A Journey through the Bible with Tiglath

32. Deuteronomy 34 and Joshua 1

We are now coming to the end of the era of Moses. He dies in Chapter 34 but

not before he goes up Mount Nebo, from where God shows him the Promised

Land which he never enters. The chapter tells us that Moses had good eyesight

and vigorous health till his death. Verse 10 of Chapter 34 is a wonderful epitaph

for Moses. It reads ‘And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses,

whom the Lord knew face to face’.

And now, in our journey, we pass from the Pentateuch (five scrolls), the first

five books of the Bible to the Book of Joshua which is the first of the Historical

Books. In this book we cover the life of Joshua while the Hebrews conquer the

Promised Land (Canan).

In Chapter 1 God appoints Joshua to succeed Moses as the leader of the people

and instructs him to lead them to the Promised Land. Verse 4 describes the extent

of the Promised Land. In verse 5 God says – ‘as I was with Moses, so will I be

with thee: I will not fail thee or forsake thee’. God encourages Joshua to be

strong and law abiding. For his part, Joshua in the second part of this chapter,

commands the people to get ready to pass over the River Jordan in three day’s

time. The army gives a pledge that they will support Joshua as they supported

Moses. In the next stage of our journey Joshua sends spies to explore the land

in front of them which includes the city of Jericho. We meet Rahab who befriends

them.