Death of Moses

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on the Chosen People. Jocobed and Miriam hurried to the shore, their feet slipping on the wet reeds. The baby was nestled in the basket, his tiny face serene despite the danger that surrounded him. Jokobed's hands trembled as she placed the basket into the water, her heart breaking with each breath. 00:00:25 Speaker 2: My sweep, boy, my child, I pray that our God will protect you. 00:00:31 Speaker 3: I fear I can't anymore. 00:00:33 Speaker 2: I have to believe there's something greater for you, my son. 00:00:37 Speaker 4: I have to believe. 00:00:39 Speaker 2: All the newborn sons in Goshen have been thrown into the Nile, yet this boy remained. He is a gift, a symbol of victory. 00:00:50 Speaker 1: What will you name? 00:00:51 Speaker 2: His name shall be Moses. Because I drew him out of the water. 00:00:57 Speaker 5: I will strike doull the b us. My chosen will know my hand and my heart. No rise, Moses, for it is you that I have chosen to send. 00:01:15 Speaker 6: Who am I to do this task? I'm a rogue Egyptian and a former prince. They won't follow me there, Ah, I'm look good for this. You're the wrong man, Rameses. This is not a request. Let my people go. 00:01:37 Speaker 4: Look at them, Look at the Egyptians hungry for your flesh. After this day you will never see them again. Stand firm, reject the fear gripping your hearts. Stand firm and behold the salvation of the Lord. 00:01:56 Speaker 6: He will fight for you. 00:02:01 Speaker 1: Moses opened his eyes, planted his foot firmly on the rock below, and raised his staff. The breath of God blew from behind his chosen people. The wind cut through the sea like a razor, dividing the waters into two great walls, with try Land between them. 00:02:23 Speaker 4: Run stepardy of freedom. 00:02:28 Speaker 1: Moses found that unbidden, As if drawn by some force, his gaze kept returning to the mountaintop that loomed before their camp. It was the mount that stood between their camp and the land of Canaan Mount. 00:02:43 Speaker 3: Nebo, is it time enough? 00:02:52 Speaker 1: The warm breeze of the morning again tickled Moses's face. He closed his eyes, leaned into a touch again, and waited for the Lord's response. 00:03:04 Speaker 5: Yes, Yes, the time is drawing, Neo Moses. 00:03:12 Speaker 7: Click the link of the description to grow closer to God. There you'll find daily prayers, Bible plans, sleep stories, and so much more, all on the prey dot Com app. Click the link of the description to get started. 00:03:27 Speaker 1: Moses final song and blessings to the twelve Tribes of Israel were still ringing in Joshua's ears as he watched the lone figure walk shore and steady toward the mountain. Joshua sat perched on a boulder just outside of the camp, where the looming peak of Nebo invaded the entire expanse before him. His hands itch to grab his dagger and find something to carve, anything to keep his hands busy, and his mind distracted from the foreboding grief straining to be released from the depths of his soul, but he forced himself to keep his eyes fixed on what would be the last glimpse of his beloved friend and mental Joshua strained his eyes until they hurt to keep the diminishing speck on the horizon in view, but finally he had to admit defeat. Moses was gone. Long after Moses disappeared, Joshua stayed. The sun dipped below the horizon, hurling the world into darkness. Long shadows stretched and reached for Joshua on his perch, and the absence of the sun's rays brought a sharp late spring chill that sat the strength from his bones. The grief that had been pressing against his resolve all day again threatened to break free from the careful restraints he had set up to keep his composure around the others. He should go back to the warmth of the fires and the comforting presence of his friends, but he could not bring himself to move. Instead, he embraced the sadness, the loneliness. He didn't want to hold back his emotions any longer, and it was only out there in solitude that he could truly feel the depths of his pain. Tears held at bay fell freely now, and Joshua buried his head in his hands. Moses last public words to him reverberated in Joshua's mind over the sound of his gasping breath and sobs. 00:05:43 Speaker 4: Be strong and courageous, for you will go these people and the land the. 00:05:47 Speaker 3: Lord's ware to give to their ancestors. 00:05:50 Speaker 6: You will enable them to tea wills. 00:05:54 Speaker 3: The Lord is the one who will go. 00:05:57 Speaker 5: He will be willing, he will not leave. 00:06:00 Speaker 8: Or about not being read discouraged. 