Deuteronomy 34:9-12

2. JOSHUA ASSUMES LEADERSHIP; A FINAL TRIBUTE TO MOSES (Deuteronomy 34:9-12)

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 Jehovah commanded Moses. 10 And there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom Jehovah knew face to face, 11 in all the signs and the wonders, which Jehovah 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 the great terror, which Moses wrought in the sight of all Israel.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 34:9-12

606.

How could we compare and contrast Moses and Joshua?

607.

We can say that: God came into closer fellowship with Moses than with any man since the fall of Adamin what sense was this true?

608.

What is meant by the expression: whom Jehovah knew face to face?

AMPLIFIED TRANSLATION 34:9-12

9 And Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him; so the Israelites listened to him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses.
10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,
11 [None equal to him] in all the signs and 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 the mighty power and all the great and terrible deeds which Moses wrought in the sight of all Israel.

COMMENT 34:9-12

Joshua had again and again demonstrated the qualities of leadership in the wilderness wanderings. See Deuteronomy 31:3, notes, and Numbers 27:15-23. Now, himself no youngster and certainly no novice, he is to lead Israel across the Jordan. While Moses had served as lawgiver, prophet, judge, and exhorter, Joshua is to serve primarily as a military generalthough a very godly one.

God spoke with Moses face to face (Deuteronomy 34:10 Cf. Numbers 12:5-8). That will ever be his highest distinction. God came into closer fellowship with Moses than with any man since the fall of Adam, His fellowship with Jehovah was real, personal, intimate, genuine. Thus though he was the meekest man in all Israel, he was also the strongest, for the closer one gets to God, the greater his inner power and personal courage. Moses, like Paul, found strength in his weakness and power in his helplessness. (No one sees the form of God, who is spirit and invisible. In the form of Jesus, he is declared or manifested in human flesh. See John 1:18; compare Colossians 1:15, 1 Timothy 1:17; 1 Timothy 6:16, Hebrews 11:27, 1 John 4:12). The fact that Moses spoke with God face to face is descriptive of the closest fellowship; there was no mediator used between Moses and God; he was his own mediator.

In Deuteronomy 18:5 ff. we saw Moses described as a type of Christ, the Prophet. As we see him passing from the scene, we are reminded of a few parallels: Both were preserved miraculously as infants; both had mighty contests with the power of Satan; both controlled the seas; both fasted forty days and nights; both endured great murmurings and persecutions from their own people; both miraculously fed the multitudes, both pled in intercessory prayer for their people; and both reappeared after death. But for all this, Moses most resembles the Savior in character and life, for both men were readily responsive to the will and teachings of the Father. Deuteronomy is an unmatched and peerless document; and Moses was the pure vessel through which it flowed from God to man.