Joseph. He called for all the male babies to be killed. They were thrown in the water and drowned. But Moses was born to parents of faith. They were decedents of Levi the priestly line.
A basket was prepared and covered in tar. This basket was placed in the water where Pharaoh’s daughter bathed. When Pharaoh’s daughter found Moses in the basket his sister Mariam convinced her to let an Israelite woman nurse the baby. Moses was cared for and nurtured by his own mother. Moses was a Hebrew and he never forgot who he was.
The finest education that the Egyptian palace could render would not seduce him to forsake his heritage as a Jew. “Moses refused to be known as Son of Pharaoh’s daughter. (Hebrews 11)
The slave labor put on the Israelites was harsh and cruel but it unified them and prepared them as God’s people. Moses hated this slavery. He sensed in these days of youth the purpose God had for him to deliver his people.
The pleasure of the palace would not be enough to hold Moses back from his purpose. His life is a challenge to the materialistic generations that seek their own benefit even after the messiah has come. The challenge is to suffer disgrace for the sake of Christ. Suffering for Christ is of greater value than the treasures of Egypt.
When Moses saw an Egyptian mistreat a Hebrew he killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand. Word spread to Pharaoh of what happened and Moses fled for his life, but as the great man he was he was not fearing the kings anger. .
Moses left Egypt and the palace with all of its riches. He risked everything for his fellow Hebrews and went to live in Midian. Moses married Zipporah and started his family. His thoughts to be the deliverer of Israel were gone. Moses was out of the limelight. Now Moses is living as a nomad shepherd and most likely expecting to live out the rest of his days quietly in Midian. His palace education must have been of little use out in the fields taking care of the herds.
He was now 80years old with 40 years of experience in Midian behind him. It seemed like stability and the secluded life of a shepherd would have been his plan for the rest of his life. . By this time this was the only plan that appealed to Moses. That is until the critical day of crises.
This was the day that changed his life dramatically. Moses world was turned upside down. Moses was tending the flocks like he had been doing for 40 years. He was on the far side of the desert. Then Moses saw the bush, the burning bush. This bush was on fire but did not burn up.
God called Moses to go back to Egypt and have a faceoff with Pharaoh. Moses was called to speak for God and tell Pharaoh to let his people go. Moses resisted. He now felt unworthy of the task.
He was reluctant but obeyed God. Moses returned to Egypt. There was rejoicing among the Israelites at Moses return. It was not going to be easy for Moses. Pharaoh was a hard hearted king. God was doing miracles to indicate He was in charge of this deliverance.
Aaron's staff becomes a snake and then a series of miracles-
1. Plague of blood
2. Plague of frogs
3. Plague of gnats
4. Plague of flies
5. Plague on livestock
6. Plague of boils
7. Plague of hail
8. Plague of locusts
9. Plague of darkness
10. Plague of death on the firstborn we know as the Passover.
This final plague led to the Exodus. Pharaoh changed his mind and the Egyptians pursued Israelites. Exodus 14:21 tells of Moses holding the staff stretched out his hand over the sea and the waters divided and the Israelites went across on dry ground with a wall of water on their right and left.
The Egyptians pursued the Israelites. First the wheels came off the chariots. The Lord told Moses, “Stretch out your hand again.” The water came back together and not one from Pharaoh’s army survived. There was great rejoicing among the Israelites.
The rejoicing soon turned to sorrow. Moses led the people to the Sinai where they spent nearly two years. God made his covenant there but the people sinned with the Golden calf. Moses pled to God to spare them. Exodus 33 Moses intercedes for God’s presence.
At Sinai the covenant was made, the tabernacle built, the priesthood initiated and the law given. It was at God’s Word they moved to Kadesh. Now only two older men remain with Moses; Joshua and Caleb. Those were the two spies that believed God. There were 38 more years of wondering.
Now at the end of all this wondering the new generation tried Moses patience. He hit the rock with his staff when he was only to speak to the rock and was kept from entering the promise land. Joshua received the charge to lead the Israelites into the promise land. (Deuteronomy 31:2, 7-8)
Moses is great, but he taught us one is coming worthy of greater honor.
God used a tiny baby drawn from the water to deliver Egypt. One day God will send the messiah, Christ to deliver His people. Moses wrote of the coming messiah. Deuteronomy 18:15
15 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.
Jesus is the awaited messiah.
John 7:40 On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”
