Friday - Deuteronomy 34 - The Legacy of Moses

This chapter records the death of the penman of the law. It was the end of an era. For 120 years God's eyes had been on Moses. He was a choice servant of the Lord ministering to the people of God. The people mourned sincerely for Moses after his passing, but they didn't immediately wander away from God or from each other as perhaps one would have expected. Why did they continue well? Because their binding agent was not Moses, it was God (John 6:32).  Not only that, Moses had done an excellent job mentoring and training his replacement, Joshua.

Now, truly the Pentateuch is Moses' legacy. Through him God delivered the record of all of every dispensation that had preceded Moses, as well as great details about his own era and many prophecies concerning the ages to come. It was God who made Moses such a prominent player in His story. It was God who blessed him and used him so extensively. Yet, Satan and men always find a way to pollute good things. Obviously there is no problem with God's infallible Word, yet when Jesus came He had to clarify the purpose and function of Moses and his writings, since his audience had obviously missed the point (John 5:39). The people revered Moses and his writings, but missed the main point that Moses was trying to make.

Elsewhere in the New Testament, clearer perspective on Moses' ministry is given to us (John 1:17). How about this one: "There is one that accuses you, even Moses, in whom you trust." (John 5:45 - 46). The people were so impressed with what Moses had left them, but they failed to realize that the primary thing Moses brought to them was condemnation, for they were certainly not keepers of Moses' law (John 7:19). They needed a Savior.