Lesson 46 - Elementary

Memory Verse

"Lo, I am with you alway"  (Matthew 28:20).

Notes

God's Goodness to the People

God had been very patient with the people who complained against Him and against Moses so very often. God had given them water when they needed it, and manna for food. He had taken such good care of them that their clothes and their shoes had not worn out all those years. When they complained and disobeyed and God needed to punish them, Moses would pray for them and ask God to have mercy on them; and God would forgive them. Moses could do that because he loved and obeyed God. God forgave them because He loved Moses.

Near the Promised Land Again

After many years of troubles and discouraging wanderings in the wilderness, they had come back to the place where they were to cross the Jordan River and come into the good land that God had promised to give them.

But God told Moses that because he had made a great mistake when he struck the rock twice to get water when God had said, "Speak ye unto the rock” [NUM:20:8]), he could not take the people into the good land. God said Moses would die.

Moses Called to Heaven

The people had often complained about the food and the water and the hard travelling, and had caused Moses much sorrow; but the people seemed to love him and he loved them, and had been with them a long time. After he was taken from the little basket on the river he was in the king's house 40 years. Then he was in a lonely place 40 years, taking care of sheep and cattle, when God called him to come and lead the people out of their hard life in Egypt and to the good land he had for them. He had led the people nearly 40 years and was an old man. Even though he had been a good man and had always obeyed God, when he made a sad mistake God had to punish him for it.

God told Moses that He would take him to the top of the mountain and show him the wonderful land to which they had been travelling all those years, but Moses would not be the one to take the people into it. Then Moses died, and the Bible tells us that God buried him. No one has ever found his grave.

Moses was 120 years old when he died. God said that there never was another prophet like Moses whom the Lord knew face to face. God loved Moses because Moses loved God and obeyed Him and with the exception of this one instance was faithful in what God told him to do.

Joshua Chosen

Joshua had been a faithful worker with Moses and now God called him to be the leader of the people. God told Joshua that as he had been with Moses so He would also be with Joshua. This must have been a great encouragement to Joshua, because he knew he had a hard task before him. The people did not always obey God.

God told Joshua to be brave, and he would go with him wherever he went. Then He told Joshua to take the people across the Jordan River into the good new home He had for them.

Obedience Promised

When Joshua told the people what God had said to him, they said that they would do just what Joshua told them to do, and they asked God to bless Joshua as he had blessed Moses. But they sometimes forgot their promises.

Questions

1. Did Moses get to go over into the Promised Land? [DEU:34:4].

2. Who buried Moses when he died? [DEU:34:6].

3. Who took the place of Moses as leader of the people? [JOS:1:1-2].

4. What promises did the Lord make to Joshua? [JOS:1:5].

5. Did the people obey Joshua? [JOS:1:16-17].