Read Deuteronomy 34 – And we end with a mystery! Moses wrote the first five books of the bible, with Deuteronomy being the last of the five… but here in Chapter 34, he dies, so who wrote it? I can share what I learned with a quick internet search, the most favored among scholars is that Joshua wrote it, but it is also possible that it was in fact – Moses, by divine revelation of his own demise! Or it could have been Eleazer the priest, Ezra the scribe, or Samuel the prophet. Jewish tradition names Joshua, and in the grand scheme of things we trust that it is God-breathed no matter the author, and, as my grandma used to say, “heaven knows”. And that’s where we will get the answer, if it even matters then.
Our chapter is just 12 verses long (how appropriate that it would be 12). At 120 years of age, Moses climbed Mount Nebo and the LORD showed him the Promised Land, and then he died.
Consider the magnitude of :6 “The LORD buried him in a valley near Beth-peor in Moab, but to this day no one knows the exact place.” We humans are so prone to idol worship, even Moses’ grave could have become one, but the LORD kept it secret. Scripture adds that Moses’ eyesight was clear and he was as strong as ever when he died. :7
“Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him, doing just as the LORD had commanded Moses.” :9 Isn’t that interesting, that the spirit of wisdom was passed on by the laying on of hands?
Moses had a relationship with the LORD like no other person on earth. The LORD knew him face to face. What a remarkable life!
Beloved, well done. Many Christians shy away from this chapter, but not you! Jesus is LORD, and he is the same yesterday, today and forever. (see Hebrews 13:8). May you be blessed for digging deeper, and knowing him more fully. We covered a lot of commandments for the Israelites in our chapter; you may be wondering what now? Tomorrow we will return to the New Testament with the book of James. James is a wonderful book that teaches us how to live out our faith.
Judy in the Sky 