The last month of Moses

 Deuteronomy 1 ³ Forty years after the exodus from Egypt, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the people of Israel as YHWH had commanded him. (...) ⁵ Across the Jordan, in Moab, Moses gave his instruction to the people; here is everything he explained:

⁶ "The LORD our God said to us at Horeb, 'You have stayed long enough at this mountain. ⁷ Break camp! (...) ¹⁹ So we left Horeb and traveled through that great and terrible desert, as you yourselves have experienced, to the mountainous country of the Amorites, as YHWH our God had commanded us. Finally, we came to Kadesh-Barnea.

(…) 4 ¹ Listen, therefore, Israel, to the laws and rules that I am teaching you, and obey them. Then you will live and take possession of the land that YHWH, the God of your ancestors, will give you. (...) ⁹ Keep this in mind throughout your life and pass it on to your children and grandchildren.

(…) ²² I must die here; I will not cross the Jordan, but you may cross over and take possession of that good land. ²³Be careful not to forget the covenant that YHWH, your God, has made with you, and do not make an idol, an image of anything, contrary to his command. ²⁴ For the Lord your God is a consuming fire; he will not tolerate unfaithfulness.

(…) 6 ⁴ Hear, O Israel: YHWH, our God, YHWH is one! ⁵ Love YHWH, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. ⁶ Keep in mind the commandments I am giving you today. ⁷ Impress them on your children and talk about them constantly, at home and on the road, when you go to bed and when you get up. ⁸ Wear them as a sign on your arm and as a band on your forehead. ⁹ Write them on the doorposts of your house and on the gates of the city.

Moses tried to make the most of his last month in this life. The people had to continue without Miriam and Aaron, and now without him as well. He wanted to tell the story of the liberation from Egypt one more time, explain the laws one more time, and confirm the covenant one more time.

            "Pass it on to your children and grandchildren," Moses preached.

But we hear nothing about his own sons.

            Forty years after the exodus? thought Zipporah. Look at your sons, they are only in their twenties.

Handing over

Deuteronomy 31 ¹ After this, Moses spoke to the Israelites again. He said: ² "I am now 120 years old and no longer able to lead. Moreover, YHWH has told me that I may not cross the Jordan. (...) ⁶ Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for it is YHWH, your God, who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you."

⁷ Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all the Israelites, "Be strong and courageous, for you will lead the people into the land that YHWH swore to their ancestors, and under your leadership they will take possession of it. ⁸ The Lord himself will go before you; he will be with you and will never leave you. Do not be afraid or discouraged."

⁹Moses wrote down all his instructions and gave the scroll to the Levitical priests, who were to carry the ark of the covenant with Yahweh, and to the elders of Israel.

^10-11He instructed them, "Read these regulations every seventh year, the year of remission, during the Feast of Tabernacles, to all the Israelites."

³⁰ And in the presence of the assembled Israelites, Moses sang this song from beginning to end.

32 God is faithful, righteous and pure;

in him there is no trace of evil.

⁵But his children were unfaithful to him;

to their shame, they gave up their sonship.

(…)

¹⁰He found Jacob in a barren desert,

in a no man's land full of danger.

He surrounded him with care and love,

cherished it as the apple of his eye.

¹¹ Like an eagle protects its nest

and hovers over its young,

so YHWH spread his wings

and carried his people on his wings.

(…)

¹⁸ [But] you rejected the rock from which you came,

you forgot the God who bore you.

Moses taught the song to Joshua, of the tribe of Ephraim, the son of Joseph.

            "Let Israel never forget," he said, "let them never forget how they were carried on wings of love, how they were born as copper from the earth."

            Like myself, he thought, when Zipporah's God called me.

The blessing of Moses

Deuteronomy 33 ¹ This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, pronounced upon the tribes of Israel before he died.

⁸ About Levi he said:

"JHWH, you entrust your oracle stones

to the man who is your confidant.

You tested him at Massah,

challenged him at the waters of Meribah.

⁹ He had no compassion for his father and mother,

he did not revere his own brothers,

his children were strangers to him.

For the Levites kept what You commanded,

and remained faithful to the covenant You made.

¹⁰ Let them teach your rules to Jacob,

pass on your statutes to Israel.

Let their fragrant offering please You,

let them offer burnt offerings on your altar.

¹² About Benjamin he said:

"The Lord lets his beloved dwell with him.

His child embraces Him from morning till night,

it nestles safely on his back."

