February 20

By my reading if the chapters in Numbers, I would say that their mistrust in the Lord causes their condemnation. None of the people believed in the Lord’s promises for them and instead only wanted instant gratification for the hardships they had undergone. Moses was the only one in the group who had trust in God’s promises for them, which makes Moses their leader since he was in “conversation” with the Lord. I think they closed the Pentateuch with the death of Moses because it’s a symbol of the new generation entering in a new land without the guidance of old leaders. Moses was a sign of the hardships of Egypt, but entering the New Land without Moses, signifies a new time for Israel, hopefully one without much hardship. It also shows that Israel will be able to survive without the guidance of Moses that helped them follow God’s rules in order to get to the Promised Land. I think it’s a kind of poetic justice leaving Moses, since it’s kind of the death of the old Israel and the rebirth of the new in the promised land. It would be nice to see Moses get some compensation for his hardship, but I understand the meaning behind leaving him outside of what he was set forth to do. The closing passage of Deuteronomy 34 guides our reading of Joshua because Joshua is always going to be compared to the acts of Moses. In Deuteronomy 34 it states that “No prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.” The readings in Joshua sometimes paralleled stories with Moses, like the crossing of the Jordan. The events of Joshua’s generation will be successful, but based on the accomplishments of Moses that got them to that point. Everything that Joshua completes is thanks to the help of Moses.