00:06:05 Speaker 1: They were the words Moses knew Joshua needed to hear. He had found his identity in following Moses for many many years. He must have known that without him, Joshua would feel lost, and so Moses reminded him that it was the Lord, had always been the Lord who was going before them. Moses hadn't listed all of Joshua's accomplishments or all he had learned that would qualify him for this mantle, only that he was to follow the Lord, and that Joshua could do. Joshua had spent his life being faithful to moses mission and had no intention of setting it aside. He would not be afraid, He would not allow himself to be discouraged. Moses had spent his final hours with his sons, their wives, and their Joshua imagined that Moses took solace in seeing Israel's bright future reflected in his grandchildren's faces. Joshua desired the vision that Moses had painted for the men and women of Israel, for all of their children to be a holy nation, prospering, multiplying, and thriving in the land their God had given them. Moses met with his council one final time before he departed for the mountain. He ensured that the law and all that he had spoken today to the crowd was recorded, and then. 00:07:37 Speaker 5: That was it. 00:07:38 Speaker 1: He said farewell to each of them in turn, Joshua last of all, and then he left. Moses embraced him like a son, and there was an understanding and profound love between them. There would always be more to say, more to do, but moses mission was now complete. All that was left for him to do was to go to the mountain, as the Lord instructed him, and there he would behold the land that was to become Israel's forever possession. Moses seemed at peace, almost excited to at last see the land they had all been dreaming about for the last forty years. The crunch of approaching footsteps shook Joshua out of his memory. Before lifting his head, he had a feeling he knew. 00:08:31 Speaker 3: Who it was. 00:08:32 Speaker 8: You are. You are with brother. 00:08:36 Speaker 1: Joshua nodded curtly to buy himself another moment to compose himself, and did not meet his eyes. Caleb, loyal as ever, nodded in understanding, and Joshua felt him come to stand comfortingly by his side. After clearing his throat and wiping away the tears, Joshua finally looked at Caleb in his arms were kindling for a fire and a wool blanket. The sun had fully set by now, and the stars smiled down on them. It was almost as if they too were moved by this thoughtful gesture. Joshua rasped out his thanks, a little embarrassed by how weak his voice had been made from the tears. 00:09:21 Speaker 3: Thank you, Caleb. 00:09:22 Speaker 1: Caleb gave him a warm smile, weaker than his usual winsome grin, but they had never experienced a day quite like this before. Joshua was not sure of what to say, or even what to talk about. He felt wrung out and exhausted. The weariness of grief so strangely familiar to the depletion one felt after a battle, But instead of the ravenous hunger that accompanied physical exertion, he felt empty. He felt hollow. But Caleb mercifully did not ask Joshua anything. He placed the blanket next Joshua on the rock, a passive gesture. He was allowing Joshua the space to decide whether he wanted to accept this kindness or engage at all. He then set to wordlessly building a fire before them. The sparks quickly sprang to life under Caleb's deft and careful hands. Caleb took a step back when it was roaring, and again stood at Joshua's side. The fire's light drew both men's gaze, and they stared into its warmth for a while. Caleb sat heavily sighing. After a few more moments of comfortable silence between two dear friends, Joshua spoke at last. He answered Caleb's unspoken question to the fire before them without looking up at him. 00:10:49 Speaker 3: I suppose I thought I would feel different. I felt our guard in a way that I've never experienced before when Moses laid his hand on me before the people. Even now I feel an acute awareness of his presence within me. It is comforting. 00:11:04 Speaker 1: But Caleb waited patiently for Joshua to continue. 00:11:08 Speaker 3: But all the wisdom from heaven hasn't made this any easier. Even knowing this day would calm I. I have never known a grief like this. 00:11:16 Speaker 1: Caleb nodded in quiet solidarity, though he didn't understand the full breadth of what Joshua meant. No one truly ever would. That was perhaps the most isolating realization of all. There was no one to share this mantle with The Lord had tasked Joshua with this next mission, and Joshua alone, stepping into the colossal legacy Moses had left in his wake, was overwhelming. 00:11:45 Speaker 8: None of us have non grief quite like this. To us, Moses was more myth than ma'am. He was a relief to our bondage, an answer to our prayers. We are all that's left from that time. We better than any one else, understand the significance of what Moses did for us, and so God has tased another to continue what Moses started. God has tasked you with this mission to carry us into the next stage of this journey. 