Time to Pass the Torch—Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost 22A/Proper 25A (Deuteronomy 34)
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| Death of Moses by Frank Wesley |
Deuteronomy 34:1-12 New Revised Standard Version Updated
Edition
34 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, 2 all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, 3 the Negeb, and the Plain—that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees—as far as Zoar. 4 The Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” 5 Then Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord’s command. 6 He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. 7 Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired, and his vigor had not abated. 8 The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.
9 Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him, and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the Lord had commanded Moses.
10 Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. 11 He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, 12 and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
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In July
of 2021, I officially retired from my ministry of thirteen years at a Disciples
of Christ congregation. While I’m not finished with ministry, when it comes to
that congregation, I stepped away so that new leadership could be called. In
line with the theme of my 2019 sabbatical, I had taken the congregation to the
river, but I wasn’t going to cross the river with them. I share this because I
have a certain appreciation for Moses’ situation. While Deuteronomy tells a
different version of the movement of Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised
Land than the one we’ve been following in the readings from Exodus, the stories
of the journey to this point set up nicely this reading from Deuteronomy 34.
As we
come to the end of Moses’ ministry (and death), we are reminded that every
community goes through leadership transitions. I only served for thirteen
years. Moses apparently served for forty with the same congregation. He even
had to travel with them following a rather circuitous path. This final story
tells of the transition from Moses to Joshua, along with Moses’ death (and
burial in a place unknown to anyone by God). Although Moses had his share of
problems, he persevered. Thus, it is clear that Joshua has big shoes to fill as
he gets ready to lead the people across the Jordan into the Promised Land. Joshua’s
mission is different from that of Moses, but it builds on his predecessor's
leadership, as is often true in pastoral transitions (at least I hope I
provided something for my successor to work with). What is true to this point
is that Moses had invested his entire self into this work that enabled the
people to leave slavery, cross a desert, and arrive at the edge of the land
promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Now it was time to pass the torch.
This
final chapter of Deuteronomy is a powerful reminder that all things come to an
end. Moses had a long, fruitful, and at times challenging ministry. He remained
faithful to his call. But there came a time when he needed to let go of the
reins and let someone else take the community across the river into the
Promised Land. Although, as we read in the Book of Exodus, the people didn’t
always make Moses’ life easy, he prevailed. While God might have gotten frustrated
(yes in Exodus God gets frustrated), God remained faithful to the covenant
promises. You would think Moses would get to cross over into the Promised Land,
even if only for a short time. After all, these were his people, the people
Moses formed as they wandered in the Wilderness. But according to the account
in Deuteronomy, his journey ended at the river.
Moses did get to see the Promised
Land but from a distance. We’re told that Moses climbed to the top of Mount
Nebo on the Plains of Moab. From that vantage point, God showed Moses the whole
land of promise. He could see the land as far as the Western Sea
(Mediterranean) to the west and Dan in the north. He saw Jericho and the land
of Judah. The LORD said to Moses “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham,
to Issac, and to Jacob” and to their descendants.
What a grand sight that would be. Perhaps,
like me, you’ve climbed a few mountains in your time and looked out across the land.
It can be exhilarating (and I’ve not climbed the highest mountains in the
regions where I’ve lived). For Moses to look across the river and see what lay
ahead, but not get to experience it, would have been humbling. That’s
especially true since according to the Deuteronomist, Moses hadn’t lost his
eyesight or his vigor. He might be old, but he was still healthy. Eugene
Peterson’s translation of this passage suggests that “he still walked with a
spring in his step” (Deut. 34:7 MSG). In other words, Moses wasn’t ready
to retire. He still had lots of energy and could easily have led the people
across the river. But it appears that
God had different plans. Again, it was time to pass the torch to a new
generation of leaders (we hear that a lot in the political realm, don’t we?).
Having retired, but still having lots of energy, I can understand how Moses
might have felt. Of course, I made that decision on my own, while Moses seemed
to have been given an ultimatum. While I continue with life, preaching and
writing and participating in the life of the larger church and world, after
Moses viewed the Promised Land, despite his vigor, he died. It appears that he
died not of old age but because God commanded it. We’re told that no one knows
where Moses was buried because God took care of the details. Yes, God buried
Moses somewhere on the plains of Moab.
