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Moses Passes the Baton to Joshua -- Deuteronomy 31:1-13
Passing the baton on to the next generation seems to always be a bittersweet event for me. On the one hand, if the leader has been a good one, there is some sadness in knowing that he/she is no longer to be in charge. On the other hand, there is usually positive excitement about the new and usually younger leader that is to fill the shoes of the one retiring one way or another. Such was the case here as Moses continues his address to the people of Israel. Here are the main facts:
Verse 2 -- He was 120 years old. The text says "today". Was this the equivalent of what the Israelites knew as a birthday? Perhaps. Second, He knew his physical limitations.
Accepting the fact that one is really aging is a difficult process for most of us. For me, it began in earnest when I realized that even if I live to be 100, I may well not be able to see great-grandchildren from my youngest grandchildren. An end is indeed coming. And then recognizing that the body of a senior person, no matter how much walking one does each day, does not always manage to accomplish everything that it did 50 years earlier. Most of us who are old enough can well identify with Moses on these two things. But thankfully, most of us do not have to deal with the third reality that Moses had to deal with. That is, God had told him he would not be entering the Promised Land. What a heartache that must have caused him since he had heard this from God. [We covered all the reasons for that in our earlier studies.] Yet Moses continued to be the leader and the man and the servant of God that he was. What a role model for all of us.
David Guzik argues that Moses' reference to his not be able to come and go perhaps was a reference to his physical limitations, but we need to note that soon after this he is ordered by God to climb Mount Nebo (chapter 32:48ff.) No, Guzik maintains the limitations were not physically caused, they were placed on him by God. Matthew Henry agrees with Guzik.
On this verse, Chuck Smith says Moses was basically saying, "I have brought you as far as I can. I can't take you any further." And then he adds these words:
"It is interesting to me that Moses who is representing the law could only bring them to the Promised Land. He could not take them in. The law cannot take you into the full blessings of God. Grace must do that. So the law could only bring them to the border of the land. Now it's up to Joshua to take them in. And so, it's typical of our lives: the law cannot bring you into that glorious rich life in the Spirit. It can only bring you to it, but by grace and faith we must enter in."
There is a time for all leaders to recognize they have come to either a stage in their physical limitations whereby they must resign and pass on the baton, or they are under 'divine orders' to do so, as Moses was. We cause much damage to the people we love or the organization we love, if we fail to act appropriately at one of those two times.
Verse 3 -- He tells them that God will go ahead of them to destroy their enemies and that Joshua would then lead them into the Promised Land as he had been chosen by God Himself. There was nothing about Moses in all that -- it was once again all about God and all about the new 'man' God had appointed.
Verses 5-6 -- He told then they had to deal with their enemies as God had instructed them to. He told them to be strong and courageous, without fear, and that the Lord would not fail them.
Verses 7-8 -- He tells Joshua, in front of all Israel, to be strong and courageous, to lead the Israelites, and to know that God would go 'before' him, and yet will be 'with' him, and not fail him. Moses can speak this with assurance because first, God promised it, and second, because he experienced it himself during his term of leadership.
Verse 9 -- This is a verse that seems to give the reader (you and I even today) an understanding of how all these things were recorded. It simply says, "Moses wrote it and gave it to the priests who carried the ark of the covenant, and to the elders of Israel." If our current versions of the Torah are any indication, we can believe this was a large work and a laborious task. Imagine how those 'writings' in whatever physical form they took, were treasured and passed on from Levite generation to Levite generation.
Verses 10-13 -- Moses leaves his last set of commands for the leaders in Israel. He told them that every seven years (when they exercise a remission of debts and celebrate the Feast of Booths), all Israel is to appear before God where He chooses, and read this whole Law for all (men, women, children, and the alien among them) to hear the Law and to learn from it and to fear the Lord their God, and to be careful to obey it. In verse 13, he places great emphasis on the importance of this for their children. Later on in the Old Testament we read about the Israelites doing just this, and standing all the time throughout the process, at the time of Ezra, the prophet.
As I concluded reflecting on this passage, I asked myself whether those reading it today should be focusing mostly on Moses, Joshua, the Israelites, or God. I will leave that up to you, but here's what I decided for myself:
As I think about Moses, even with his lapses of disobedience, I ask myself if I will be able to maintain my trust and faith in God's leadership right to my dying day?
As I think about Joshua, I ask myself, have I done, or am I doing all I can, to make sure there are men (or women) like Joshua around to take over from the different Moses' we now have in our churches and in our ministries? Have I mentored and helped to train and prepare such men or encouraged others to do so?
As I think about the Israelites, I wonder if I have done my part to see to it that the local church of Jesus Christ I attend, as well as the Christian Body as a whole, maintains the commandments that God has given us?
And last, but not least, I come back to a statement I made some time ago in these studies -- the one and only real character to focus on is God Himself. In this passage, He remains the same. His Lordship, protection, love, and power are displayed for all to see now and forever. We must not miss that as our study in Deuteronomy soon will come to an end. The God of the Israelites before they cross the Jordan river is the same God you and I worship today. He has done great things; He is doing great things; and He will do great things. Don't be fooled by what the world (like the enemies of the Israelites) might be saying to you. They too, like the enemies of the Chosen People, will be dealt with by the Almighty. Let us rejoice today and stay the course.
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