Alone, Moses climbed the rugged path to the top of Mount Pisgah in the land of Moab. Though preserved in body and mind, his 120 years (40 of them in the wilderness) made him worn in years and in battles. His last battle was his attempt to enter the Promised Land. He lost. He was to die after seeing the land from the mountain top.

Though God delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt and brought them to the Promised Land, they continued to rebel against Him. In anger, He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh and delivered his strength into captivity (referring to the taking of the ark by the Philistines). But God still came back and defeated their enemies. He chose David of the tribe of Judah to lead the people of Israel. God is merciful to His people.

Solomon began his reign well. He went to Gibeon to the site of the tabernacle of Moses and made a thousand sacrifices. That night, the Lord gave Solomon the chance to wish for anything he desired. As you will read, Solomon made the right choice. Would you?

God tells of the future apostasy and rebellion of the children of Israel. Even now, their heart is turning against Him. Yet, the Lord has Moses prepare witnesses of Himself that will remain even in the times of rebellion. He has Moses present the words of the law in a book to be kept in the side of the ark as a witness. He also has Moses write a song that will serve as a witness when they turn from the Lord.

David ended his life well. He set up Solomon to follow him on the throne of Israel. He made provision for the building of the temple. He saw the people submit to Solomon as their next king. This passage reminds us that it is how a person finishes and not how he starts that really counts.

The Lord has told Moses that he will not be able to go into the Promised Land. However, we see Moses preparing the people and preparing Joshua as their leader to enter the land and conquer it. We, too, must learn to think beyond ourselves. We need to leave others with their eyes on the Lord and not afraid to follow Him.

Does this teach loss of salvation?

The key to God's blessing

How does the practice of "Urim and Thummin" in the Old Testament differ from forbidden practices of divination?

The words "sin" and "iniquity" are found together in some form in about 70 verses in the Bible. Many times they are used parallel to one another. Although we can be certain that they are synonyms and have the same basic meaning, there must also be something that distinguishes them. Let us consider these two words.