4 And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware "unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. 5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. 6 And he buried him in a valley in the land a Gen. 12. 7. b c. 3. 26, 27. e Jude 9. d Josh. 14. 10, 11. The Death of Moses. of Moab over against Beth-peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. 7 And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his deye was not dim, nor his *natural force abated.t 8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. moisture. † fled. e Num. 20. 29. 66 any friends, he will have them about him when he lies a dying. serve him day and night in his temple. He dies in the land of in peace. V. 5-8. Here is, vrites say, that the body of Moses was concealed, that necroI. The death of Moses, v. 5. Moses the servant of the Lord the mences, who inquired of the dead, might not disquiet him, as died. God told him he must not go over Jordan, and though not c. of Endor did Samuel, to bring him up; God would at first he prayed earnestly for the reversing of the sentence, abused the name and memory of his servant Moses thus yet God's answer to his prayer sufficed him, and now he spake and the dMany think this was the contest between Michael no more of that matter, ch. 3. 26. Thus our blessed Saviour devil would about the body of Moses, mentioned Jude 9. The prayed that the cup might pass from him, yet since it might not, the people, anichael would not let him. Those therefore he acquiesced with, Father, thy will be done. Moses had rea- who are for giv the place known, that it might be a snare to son to desire to live a while longer in the world. He was old, saints, side with the devil against Michael our prince. divine honour to the relics of departed it is true, but he had not yet attained to the years of the life of his fathers; his father Amram lived to be 137; his grandfather He was one hundred and twenty years old, which though far III. His age, v. 7. Ha life was prolonged, 1. To old age. Kohath 133; his great grandfather Levi 137, Ex. 6. 16-20. short of the years of the pattarchs, yet much exceeded the And why must Moses, whose life was more serviceable than years of most of his contemporares, for the ordinary age of any of theirs, die at one hundred and twenty; especially since man had been lately reduced to seven, Ps. 90. 10. The years he felt not the decays of age, but was as fit for service as ever? of the life of Moses were three forties the first forty he lived Israel could ill spare him at this time; his conduct and his converse with God would be as great a happiness to them in the cond forty he lived a poor desolate shepher in Midian; the a courtier, at ease and in honour in Phaoh's court; the seconquest of Canaan as the courage of Joshua. It bore hard third forty he lived a king in Jeshurun, in honour and power, upon Moses himself, when he had gone through all the fatigues but encumbered with a great deal of care and toil, so change of the wilderness, to be prevented from enjoying the pleasures able is the world we live in, and allayed with such mixture; of Canaan; when he had borne the burden and heat of the day, the world before us is unmixed and unchangeable. 2. To a good to resign the honour of finishing the work to another, and that old age. His eye was not dim, as Isaac's, Gen. 27. 1, and not his son, but his servant, who must enter into his labours; Jacob's, Gen. 48. 10. Nor was his natural force abated; there we may suppose that this was not pleasant to flesh and blood. But the man Moses was very meek; God will have it so, and vigour and activity of his mind, but he could still speak, and was no decay either of the strength of his body or of the he cheerfully submits. 1. He is here called the servant of the write, and walk, as well as ever; his understanding as clear, Lord, not only as a good man, all the saints are God's servants; and his memory as strong, as ever. but as a useful man, eminently useful, who had served God's wrinkled," say some of the Jewish writers; "he had lost never "His visage was not counsels in bringing Israel out of Egypt, and leading them a tooth," say others; and many of them expound it of the through the wilderness. It was more his honour to be the shining of his face, Ex. 34. 30, that that continued to the last. servant of the Lord than to be king in Jeshurun. 2. Yet he dies. This was the general reward of his services; and it was in Neither his piety nor his usefulness would exempt him from particular the effect of his extraordinary meekness, for that is the stroke of death. God's servants must die, that they may a grace which is, as much as any other, health to the navel and rest from their labours; receive their recompense, and make room for others, When God's servants are removed, and must Moses, though the condemning power be vacated to true believmarrow to the bones. Of the moral law, which was given by serve him no longer on earth, they go to serve him better, toers, yet the commands are still binding, and will be to the end ( 494 ) 9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit fof wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses. 10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11 In all the signs and the wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, 12 And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel. i c. 4. 34. k c. 7. 19. f Dan. 6. 3. g Num. 27. 18, 23. h c. 18. 15, 18. Heb. 3. 5, 6. of the world; the eye of them is not waxen dim, for they shall was the thing that Moses had asked of God for him, when he discern the thoughts and intents of the heart, nor is their natu- laid his hands on him. When the bodily presence of Christ ral force or obligation abated, but still we are under the law to withdrew from his church, he prayed the Father to send another Christ. comforter, and obtained what he prayed for. 3. The people IV. The solemn mourning that there was for him, v. 8. It cheerfully owned him, and submitted to him. Note, An intet is a debt owing to the surviving honour of deceased worthies, to rest in the affections of people is a great advantage, and a greafollow them with our tears, as those who loved and valued encouragement to those that are called to public trusts of what them, are sensible of our loss of them, and are truly humbled for kind soever. It was also a great mercy to the people, that those sins which have provoked God to deprive us of them; for when Moses was dead, they were not as sheep having no penitential tears very fitly mix with these. Observe, 1. Who shepherd, but had one ready among them, in whom they did the mourners were: the children of Israel; they all conformed unanimously, and might with the highest satisfaction, acquiesce. to the ceremony, whatever it was; though some of them per- II. Moses is praised, v. 10-12, and with good reason. haps, who were ill affected to his government, were but mock 1. He was indeed a very great man, especially upon two .mourners. Yet we may suppose there were those among them, accounts, (1.) His intimacy with the God of nature; God who had formerly quarrelled with him and his government, and knew him face to face, and so he knew God. See Num. 12. 