Deuteronomy 34:1-9 Gives us the account of Moses’ death:
- And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan,
2 And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea,
3 And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar.
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 of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.
7 And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.
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.
9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses.
In Numbers 20, we can read the story of Moses’ disobedience when God told him to speak to the rock to give up its water. Moses was apparently so angry at the attitude of the people that instead of speaking to the rock, he struck it twice with his rod. In v. 12, we read: “And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in Me, to uphold Me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”
In spite of the lost privilege of actually entering the land, God, in His mercy, allowed Moses to view the land from the top of Mount Pisgah. He saw all that God had promised, and died knowing that his goal of leading the people to the land had been fulfilled.
And now, Joshua comes into the fulness of leadership. Moses had anointed him, laid his hands upon him, and enjoined to people to accept him as their leader. As I’ve tried to picture that scene, I imagine the solemnity of the moments. Did Joshua fully understand what his role would be? Did he foresee the battles, the bloodshed, the fear? I don’t know. What I do know is that he was “full of the spirit of wisdom.” He would certainly need that wisdom in the days and years ahead, as the intransigence of the people did not change when Moses died.