Evening star., 1926-10-16
MOSES HONORED IN HIS
DEATH.
Deuteronomy xii. 45-52; xxiv.5-8.
Golden text-Precious in the
Sight of Jehovah Is the Death
of His Saints-Ps. cXvi.15.

After wandering 80 years in the
wilderness because of their lack of
faith, Israel had come once more to
the entrance into the promised land.
Moses, the great Hberat0r, leader and
lawgiver, sought to fit them for their
future as Gods representative nation
by recalling to them the precepts.
principles and promises Of the law.
1t was his farewell message. We have
it in Deuteronomy, or the second law,
which suggests that it was a dupli-
cate of the law Of Jehovah. Its great
message is call for obedience,
biased on a known and recognized re-
lationship to God through redemp-
ton"
Hastings has pointed out that it eX-
erted a great influence upon the other
biblical books. Our Lord took from
Deuteronomy His summary of the
law in a single sentence, and found in
this great book the sayings with
which He answered the Wiles of
Satan in the wilderness temptations.
No one can study it's teachings with
out becoming convinced that its de-
liverance showed the intense interest
of Moses in the future Of Israel at
the dawn of a new epoch in their his
tory, which he realized marked the
end of his career.
Moses Farewell Message.
Humanity has always shown an in
terest in the last words of personal
friends and eminent men. Among
the worlds great men Moses occupies
an eminent place, SO that the parting
xyor5c oF tho Uroat 1oUOiVar and 1ih-
orator of Israel possess an abiding in
fluence not only among the Hebrews
but also among all nations. No great
er prophet or personality has ever ap-
peared in the ranks Of humanity than
the founder of the Hebrew nation,
whose laws have nodded not only
Israel but all other nations. He was
about 120 years Of age when he de-
livered his farewell address to his
countrymen, preparatory to their en-.
tering the promised land. There was
no evidence in the wrinkling Of his
skin, the impairing of his vision. or
the dulling Of his intellect to indicate
his age or the nearness to his end
when he summoned Israel to love and
obey Gods commands.
His message included all Of Deu-
teronomy. He had recalled their his
tory Chapters 1-4. He expounded
the principles Of their religious life,
using the Ten Commandments as a
text to emphasize their requirements
in reference to the moral, ceremonial
and civil obligations of the law that
called them to look up" for their
help Chapters $3.50. The Decalogue
called for a clean and noble life,
which had its issue In a heart full of
love for Jehovah. who demands 'Our
affections and inclinations and our
motives, and all things which control
the physical, mental and spiritual
life"
Religion was not to be side issue
with them. Moses had cited the
numerous promises and recalled the
threatenings and predicted punish
ments for omission Of duty and COM
mission Of sin as an incentive for
them to perpetuate the teachings of
the law and pass them down to their
children chapters 27, 28) He en-
bodied the renewal of the covenant in
the next two chapters similar to and
supplementing the original one made
at Horeb 40 years previously. In
chapters 31-34 we find his charge to
Joshua, who had been selected as his
successor, and a poem, which reveals
his genius as a poet of high order,
and the parting benedictions upon the
II tribes, whom Moses called to re-
member the Importance of their re-
ligion, pointing out that his words
were from Jehovah, and that in OBJ
serving them was their life. The
length Of their existence as a nation
depended upon their observing Gods S
commands.
Death Decreed.
Our interest centers in the mandate
issued to Moses to prepare for his
death alone upon Mount Nebo, where
he would be given the privileges of
viewing the promised land, which God
proposed to give to Israel. Nebo was
to be mountain of Abarim, "the in
strument of punishment" that Moses
knew he faced. He had trespassed
against God at Kadesh. There the
peopled clamored against Moses and
Aaron, as we learned in Numbers
xx1-13, which tells us Of the peoples
complaint and how God condemned
Moses and his brother for their lack
Of faith. In Numbers xxvii.14 we
read that it was due to rebellion, and
in the opening of the Book Of Deu
teronomy the multitude was in.
formed that it was the peoples dis
obediencee that caused his trans.
gression. The sin of the nation
brought down their leader. who
sinned so that he was debarred from
the Holy Land because of sin.
Leaving the camp in quiet man
ner. obedient to Gods command
Moses climbed the heights of Nebo,
that is close to Jericho in the land OF
Moab He knew it was to be the
place Of Gods Judgment and the end
of his career, but he climbed it with
out fear. Reaching it's highest point
the great leader and lawgiver OF
Israel looked out upon the promised
land. He surveyed the country where
his people were to work out theil
| destiny, under the direction of Gods
guidance. No one can picture the
emotions Of Moses, as he looked with
his undimmed eyes from the snowy
Hermon Of the north to Mounts
Hor and Sin and the red granite
peaks of Arabia on the south" Be
low him he looked upon the Jordan
Valley, with the waters of the Jordan
descending rapidly from the Lake o1
GalilIee to be buried in the Dead Sea
In front of him were the mountains
| of Judah rising from the valley, ex
tending northward to the distant hills
Of Naphtali, and in the far west was
| the waters Of the Mediterranean Sea
While Moses was permitted to gaze
upon the land, where he had hoped
he could have guided the nation that
he loved he heard the voice of J2