Vere. 1, 2.-Moses the aged, I. A MAN MAY BE HI HEALTH AND VIGOUR, YET !'AST 0APA0ITY FOR A OEP.TAIN WORK. Moses' "eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated" (eh, xxxiv. 7), yet he felt thnt he lacked the fire, the activity, the youthful energy, the elasticity of mind and body, which would have made him a suitable leader for Israel in the new pcrioo. of her history. Greatness is tested by the magnanimity with which a man long used to power is able to lay it down when he feels that his day for effective service is past. Moses harl served his generation nobly. There arose none like him. But, as !ms been said of Luther, who reached his meridian at the Diet of Worms, and whose end, had Providence pleased to remove him then, would have been like an apotheosis, "It is a law of history that every perwnality bears within it.,elt' a measure which it is not permitted to exceed" (Hagenbach). A new age was opening, and new powers were needed to do justice to its calls. The lawgiYer, the prophet, the leader of the desert march, the meek, long-enduring, deep-souled man of God must give place to one more distinctively a soldier. The calm gifts of the legislator and statesman were not those which were most required for the work of conquest ancl settlement. Moses felt this, and felt, too, that he was getting old. The old man cannot enter as a younger man would into the thoughts, circumstances, and feelings of a new time. He belongs to the past, and is limited by it. His powers have lost their freshness, and can henceforth only decriy. '!'his was Moses' situation, and he !:rad ihe dignity and wisdom to acknowledge it, and to-arrange for the appointment of a suitable successor. II. WHEN A MAN'S DAY OF SERVICE IS PAST, IT MAY BE KIND::S~SS IN GoD TO RE110VE HIM FROM THE WORLD. Moses' removal was a punishment for sin, but there was mercy concerned in it also. Long life is not always desirable. Had Moses live,l longer, he could never have been greater than he is. He might ha,·e seemed less. Shades appear in the character of Luther after it had reached its meridian above spoken of- things which disturb and annoy us. Certainly, Moses' position, wit(l Joshua as actual leader in the field, would not have been an enviable one. Joshua must increase, he must decrease. 'l'he impetuous soldier, the able strategist, the hero of the battles, would have eclipsed him in the eyes of the younger generation. He would !'eel that he had overlived himself. Fitly, therefore, is he removed before the decline of his inflncnce begins. The great thing is to have done one's work-to have ful6llecl the ends for which life was given. 'l'hat done, removal is in no case a loss, and in most cases a boon in disguise (2 'l'im. iv. 6-9). III. W'HEN THE SERVICES OF ONE MAN FArr., GoD W!LL PROVIDE FOR THE cox- TINUANCE OF BIS WORK BY RAISING UP SUCCESSORS. So Joshua was raised up to succeed Moses.-J. 0. Vers. 3-8, 23.-Joshua. Joshua a type of Jesus, the true Leader into the rest of God (Heb, iv. 8). God has given him, as formerly he gave the son of Nun, for "a Leader and Commander to the people" (Isa. Iv. 4). I. 'l'HE MAN. Joshua as leader was: 1. Divinely appointed (ver. 3). 2. Divinely led. "He doth go before thee" (ver. 8). The captain had a higher Captain (Josh. v. 14). 3. Divinely assisted. "He will be with thee" (ver. 8). Our Leader is Emmanuel -" God with us" (Matt. i. 23). 4. He was to be strong and coiirageous (ver. 7). The ground of true courage is God being with us. It is said of the Saviour," He shall not foi I nor be discouraged" (Isa. xiii. 4). 'l'he perseverance of the Saviour is as deserving of consideration as the perseverance of the saints. II. His WORK. While Joshua's and the people's, it was still more God's work (vers. 3, 4). With Josh mi as leader: 1. The enemy would be o,·erthrown (vers. 3-6). 2. All opposition would lle overcome. 3. He would conduct. the _pe?ple un~o t~e land of their inheritance (ver. 7). 4. He would cause them to mhent 1t (ver. , ), i.e. settle them in their possessions. Christ in like manner has overthrown the enemy (Uol. ii. 15) • has won an inheritance for his people (Col. i. 12); in his victory they are enabled to 'overcome the world (John xvi. 33; 1 John iv. 4); his cause is steadily 486 THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY. [err. Xlll. 1-30.
triumph in,:: he is conducting, and has already conducted, many sons to glory (Hcb. ii. 10).--,J. 0.