00:12:36 Speaker 1: Joshua nodded his head at Caleb's words and drew his legs into his chest. He felt the tears he thought were spent well up again. He kept his silver lined eyes fixed on the dancing flames before them. 00:12:52 Speaker 8: But that is to Morrow's task. To day to day we grieve. We grieve for the man, not the myth. For the Lord's mission will continue without Moses. Nothing can stop the will of God, but we would we would be remiss if we didn't take the time to grieve his absence from our lives. 00:13:26 Speaker 5: I know you. 00:13:30 Speaker 1: You knew him. 00:13:31 Speaker 8: Better than most. You saw his unguarded moments, the man beyond the speeches and the miracles. You will be remembered for all of that, and then so, but tell me, tell me of the man that you knew. 00:13:56 Speaker 1: Joshua's throat tightened again with grief. Was grateful for Kleb's patient tactics of steering him back to acknowledging how truly deep this paternal loss was for Joshua. Another silence stretched between Joshua and Caleb. The fire crackled in the quiet, and Kleb stood to place another log on it to keep feeding its hungry blaze. Kleb broke the silence as he sat back down beside Joshua. 00:14:27 Speaker 8: Do you know what? I keep thinking about whether or not I could accept not being allowed to enter cana And I don't. Moses said he had, and I believe him, but more more for myself, could I accept it? We watched an entire generation parish before we even reached the shores of the border lands of Canaan. Our faith was our salvation, our confidence be as strong. If we didn't have that reassurance from God, how would I feel about the journey if I didn't have the promise of the reward at the end. This is surprisingly introspective of you, Caleb. Do I not have the capacity for doubt the same as any man? I know? I know it was my faith that saved me, But I still wonder at the possibilities of what could have been if I'd allowed the fear of the others to rattle me. Ah, how different my life would have been from my wife, from my daughter. 00:15:50 Speaker 1: Joshua watched as Caleb shouted at the thought. Caleb and his wife finally conceived a child after many, many years of barrenness, born into this new wilderness generation. His daughter, Axar was the light of his life. She was her father's daughter in many ways, irresistibly, likable, and clever. Joshua considered how to respond to his friend's heavy questions. 00:16:17 Speaker 3: Well, I suppose if we knew that there was a reward for keeping our faith, it wouldn't have required faith, no, true And I suppose that acceptance is found in what you told me earlier. Moses told us in his speech to Day that God only gave him one command, go before Pharaoh and lead his people out of Egypt. You and I may struggle with it, but appears that Moses accepted that he was ultimately faithful to what God called him to do. That's all any of us can do, be faithful to what's in front of us, without the guarantee of what is to come next. 00:16:55 Speaker 1: Caleb smiled at Joshua's wisdom. He then recited a different portion of Moses's speech, the very part Joshua had been reflecting on before Caleb arrived and built the fire. 00:17:07 Speaker 8: The Lord is the one who will go before you. He will be with you. He will not leave you or abandon you. 00:17:19 Speaker 3: Hmm. 00:17:21 Speaker 1: A smile pulled at Joshua's lips, and he finished moses words. 00:17:26 Speaker 3: So do not be afraid or discouraged. 00:17:29 Speaker 1: Joshua and Caleb kept their somber vigil late into the night, sometimes talking, sometimes not, until the hesitant pre dawned sunlight began to gently outline the mighty mountains before them. They both watched as the pink orange hue steadily expanded into the sky, as if the mountain itself was the foothold of its ascent into the heavens. Moses had paused to catch his breath on his long trek to the top of Mount Nebo. He was winded, but to his amazement, no more winded than he was when he climbed Mount Sinai, or even Mount haw where he buried his brother Aaron. God had kept his mind, eyes and body sharp all these years, despite his advanced age. But Moses was tired. He was ready, He was at peace. But he had enough vigor to reach this mountain summit to behold Israel's future. Moses leaned into his staff and resumed his climb. Just as the top of his head crested the last peak and the ground before him leveled out, the sun's light exploded into the eager morning sky. The timid rays had been steadily saturating his surroundings for the last few minutes, but now the sun had risen in earnest Moses. His staff clunked as it hit the rocky clearing of the mountain's summit, a natural viewing platform for the land below. As Moses saw the land below, his mouth fell open and his hard soared at the panoramic view. In all their people's stories, the bards attempted to describe the beauty of Eden. Moses knew that humanity would pine and long for the beauty and purity of Eden from now until eternity. But Moses imagined that it may have looked something like this. 00:19:38 Speaker 5: A glimmering blue. 00:19:39 