¹³ About Joseph he said:

"May Yahweh richly bless his land

with the gifts of rain, with dew,

and with the primeval waters that dwell underground;

¹⁴ with all that the sun causes to grow,

with the blessing of the seasons;

¹⁵ with the riches of ancient mountains,

with the gifts of eternal hills;

¹⁶ with all that the earth has to offer.

May the favor of Him who dwells in the thornbush (the senah)

rest upon Joseph, the chosen one among his brothers.

Joshua, from the tribe of Ephraim, the son of Joseph, was chosen to lead the conquest of the land. Eleazar, son of Aaron and high priest from the tribe of Levi, would lead the people in law and worship. Together they would organize the land and divide it among the tribes and families.

Gershom did not appreciate this. "His children were like strangers to them" hit too close to home.

            "Because the Levites stood up for the covenant, without excuses for your family or your tribe," Eliezer defended his father.

            "He had that other side too," said Zipporah, "the way he talks about Benjamin, it was the same with you guys. He could walk for hours, first with you on his back, Gershom, and later with Eliezer."

The Death of Moses

Deuteronomy 34 ¹Then Moses left the plains of Moab and climbed Mount Nebo, one of the peaks of Pisgah, opposite Jericho. There YHWH showed him the whole land: the entire area from Gilead to Dan, ² Naftali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all of Judah to the western sea, ³ the Negev, the Jordan Valley, and the plain near the palm city of Jericho, as far as Zoar.

 ⁴ The LORD said to him, "This is the land I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that I would give to their descendants. I am showing it to you now, but you will not cross over there."

⁵ So Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in Moab, as the LORD had said. ⁶ And the LORD buried him in a valley in Moab, opposite Beth-Peor. To this day, no one knows where his grave is. ⁷Moses was 120 years old when he died. His strength had not diminished, nor his eyesight weakened, until the very end.

⁸  The Israelites, who were gathered in the plains of Moab, mourned Moses' death until the thirty days of mourning were over. ⁹ They listened to Joshua, the son of Nun, because he was filled with the spirit of wisdom since Moses had laid his hands on him. In doing so, the Israelites did what YHWH had said to Moses.

¹⁰ Never again did Israel have a prophet like Moses, with whom YHWH communicated so intimately. ¹¹Through him, YHWH showed signs and wonders in Egypt to Pharaoh and all his servants, and to all his land. ¹² All Israel witnessed the mighty deeds of Moses and the acts that inspired awe in all.

The author of Deuteronomy 34 imagines how God spoke to Moses after he had gone away alone to die. His wife and sons are not mentioned.

I would so much like to think that Zipporah had also set out, following Moses. Imagine if she had packed her things and left the tent in the hands of her sons.

            "But what if you don't return in time?" asked Eliezer.

            "Then you will continue without me," she said, "but I'm sure everything will be fine. Joshua has proclaimed a thirty-day mourning period. He doesn't want to cross the Jordan until New Year's."

            "But didn't Dad die?"

            "He went up the mountain to die, just like his brother Aaron did. But it might take him longer."

She found him without water or bread, lying on a rocky ledge overlooking the camp and, in the distance, the promised land across the Jordan River. He didn't seem surprised.

            "Do you want to die here?" she asked, sitting down beside him.

            "Can you think of a better place?" he said in a hoarse voice. "Soon the sun will set and it will get cold. It won't be long now, I think."

            "When God spreads the darkness, night falls," the poets sing, "and everything that lives in the wilderness stirs. The young lions go out to prey, roaring, they ask God for food."

            She helped him sit up and gave him something to drink. He refused food.

            "I'm glad you're here," he said, "I missed you."

            "I missed you so much too."

That night he slept in the hollow of her body, and she had made a small campfire in front of him. That's how she kept him warm.

Old and new

Psalm 90 ¹ A prayer of Moses, the man of God.

Lord, you have been our refuge from generation to generation.

² Before the mountains were born, before You gave birth to the earth and the world—

You, O God, are from everlasting to everlasting.

³ You turn mortals back to dust and say, "Return, O children of men."

⁴A thousand years are in your sight like yesterday that has passed,

no more than a watch in the night.

⁵ You sweep us away like sleep in the morning, like grass that sprouts

⁶that sprouts in the morning and grows, and in the evening withers and fades.

⁷ We perish by your wrath; by your anger we are overwhelmed.

