Numbers 27 12 13 12 Then the LORD

Numbers 27: 12 -13 12 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go up this mountain in the Abarim Range and see the land I have given the Israelites. 13 After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was”

When faced with our own mortality (and even when not), it has become common for people to come up with their personal “bucket lists” of experiences to have or personal loose-ends to tie up before death.

Despite Moses making it clear to God that he would like to visit the edge of the Promised Land (Deut. 3: 25), he surrenders his “bucket list” agenda to God’s Will…wanting his last days to have maximum eternal impact.

Numbers 27: 15 -23 Moses humbly asks for God to appoint a new leader over Israel before he dies, so that he might know they won’t be “shepherdless” in his absence. To no one’s surprise… the choice is

Deuteronomy 31: 7 -8 7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. 8 The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. ”

Numbers 31: 1 -24 As Moses’ last act as a military leader, God instructs him to go to war against the Midianites for their role in the “Moabite seduction, ” as well as to find and kill the prophet Balaam.

Deuteronomy 29 -31 Ø Moses renews the covenant with the people Ø God will honor and bless repentant people Ø Obeying God = Life (30: 11 -21) Blessings Disobedience = Death Cursings Ø Law read every 7 years

Deuteronomy 33 Similar to the other Old Testament patriarchs, Moses takes time before his death to bless & pray for each of the 12 tribes of Israel… the same group of people that spent a great portion of their time rebelling against his leadership.

Deuteronomy 34 The Death and Legacy of Moses

No matter when we “go to the mountain, ” we all will have a day when we leave this life and have our 1 -on-1 encounter with God.

Whether we have chosen to accept Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for our sins will determine the mood of this encounter with God: Grateful joy or Remorseful terror

Matthew 17: 1 -13 We know of Moses’ place in God’s Heaven by Jesus summoning him & the prophet Elijah during the “Transfiguration. ”

Like many godly kings and prophets who would follow after him (as well as Jesus and his apostles), Moses wasn’t rightly appreciated during his life. From this point on, both the person and the Book Joshua will become the main focus of this Series.

“Last Lessons” from Moses 1. ) Trading in your dreams for God’s Plan always leads to your eventual blessing. 2. ) On God’s scoresheet, humility wins. 3. ) Pass the Torch…Take the Torch