Although Deuteronomy records his death and mysterious burial, this is not the last time we see Moses. We find him centuries later talking to Jesus. On the Mount of Transfiguration, he appears with Elijah, and the three discuss the details of Christ's redemptive work on earth. The last time Moses is mentioned in the Bible is in Revelation 15:3. His towering figure casts a long shadow from the beginning of the Bible to its very end.
In Deuteronomy, we find the last will and testament of Moses. This book receives its name from the Greek word which means "restatement of the law." The law had to be reemphasized for two reasons: (1) A new generation was growing up, and they would go into the Promised Land. They needed to know God. (2) In the new land, they would live closely with peoples of other religions. They needed a strong structure if their faith was to remain strong. Deuteronomy does not replace Leviticus. Rather, it adds a deeper dimension to the Law.
Had Israel heeded the last words of Moses, our world would likely be different today. Israel might have become the most powerful nation on earth. Probably Christianity would have proceeded more rapidly, and our world would be a much better place in which to live. This book teaches an important lesson: we bring sorrow to ourselves and others when we disobey God. May we see the moral integrity of God that Moses proclaimed and respond by being responsible.
“He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.”
Deuteronomy 32:4 KJV
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