⁸ You have set our iniquities before you, our secrets in the light of your countenance.

⁹ All our days pass away because of your anger; we end our years with a sigh.

¹⁰Our days are seventy years, or eighty if we are strong.

The best of them are trouble and sorrow; they pass quickly, and we fly away.

¹¹Who knows the power of your anger, who truly fears your wrath?

¹² Teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

¹³ Turn to us, YHWH—how long? Have mercy on your servants.

¹⁴ Fill us with your love in the morning, let us rejoice in joy all our days.

¹⁵ Give us joy, compensate us for the days you afflicted us, the years we endured misery.

¹⁶ Show your deeds to your servants, make your glory known to their children.

¹⁷ Show us your mercy, Lord, our God. Confirm the work of our hands,

the work of our hands, confirm it.

"Seventy years is short," he said, "and even that I will not reach."

"A thousand years seems long to us," she replied, "and even then they will speak of you as if it were yesterday. You have freed your people from slavery and given them a glimpse of eternity."

"Can you forgive me? You and the boys?"

"I had already forgiven you when I first saw you, so beautiful you were in your anger. I always knew that the fire that burned within you could also consume us. But I'm sorry that I let my own anger grow so much that I became blind to everything you had to sacrifice to lead this people. But don't worry about our sons. They are strong; they will find their own way."

Moses continued to refuse food but was happy with the fresh water Zipporah had found. That evening, she made a fire again. Lying next to her, Moses watched the fire and how it slowly grew smaller.

"Is God a consuming fire?" Moses asked.

The gentle whisper of YHWH

I Kings 19 ¹¹ And there passed by the LORD. And there was a great and strong wind, splitting the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind there was an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake there was fire, but YHWH was not in the fire. After the fire there was the whisper of a gentle breeze.

It seemed almost as if they had arrived. Moses could no longer walk and his urine had almost stopped. How much could he still weigh? thought Zipporah. In the distance, she could still see the camp of Israel.

Moses became restless.

            "What's wrong?" she asked. She moistened his lips with a wet cloth. "What do you see?"

            "He's coming," Moses whispered hoarsely, "he's coming."

            "Do not be afraid to let go, my love, He will carry you on eagle's wings."

Moses seemed to be getting scared.

            "What is it?"

            "The wind," he said fearfully, "a storm is coming."

            "The storm will pass, my love. Just wait, He is yet to come."

He closed his eyes again, but his breathing remained uneven. Then he sought her hand as if looking for support.

            "I'm going to fall," he whispered.

            She held his hands tightly.

He began to turn his head, even sweating a little.

            "The fire," he said hoarsely, "the fire is going to burn everything."

            "God is not in that fire, Moses. Wait a little longer, He is coming."

She softly sang their love song to him.

"Tell me, my dearest,

where do you let your flock graze,

where do you let it rest at noon?"

When he had calmed down completely, she said, "Go now. He is there for you."

So she lay there with the empty shell of his body in her arms. YHWH had taken him away.

From around the corner, she could still hear his soft voice in the whisper of the wind:

"If you cannot find me,

most beautiful of all girls,

follow the trail of the herd,

graze your goats where the shepherds shelter."

*      *      *

Suggestions for reading groups

• Check in with the group and with yourself, seek stillness/humility.

• First share the story. In this chapter, Moses says goodbye to the people and hands over leadership. This takes him a month. But Zipporah also takes the initiative: she does not let Moses leave without saying goodbye. What did you read?

• Encourage, comfort, inspire. What have you had to hand over in your life, or what will you have to hand over? What is important to you in this regard, and to the people who will have to continue without you? Are people saying goodbye to you properly?

Reflecting on Deuteronomy 27-34 and Joshua 1-8, handing over leadership to the next generation 

Everything in these chapters is aimed at keeping the people faithful to God even after Moses' death. Rituals, texts on the wall, songs, and so on. It ends with chapter 8 of the book of Joshua, in the middle of the Promised Land, in which the people, fully informed, once again choose the covenant.

• Encourage, comfort, exhort. With whom have you formed bonds in your life? Have you ensured that it was and remains clear to everyone what those bonds entail? What have you organized to ensure that you remain faithful to them and keep your promises?

• Leave room for silence and contemplation. Perhaps you will "see" or "hear" something from "God." Like Moses and Zipporah, do you dare to enter into conversation with that voice? What answer wells up within you? How do you test that answer?