Mobilizing in Moab: The Lord Buries Moses
Mobilizing in Moab • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Notes:
Notes:
Introduction:
This is it!
Moses as The OT Archetype of Christ
Differences between the Song and the Blessing:
“(1) Whereas the surrounding prose treats the Song as integral to the narrative, the benediction is only loosely related to the context by a chronological note fixing the occasion of the utterance (33:1). (2) Whereas the Song functioned as a “witness” (31:19, 21) for Yahweh and against Israel, the prose preamble identifies this poem generically as a “blessing,” which functions for Israel. (3) Whereas the Song has a cohesive story line, Deuteronomy 33 consists of a series of benedictory fragments strung together like a string of pearls. (4) Whereas the Song was concerned with Israel as a whole, here the focus is on individual tribes. (5) Although the theology of the opening exordium (vv. 2–5) and concluding coda (vv. 26–29) compare with the exordium and coda of the Song, the intervening blessings focus on Yahweh’s role in guaranteeing the well-being of individual tribes.” Block
“within the collection of blessings, Levi and Joseph represent the tribal center of gravity.” Block
“The relatively little attention that Judah receives is striking.” Block
No blessing for Simeon?? Within Judah?
Moses, “The man of God.” godly man?
Moses=Israel’s Pastor, virtual father.
Blessings of Moses:
Mixed
Imperfect: Asher being the Favorite? v. 24
No emphasis on Judah… No understanding of the Messiah.
Levites:
This blessing envisions four responsibilities for the Levites, all of them custodial: of the Thummim and Urim (v. 8), the covenant (v. 9), divine revelation (v. 10a–b), and the sacrificial liturgy (v. 10c–d).
v. 8: Thummim and Urim
v. 9: Covenant
v. 10: Divine Revelation
v. 10c-d: Sacrificial Liturgy
Joseph: Both Levites and Joseph have 52 words exactly.
End of Poem:
Deuteronomy 33:29 “Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help, and the sword of your triumph! Your enemies shall come fawning to you, and you shall tread upon their backs.””
“Congratulating Israel for having a God like Yahweh.” Block
Part II: Chapter 34:
Moses’ Death
First time “Plains of Moab” is in the Bible.
v. 4: Lord reminds Moses, “You shall not go over there.”
v. 5: “The servant of the Lord”=Important title.
v. 6: Burial: “Whereas in the ancient world members of the family normally disposed of the body of the deceased, the narrator notes that Moses was buried by Yahweh himself.” Block
Moses stayed in Moab:
He mobilized the people, but not himself.
“Moses had reached his heavenly destination without having reached his earthly home.” Block
“Moses was alone with God in his death.” Block
“20/20 Vision and his vigor had not waned.” Block
“Moses had died neither or old age nor disease, but simply because within the divine plan his time was up.” Block
Narrator contributes the mighty and awesome deeds to Moses himself. That’s a big deal.
Psalm 106:23 “23 Therefore he said he would destroy them— had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them.”
Two Passages:
Moses: Eclipses the whole Old Testament.
But who fades in the end?
Acts 7:37 “37 This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’”
Acts 7:20–34 “20 At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God’s sight. And he was brought up for three months in his father’s house, 21 and when he was exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. 22 And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds. 23 “When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. 25 He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand. 26 And on the following day he appeared to them as they were quarreling and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why do you wrong each other?’ 27 But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me as you killed the …”
Deliverance of Moses: Gospel!
Acts 3:22 “22 Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you.”
Deuteronomy 34:10 “10 And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,”
A prophet rose like Moses, who the Lord WAS in the face!
Moses’ Death and Christ’s Death
Josephus: Entered heaven alive
Jude 9 “9 But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.””
“Jewish tradition the rabbis would debate whether Moses even died or was transported directly to heaven.” Block
Blessing in the Context of Battle
What’s important to a dying man preparing people for battle?
Blessing concludes with grace: they are valued because of who God is, not on their merit.
Death: “Moses was a prophet, but in his epitaph it is not his knowledge of God that is stressed, but rather the Lord’s knowledge of him.” Craigie