Because God buried Moses in an unmarked grave somewhere on the plains of Moab, such that no one knew where he was buried, there was and is no pilgrimage site. That’s interesting because we value pilgrimage sites. During the Medieval period, relics of the saints were often gathered and placed in cathedrals, making them destinations. During a trip to Europe, we paid a visit to the cathedral in Cologne, where the remains of the Magi are said to rest. I even lit a candle in their honor. It seemed the right thing to do. But as for Moses, there isn’t a place to light a candle. He had his job. He did it well. He got the people to the edge of the river, but now it was time for another to take the lead. His name was Joshua, son of Nun. Before Joshua led the people across the river, the people mourned the death of their leader for thirty days there on the plains of Moab. Why do they grieve? They grieve because Moses lived an incomparable life. No one was like him. He alone knew God face to face. He performed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt and along the way. He was powerful, and yet he did have his limitations. Brent Strawn puts it this way:
Moses comes close to living the perfect human life. But even perfect lives, as Job would insist, are never free of tragedy—perhaps because they are, finally, only human. Moses is incomparable, to be sure, but he is buried in an unknown tomb (34:6). Moses is unrivaled, without doubt, but the time for his mourning is over. New leadership—empowered by Moses—is now in place. [Strawn, “Deuteronomy,” in Theological Bible Commentary (p. 76). Kindle Edition].
Yes, Moses’ ministry had come to an end, though he was
unrivaled in his leadership and power. But a time comes for all of us when we
must pass the torch.
This
season after Pentecost has allowed us to follow the story of God’s act of
liberation of the people of Israel from bondage in Egypt, as well as their
journey toward the Promised Land under the leadership of Moses. The journey was
long (much longer than you would expect) and arduous. But they got to the
river. Now it was time to cross over. That honor would fall to another, a man
named Joshua, who was Moses’ designated successor. We’re told that Joshua was “full
of the spirit of wisdom.” That is because Moses laid hands on him. In laying
hands on Joshua, Moses essentially ordained him to this new ministry. As he
ordained him through the laying on of hands, he transferred the Spirit of
wisdom that had been present with him through his entire ministry to Joshua.
Something similar takes place in a
different story. Although Saul didn’t lay hands on David, passing the Spirit of
wisdom and leadership on to him, we’re told that when Samuel laid hands on
David, anointing him as king, the spirit of leadership passed from Saul to
David though David did not take up the monarchy until Saul’s death (1 Samuel 16:1-13).
In the case of Joshua, by laying hands on Joshua, Moses designated him as his
successor as leader of the people, even though Joshua wouldn’t take up that
role until after Moses’ death.
With the death of Moses what we
call the Pentateuch comes to an end. A new chapter begins with the book of
Joshua. There is a river yet to be crossed. That story has its own challenges.
But these challenges must wait until we cross the river with Joshua. In the
meantime, we’re invited to remember Moses and his ministry. We both grieve the
loss and celebrate the good work done by him, for as the Deuteronomist reminds
us, there was no one like him from that day to the present. Of course,
Christians would want to add, until Jesus came on the scene!
What is important here for the
Deuteronomist is that the covenant made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel)
remained in force. Even if the people
might at times be stubborn, and even Moses might have his days when he wanted
to step down, they got to the river, even if the adult generation that left
Egypt didn’t get to cross over. That would be left to the next generation, led
by Joshua (Deut. 1:34-40).
When we consider the leadership
that Moses gave to the people, he served several roles. At times it was a
priestly role as he engaged in conversation with God on behalf of the people,
even if Aaron was the designated priest. He was also a prophet who spoke to the
people on behalf of God. Ultimately, his leadership was charismatic in
orientation, for it was Spirit-inspired and Spirit-empowered. In other words,
Moses took on the roles necessary at the moment. He was a prophet, ruler,
judge, military leader, and priest. He exercised all these roles through the
Spirit of Wisdom that dwelt within him. This Spirit of Wisdom would now be
passed on to Joshua. Of Moses’ life and ministry, Deanna Thompson writes: “Even
in his broken, incomplete, limited human condition, he served as a vehicle for
God’s redemptive action in the world.” Indeed, both the “tragedy and hope that
defines Moses’ life is likely at the heart of why he continues to live on in
the theological imaginations of Jews and Christians to this day” [Deuteronomy (Belief), p. 244]. Like Moses, Martin Luther King also climbed a
mountain and looked across to the other side, knowing he might not make it
across the river. As Dr. King shared in that sermon on the night before he was
assassinated, he was comfortable with this reality because he had seen the
Promised Land. Thus, Deanna Thompson writes of Moses and the "lives of
other Moseses, throughout history like Martin Luther King, Jr., we hold the
tragic elements of their lives—and their deaths—together with the ways in which
they participated in God's redeeming action in the world" [Thompson, Deuteronomy,
p. 246].
As we ponder this story that tells
of the ending of Moses’ life and ministry, with the passing of the torch to
Joshua, we can see in him a model of leadership. He remains faithful despite
all the odds because he remains in communion with God. When the time came to
let go of the reins, he did so. That is a good reminder to those of us who have
retired, that no matter how much we’ve invested in a community of faith when
the time comes to pass the torch, we need to truly pass the torch and let the
next generation cross the river so that the journey of faith might continue
into the future.
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