Speaker 1: Expanse on the horizon dominated the furthest reaches of the landscape. The Great Sea. It seemed boundless. It stretched the length of the land before him, on and on and on. It seemed to go on forever to Moses. Left to the south, a rolling hill country gave way to the vast, arid desert, the Negev, the desert that contained all the Israelites, wandering, suffering, refining and rebuilding their furnace and grinding stone, a place of many failures, but also where hope was forged through countless trials. To Moses, right to the north, a mountainous region was nestled between the Great Sea and a smaller body of water that fed the Jordan River, the Sea of Kinnareth. On the eastern banks of the Jordan stretched the highlands, the rugged terrain, eventually giving way to distant mountains on the northern horizon. In the center of the land, what would be the heart of Israel, were gently rolling hills, the created natural steps in the earth. Moses kept turning over his right shoulder to the east and what now lay behind him, and saw fertile land the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of Manassa claimed as their inheritance above the Moabite plains. He could understand why they greedily wanted to claim it for themselves. The land was good, but they didn't grasp that waiting to enter the promised land would be worth it, for what awaited them was great. The rushing Jordan River, out in front of moses vantage point, fed streams and watered the land in the valley, making it a vibrant, lush green that sustained the cities and towns below. Teeming with the promise of abundance. A great walled city adorned with palm trees stood revally in the heart of the valley, just a short distance from the mighty river, the famed city of Jericho. The river divided the land from the plains of Moab, seeming to guard the promised land as its branches flowed north to the mountains and south to feed the salt sea. Moses staggered back to see the land of promise was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. He stretched out his arms in wonder, staff clattering to the ground, and spun slowly in a circle to marvel at. 00:22:23 Speaker 5: All of it once more. 00:22:25 Speaker 1: In this moment of ecstasy at what awaited his people, the familiar and beloved voice of the Lord came to him. 00:22:36 Speaker 5: This is the land I promised Abraham, I seek and Jacob, and I will fulfill that promise by giving it to your people, the descendants of my servant Abraham. 00:22:50 Speaker 1: Moses dropped to his knees and bowed low before the Lord. Breathless, he struggled to express his gratitude of being granted access to the invigorating vision. 00:23:02 Speaker 3: I have had a loss for words. 00:23:06 Speaker 1: Thank you. Regret this bois Moses felt the Lord's compassionate and merciful acknowledgment. He then gently spoke again to this servant. 00:23:19 Speaker 5: I have now let you see it with your own eyes, and you know you will not cross into it. I have also appointed Joshua, son of Nune, to lead my people in your stead. I have placed some of your authority on him so that my people will obey him. I have even filled him with my spirit of wisdom. I have delivered my Lord to my people, and my priests are teaching them my ways. My task for you is now complete. Come now rest with your father's and come be with me, For it is where you blow. 00:24:03 Speaker 1: The truth of the Lord's words echoed in Moses's heart like joints fitting together, or yarn spun into a fine tapestry. This was always meant to be. Moses was so overwhelmed by the completeness, the rightness, the wholeness he was experiencing in the presence of his God, that he found there was nothing left to say on this side of heaven. He released his grip on life and fell into the loving embrace of the God who had called him by name a lifetime ago. The words of his song, the song he sang before all of Israel on his last day, ran out over the mountain and were carried by the wind as it swept through the promised Land. 00:24:55 Speaker 3: Who blamed the name of the Lord as gri less. Up to our God, Jeez, the mark his. 00:25:04 Speaker 6: Work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of truth and without injustice, Righteous and. 00:25:14 Speaker 8: Upright is he. 00:25:18 Speaker 7: If today's reading moved you, the pray dot Com app is where you can go deeper with daily prayers, Bible plans, and more download at free link in the description. 00:25:28 Speaker 1: This Prey dot Com production is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People. Narrated by Paul Caltefianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland Junior, Rosanna Pilcher, and Mitch Leshinsky. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Aaron Salvato, Bree Rosalie, and Chris bag You can hear more Prey dot com productions on the Prey dot Com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People, please rate and leave a review,