We left off with Moses teaching the second generation of the Israelites, at the end of their exodus through the wilderness. He was imparting to them all that God wanted them to know for living a godly life. This was Moses’ last sermon before they leave him behind in their trek to the Promised Land.
As Moses continues to speak for God, he tells them that Jehovah will visit their descendants ‘face-to-face’ through a ‘Messiah’, (Jesus would come to the Israelites approximately 1400 years later):
“I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.” Dt. 18:18 NKJV
Jehovah is saying that the Messiah will be of Jewish descent and that He will speak for God Himself.
Moses then shifts his focus and tells the Israelites how God shows up for them in the present moment – just like He shows up for all His children throughout time. Why? Because God cherishes you:
“Yes, He loves the people; all of your saints are in Your hand…” Dt. 33:3 NKJV
[Anyone seeking a ‘right relationship’ with God is a saint (holy one). Nowhere in the Bible is their anyone who holds a formal title of ‘Saint,’ e.g. St. Peter, St. Paul, etc. These are false titles that are conferred by man].
“Now not with you alone am I making this covenant and this oath, but both with those who stand here today in the presence of the LORD our God and with those who are not with us here today…” Dt. 29:14, 15. NASB
God both nurtures you and protects you:
“Who is a people like you, a people saved by the LORD, the shield of your help, and the Sword of your triumph!” Dt. 33:29 ESV
“And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” Dt. 31:8 NKJV
“…you are advancing today to battle against your enemies. Do not lack courage. Do not be afraid, or panic or tremble [in terror] before them, for the LORD your God is He who goes with you to fight against your enemies, to save you.” Dt. 23:3, 4. ESV
Moses then wraps this final sermon up:
And when Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, he said to them, “Take heart to all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is not an empty word for you, but for your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” Dt. 32:45 – 47. ESV
[We all have a ‘Jordan’ (our former life) that we need to cross over, to grab hold of Jehovah’s promise of eternal life with Him. We make that journey by living by His word.]
If you read my previous post Are You a Child of God, you might recall that Moses dishonored God through his angry outburst to the Israelites. Subsequently, Jehovah barred Moses from leading them into Canaan. In addition, Moses was instructed to lay his hands upon Joshua (one of the spies sent into Canaan to check out the land), so that God could transfer His Spiritual leadership authority from Moses to Joshua:
Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him, doing just as the LORD had commanded Moses. Dt. 34:9 NLT
Moses was passing the torch. Then, he ascended a mountain next to the river Jordan, and God showed him all of the Promised Land, and He told him that the Israelites would possess it. It was a gesture of His vast compassion.
Moses was 120 years old when he died – still of sound mind and body. God had to punish him for his transgression, but He loved Moses so much, that he was the only person in all of history, that was personally buried by his Creator:
There has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. Dt. 34:10.
Moses made his mark. He was a mighty warrior for God, a steadfast reflection of His righteousness and he allowed himself to be God’s Spiritually-inspired vessel for writing the first five books of the Bible, (which by now, I hope, that you too are intimately familiar with), called the Torah in Hebrew, and the Pentateuch in Greek. They collectively make up the foundation of the entire remainder of the Bible…
Spiritually-enhanced, and with God on his side, Joshua led the people over the Jordan River, (of which Jehovah miraculously stopped the river flow, to make the crossing possible., He was granted victory after victory as he settled all of the people in Israel. At the end of his life, Joshua also tries to inspire the people with the value of passing the torch:
“Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the LORD your God spoke to you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them have failed.” Jos. 23:14 NASB
Unfortunately, after Joshua’s generation passed, the Israelites turned their backs on God and began pagan idol worship. Why? Because no one passed the torch after Joshua.!
Don’t shut your eyes or cover your ears. Every one of us is commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, to pass the torch. If not you, who? You are saved because somebody passed it on to you:
“Only pay attention and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your grandchildren [impressing these things on their mind and penetrating their heart with these truths]-“ Dt. 4:9 AMP
“If you obey all the decrees and commands I am giving you today, all will be well with you and your children. I am giving you these instructions so you will enjoy a long life…” Dt. 4:40 NLT
“You shall teach them diligently to your children [impressing God’s precepts on their minds and penetrating their hearts with His truths] and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up.” Dt. 6:7 AMP
“…we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.” Dt. 29:29 NLT
God holds us accountable for passing His torch. However, we can’t pass it if we don’t learn it first, understand how to communicate it, and actively pass it on to our children and to as many other ‘potential children of God’ as possible.
What happens if we don’t?
My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. Hos. 4:6 NKJV
That doesn’t sit well with God, because all children of God have a duty to bring His message of salvation hope to all people:
“…I am making you a watchman for the people…Therefore, listen to what I say and warn them for me. If I announce that some wicked people are sure to die and you fail to tell them to change their ways, then they will die in their sins, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths. But if you warn them to repent, and they don’t repent, they will die in their sins, but you will have saved yourself.” Ezek. 33:7 – 10. NLT
All of this is wrapped up part and parcel with our Savior’s ‘Great Commission’:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you…” Mt. 28:19, 20. AMP
So, we know our task; and it is a vital one, because we are saving lives. To be the most effective, we have to know our message and have faith in it. This only comes about through reading the word, and praying to Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith, to strengthen us in that area.
We let the gospel make its own case, but we can help by sharing how it has changed our own lives, because the hearer wants to know the ‘why’ that caused you to embrace Jesus, in order to gauge what is in it for them.
Look to teach and invite, not to make wrong and divide. You are trying to help facilitate a love relationship between them and God.
Tell them that God put an innate knowledge of right and wrong in everyone. This is made evident when we make wrong decisions; and we feel it in the remorse that follows.
We can also say, ‘As a Christian, we believe that there is a God who both created and directs this universe; and who takes a great and loving interest in the behavior of the people living in it. Furthermore, He left us a plan for having a great life, now and forever – In the Bible.
We must make a daily choice as a Christian to obey what is in it, to have that right relationship with Him. Also, we believe that God gave us a good world. Unfortunately, some people choose bad paths – usually because they entertain the suggestions planted in their conscience by an angel gone bad. This ‘devil’ is the author of lies and chaos and stands in direct opposition to the followers of Christ.
Yet, we don’t have to worry about him, as long as we use our free will to cling to Jesus – to choose good over evil.
At this point, you could explain the when, who, how and why of Jesus Christ and how salvation works. (We’ll look at that in detail in a future post. To get more detail now, look at my two archive posts: Speaking God’s Promises and Speaking God’s Promises part 2, from which I mined a few jewels for this post.
In order to be a beacon for Jesus, we must choose daily to promote goodness and righteousness – through kindness, fairness, honesty, love, helpfulness, respect and by being amiable and reasonable. It’s time to pass your torch to others, so that they too can pass theirs.
Share your light…
“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Mt. 5:16 NASB
Goodnight and God Bless