The Death of Moses

The Book of Deuteronomy , which means "re-giving or re-affirmation"  of the Law  or elleh haddebarim"meaning "these are the Words" . This book is sometimes called " debarim", meaning "the Words".

It was written around 1406 BC,  by the Great Servant of God,  Moses.

Deuteronomy is the last of the five Books of  the Law, or the Torah of  Moses known as the Pentitude or Pentateuch, meaning "the Five Books".

The Book of  Deuteronomy  was written while the people of Israel were still on their exodus through the wilderness in the land  of Moab  east of the River Jordon,  just before they were to enter the Promised land and comes to it's conclusion with the death of Moses and the assumption of leadership by Joshua.

" These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan--that is, in the Arabah--opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab" Deut:1:1

Moses Views the Land

The Prophet Moses had led the people  of Israel all those years, he had been used by the One and only true God,  the Creator of all things , the very God who made a covenant and gave promises to the Patriarch  Abraham after calling him out of  "Ur of the Chaldeans". This God,  had now acted in the life of the descendents of Abraham and set them free from the bondage of Egypt , showing that he and he alone is God by destroying the idols of Egypt   the very things which the Egyptians worshiped.

Moses was used by this Great God to bring the people of Israel to the brink of the Promised Land yet he himself could not enter nor take the people of God into the land , but  could only look out from  m top of  Mount Nebo at this land beyond that Jordon which was rich with so many blessings. It would be here , on the summit of Mount Nebo that Moses would see the Promised Land and here he would die never able to enter the Promised Land that he had led the people of Israel to.

 "Now Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, and all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, and the Negev and the plain in the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. Then the LORD said to him, “This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows his burial place to this day.Although Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eye was not dim, nor his vigor abated. So the sons of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end." Deut:34:1-8

The task of leading the people into these blessings of the Promised Land  would rest upon Joshua,  whose name in Hebrew  is "Yehoshu'a"  meaning "God, or the Lord ,  is our Salvation"  or  "one who Saves" . "Yehoshu'a" would also be the name that the Savior of all humanity would assume centuries later when the very Creator, the only true God would come in the person of his Son.

"Now Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; and the sons of Israel listened to him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses."(9)

Moses' last action was to point the people of Israel to that one, Joshua, who would lead them and take them into the Promised Land. Moses cold only see at it a distance,  the Land that was so often promised to them, but Moses himself could not go there, the land given to them by God now they would embark upon a new journey and experiences in  this Land of Promises under Joshua; seemingly fulfilling the promises made to Abraham over four hundred years prior.

Moses would be buried east of Jordon in Moab by the Great God himself, the whereabouts of his grave is unknown to any and it's location not document in the Scriptures.

"So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows his burial place to this day."

Lessons for Christians

What does this speak to us today? What is this all really about and how does it speak to Christians?  Mose was the one through whom the Law or Torah was given to the people of Israel, but he could not take them beyond the Jordon, it required another after his death, Joshua to take the people of God into the Land. This speaks to us regarding the Law, or Torah.

As Mose could not take Israel into the Promised Land , so the Law could not take us into the Promised eternal life , if would require another to lead us there , as Joshua led Israel over that Jordon so Jesus,"Yehoshu'a" the one who saves,  leads us , leads us into life.

Moses' Death

As this passage into the Land was required after the death of Moses , in like manner  so we can enter into life only after the Law has died to us, the Law could not give life, that is take us into eternal life, only Jesus could bring us eternal life. Jesus has done what the Law could not.

"For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,"Rom:8:3

The Law as Holy as it was,  it could not give life, the Law was like Moses a top of Mount Nebo  peering into the Promised Land beyond that Jordon but never able to enter therein but only see afar off.

 "The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming--not the realities themselves."Heb:10:1

What Law could do,  was to define sin and show us our need for our Savior Jesus, as the Apostle Paul wrote.

"Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith." Gal:3:24

The Law ultimately, and all Scripture speaks to us about the person of Jesus Christ and when we read the Scripture through the view that they point us to Jesus then there is a transposition to them, we ten can see Jesus standing forth from Genesis to Revelation.

Jesus Takes us in

After seeing our need for a Savior , for we see that we could not save our selves , and when we come to believe in Jesus we then are led by our Lord, that one who saves, we are led by Jesus into the Promised land of  eternal life.  The Law, like Moses,  is now dead to us  and is buried beyond the Jordon in the valleys of Moab. 

We are now free to live in Christ Jesus in all the promises that he has secured for each and all who will but freely receive them, we live in him dead to the Law.

"But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor."Gal:3:25

 All trough Jesus we can free of sin , fear, loneliness and in the end even death has no power over us all because of Jesus. We are now joint heirs with our Lord Jesus Christ.

"For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace." Rom:6:14

  Promises Made to Abraham Kept

All the promises which God had given to the Patriarch Abraham when he brought him our of Ur have been given  their faithful fulfillment in Christ  that God had always intended them to have. God has done greater than to just limit his favor to one people, that is  Israel , in a given region of the world, what he has done is to include all peoples form all nations from all over the world into the Promised Land of eternal life in Jesus.