8. perhaps had been of those who spake of stoning him, who now He saw more of the glory of God than any (at least) of the Oldwere sensible of their loss, and heartily lamented him when he Testament saints ever did. He had more free and frequent was removed from them, though they knew not how to value him access to God, and was spoken to, not in dreams and visions, when he was with them. Thus they who had murmured, were and slumberings on the bed, but when he was awake and made to learn doctrine, Is. 29. 24. Note, The loss of good standing before the cherubims. Other prophets, when God men, especially good governors, is to be much lamented and appeared and spoke to them, were struck with terror, (Dan. 10. laid to heart: those are stupid, who do not consider it. 2 How 7,) but Moses, whenever he received a divine revelation, kept long they mourned; thirty days: so long the formality lasted, his temper. (2.) His interest and power in the kingdom of and we may suppose there were some, in whom the mourning nature; the miracles of judgment he wrought in Egypt before continued much longer. Yet the ending of the days of weeping Pharaoh, and the miracles of mercy he wrought in the wilderand mourning for Moses is an intimation, that how greatness before Israel, served to demonstrate that he was a particular soever our losses have been, we must not abandon ourselves to favourite of Heaven, and had an extraordinary commission to perpetual grief, we must suffer the wound at least to heal up in act as he did on this earth. Never was there any man whom time. If we hope to go to heaven rejoicing, why should we Israel had more reason to love, or whom the enemies of Israel resolve to go to the grave mourning? The ceremonial law of had more reason to fear. Observe, The historian calls the Moses is dead and buried in the grave of Christ; but the Jews miracles Moses wrought, signs and wonders, done with a mighty have not yet ended the days of their mourning for it. hand and great terror; which may refer to the terrors of mount Sinai, by which God fully ratified Moses's commission, and demonstrated it beyond exception to be divine, and this in the sight of all Israel. V. 9-12. We have here a very honourable encomium passed both on Moses and Joshua; each has his praise, and should have. It is ungrateful so to magnify our living friends, as to forget the merits of those that are gone, to whose memories there is a debt of honour due: all the respects must not be paid to the rising sun; and on the other hand, it is unjust so to cry up the merits of those that are gone, as to despise the benefit we have in those that survive and succeed them. Let God be glorified in both, as here. I. Joshua is praised as a man admirably qualified for the work to which he was called, v. 9. Moses brought Israel to the borders of Canaan, and then died and left them, to signify that the law made nothing perfect, Heb. 7. 19. It brings men into a wilderness of conviction, but not into the Canaan of rest and settled peace. It is an honour reserved for Joshua, (our Lord Jesus, of whom Joshua was a type,) to do that for us, which the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, Rom. 8. 3. Through him we enter into rest; the spiritual rest of conscience and eternal rest in heaven. Three things concurred to clear Joshua's call to this great undertaking. 1. God fitted him for it. He was full of the spirit of wisdom; and so he had need, who had such a peevish people to rule, and such a politic people to conquer. Conduct is as requisite in a general as courage. Herein Joshua was a type of Christ, in whom are hid the treasures of wisdom. 2. Moses by the divine appointment had ordained him to it; He had laid his hands upon him; so substituting him to be his successor, and praying to God to qualify him for the service to which he called him; and this comes in as a reason why God gave him a more than ordinary spirit of wisdom, because his designation to the government was God's own act; those whom God employs, he will in some measure make fit for the employment; and because this 2. He was greater than any other of the prophets of the Old Testament: though they were men of great interest in heaven, and great influence upon earth, yet they were none of them to be compared with this great man; none of them either evidenced or executed a commission from heaven so as Moses did. This seems to have been written long after, yet then there had not risen any prophet like unto Moses, nor did there arise any such between that and the sealing up of the vision and prophecy. By Moses God gave the law, and moulded and formed the Jewish church: by the other prophets he only sent particular reproofs, directions, and predictions. The last of the prophets concludes with a charge to remember the law of Moses, Mal. 4. 4. Christ himself often appealed to the writings of Moses, and vouched him for a witness, as one that saw his day at a distance and spake of him. But as far as the other prophets came short of him, our Lord Jesus went beyond him; his doctrine more excellent, his miracles more illustrious, and his communion with his Father more intimate, for he had lain in his bosom from eternity, and by him God does now in these last days speak to us. The history of Moses leaves him buried in the plains of Moab, and concludes with the period of his government; but the history of our Saviour leaves him sitting at the right hand of the Majesty on high, and we are assured that of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. The Apostle, in his epistle to the Hebrews, largely proves the pre-eminence of Christ above Moses, as a good reason why we that are Christians should be obedient, faithful, and constant to that holy religion which we make profession of. God, by his grace, make us all so! |