"If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."Gal:3:29

 We have been made heirs with Jesus of all that is his  because of  who Jesus is,  and not by any merit of our own. We with and through him are now Children of God.

 "and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him" Rom:8:17

 All that our God has for us is our in his Son Jesus, who takes us ever deeper into a relationship with our God where so many abundant blessings of salvation which await us ; all our through his grace.

We can now,  through Jesus,  journey through and in that Promised Land of eternal life in Christ that the Law could only look upon at a distance, as Moses did from the summit of Mount Nebo.Amen


Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor,   

The Fountain of Life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion
2101 Old National Pike.

Washington, Pennsylvania.   www.gcfountainoflife.org

The Fountain of Life is heard  on the RKP Radio Network 1710 and 1670 AM in Washington and North Franklin ,and 1790 AM  in the Arden Fair Grounds area of Washington Pennsylvania, and on 1710 AM in Bentleyville and Monongahela, Pennsylvania. And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com

The Lord is Near

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" Philippians:4:4-7 

The Apostle Paul writing to the Christian Church at Philippi in  Macedonia had words of encouragement and instruction for them, but not only they who lived 2000 years ago but for Christians down through the ages.

 Where Paul Preached

This Roman enclave was the community to where the Apostle Paul visited in 49-50 AD and  met with the Jewish women who gathered at the Krenides  River where they worshiped outside due having no Synagogue in the city. Here Paul preached the Gospel to the assembled woman and Lydia the textile merchant heard about Jesus and came to believe  and was baptized.

Philippi was a city that was founded by the Macedonian King Phillip II around 356 BC,  situated on the Via Egnatia, the Egnatian Way, that was a major road way, which moved east-to-west , and allowed Roman troops to move quickly to the Eastern provinces of Empire. This road way was also a major trade root for the Empire into Asia Minor and beyond.

The city of Philippi also had a local economy that was straighten by mines,  this sources of revenue gave Philippi an important place along the Egnatian Way and generated commerce and a general prosperity for the city. It was also known as the city of fountains due to major water sources found near by.

 Presence of Cesar

Philippi had become in many respects a very Roman city ruled by the power of Rome with the banner   of Cesar  representing Cesar's imperial  presence there showing that this city was part of the Empire.Where Cesar's banner flew the Empire ruled; his imperial banner was to reflect his imperial presence, this showed that the power of Rome was near at hand.

Roman envoys would transverse the known world bringing a message of "Roman Salvation" , that is,  when a given land would accept,whether by force or choice, Roman rule and become franchised within the Empire they would benefit from the establishment of Roman courts, enforcement of law ,schools, and trade and the stability of society.

Often Roman rule  brought many benefits and improvements to a nation;even the coinage of the day carried the words minted upon them "Peace and Safety"  along with the likeness of Cesar, this was to convey that in Rome all the blessings and advantages that a people could ever want to achieve could be found under the rule of  the Empire; all they need do is give their loyalty to Cesar and accept his banner reflecting his imperial presence in their lives and showing that the power of Rome was near at hand.

The city of Philippi had become an important outpost for the Roman Legions and became populated with many retired Roman soldiers after their time of service had expired, it is probable and likely that many of the Christians to whom the Apostle Paul wrote were either former Legionnaires or familiar with them due to the cities historical ties with the Roman Army.

Their Needs Met

The former Legionnaires would have been used to relying upon the power of the Cesar for the material supplies and food and other needs  as they were on the march in far flung places  or in long campaigns away from  their homes.

These retired Legionnaires also were now having their needs met and were supported  through receiving an imperial pension from the Roman Legion .   It was to them that Paul speaks directly  in his time and is now shared with all Christians though his Epistle.

Paul directs them , and we,  to be a  people who are in a state of perpetual worship and praise for the great acts of Salvation accomplished for each and all through our Lord Jesus Christ, as he admonishes each and all Christians to rejoice. Paul even quickly reiterates it  in his Epistle twice to emphasize our need to have a heart of worship toward and for our God.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Phip:4:4a

The Apostle then admonishes them to reflect a transformed life one led and controlled  by the Holy Spirit, which is the outward evidence which has been set fully on the person of Jesus Christ.

"let your gentleness(or moderation ) be evident to all"(5a)

For these Christians, many of whom once serves Cesar and Rome , they now served the true Lord and King Jesus Christ, therefor  that truth should be demonstrated before all.

 Jesus is Near

Paul now tells them and  us,  why  Christians should rejoice and why there should be an outward display of a transformed life in the very next verses, a verses which is in truth the crux and point of this section of the fourth chapter of  this Epistle.

"the Lord is near" (5b)

 Many Christians have read this verse  over the years as an admonishment to remain faithful, and reminding them that our Jesus will come "soon" that is, his "coming is near" ; and in truth there may be some broad appliance to the literal return of  Jesus Christ to bring the reign of God over all things which is truth. 

Many have concluded this,  by referencing Paul word's to the Christians of the  Thessalonian Church when Paul speaks of the  coming of Jesus. The word used by Paul in 1Thessalonians:5:2 is "Parousia"  it is a word that just does not speak of Jesus to come future, but is speaking that Jesus is come even here and now to us. That is,  Jesus is near, that his royal "presence" is , present tense,   with us even now in this life. He is more with us than we are with our selves.

When, at the end of human civilization, at the literal second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, Jesus will descend from the heavens  when the last trumpet does sound, the dead are raised and those alive will be changes , this in truth , only shows or manifest openly what is now true, that our " Lord is near".


 Jesus' royal "presence" in our lives  is what make us part of his Kingdom even now, demonstrated by the transformed lives we live, even as Cesar's banner flew within the provincial territories of the Empire showing  the power of Rome was near and at hand.

This speaks to us, and to our Philippian Christian predecessors,  that the power of God is at hand and near to us to help us and provide for us even more than Rome could provide for the troops in the field;  this would have resounded with the Christians at Phillippi. They knew Cesar provided for them as part of the Legion, and even now through the pensions which they they received at their discharge from service,   so how much more can Jesus provided for us here and now?

No Fear

With the truth knowing that the "Lord is near" they could move forward in life knowing that Jesus was with them and would not fail them, therefore they could face anything with out fear, as Paul tells they and we.

 "Do not be anxious about anything,"(6a)

 You and I need not fear or to be anxious about anything for we now see that our Lord Jesus is with us and near at hand to provide for us and see us through the marches and long campaigns  of this life as we head for eternity. 

When on the march through life we encounter needs we, like the Roman Legions can ask for help. The Legions were used to the concept of  drawing on the supply lines and depots established by the Roman armies for their uses and needs while in the field or at garrison or in battle what ever the given situation was  all they need do is to make a request to the quarter master and the needed supplies would be issued. 

 Make Our Request

In the same way when we have needs we can make our request known to God and we can have confidence that he will provided our needs even more so than the Legions of Roma could receive.What ever confronts  Christians, the understanding that Jesus is ever with them and near at hand can , we can turn to the great God and our Lord Jesus for help.

" but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."(6b-c)

  With Thanksgiving

This verse speaks as well of a heart that is filled with the very faith of our Lord Jesus and is a worshiping heart, as Paul tell us  that it is "with thanksgiving" that is we present our request.

 To God

 We approach Jesus thanking him in faith in advance  that our Lord  will respond with a gracious answer. Thanking Jesus reflects a trust that he will answer,  and that we worship him acknowledging him as the only one to whom we should and can look to for help, that he is our God,the  only one to whom our allegiance  is due,  remember  the Cesar(s) demanded complete loyalty to Rome and nations were to participation in the Imperial cult of Empire worship giving Rome that place which only our Lord Jesus should have in our lives.

"present your request to God" (6 last part)

  The Peace of God

When see that our Lord is near and that Jesus is with us we , knowing that he has dealt with anything which would prevent us from having an eternal relationship with him , what ever that might be , sin, fear, feelings of disenfranchisement, whatever it might be we can be at peace.

 This is peace  arises form recognizing and believing and accepting  that Jesus is the one and only Savior of humanity God's only true Son, fully God yet fully human. This Savior knows and understands our weakness and limitations and he is there for each and all who will but freely receive him.

Jesus has done for us what we could never have done for our selves. Jesus died to make peace for us with the Great God. This is the peace that Jesus give to us as he said "peace I give you, but not as the world gives" this is the peace that goes beyond circumstance or conditions it is peace of knowing that the Lord is near, that he will never "leave you nor forsake you" . This is true peace, a peace that Cesar's enforced peace could never be. Jesus himself is our peace.

This peace which is born out of  our Lord being near at hand and this  gives us stillness of heart that is like the high walls of a strong garrison which allows us to face even the most difficult of challenges of the march though life. The Roman soldiers would have grasped the idea being conveyed by the words of the Apostle that of walled enclosures which kept one safe while under assault by adversaries.


And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (7)

This, as with all that Paul speaks of is due again to the truth that our Lord  Jesus Christ is near to us all , Jesus is with his people near to each and all , his abiding presence is never diminished, what rises and falls is our awareness of his presence with us.

Our Lord has given his word that he is with us in all that we encounter in this life , therefore we need not fear nor be dismayed at what we encounter while on the march toward his Kingdom, therefor we should rejoice always for "the Lord is Near"....Amen.

Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor,   

The Fountain of Life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion
2101 Old National Pike.

Washington, Pennsylvania.   www.gcfountainoflife.org

The Fountain of Life is heard  on the RKP Radio Network 1710 and 1670 AM in Washington and North Franklin ,and 1790 AM  in the Arden Fair Grounds area of Washington Pennsylvania, and on 1710 AM in Bentleyville and Monongahela, Pennsylvania. And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com