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The Life of a True Servant - The Book of Numbers & Deuteronomy · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Be strong and of good courage. Fear not, nor be
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  Speaker 1: afraid of them. For the Lord thy God, He it
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  Speaker 1: is that doth go with thee. He will not fail thee,
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  Speaker 1: nor forsake thee. Deuteronomy 31.6 Dear God, as the words
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  Speaker 1: of Numbers and Deuteronomy ring loud in my ear, I
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  Speaker 1: will remember that life and death stand before me each day.
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  Speaker 1: As a new day dawns, blessings and cursing are before me,
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  Speaker 1: and I will choose the path of blessings. I declare
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  Speaker 1: that I will not stray from your commands, Lord, for
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  Speaker 1: in them I find life and life everlasting. Because of
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  Speaker 1: my devotion to you, you will promote me in front
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  Speaker 1: of your children. You will make public declaration that you
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  Speaker 1: have qualified me by your heart. and not by words, standards,
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  Speaker 1: and accolades. Like Joshua, I will be strong and courageous.
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  Speaker 1: I will walk with Godfidence, because you've promised me you'd
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  Speaker 1: be with me. Thank you for the Moses in my life,
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  Speaker 1: who have gone before me and have passed the baton
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  Speaker 1: into my hands. Let my life be a living memorial
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  Speaker 1: to the dedication and diligence of the mighty men and
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  Speaker 1: women of faith who have gone before me. I'm ready.
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  Speaker 1: I can do this. In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for making prayer a priority in your day.
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  Speaker 1: To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story.
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  Speaker 1: Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 3: The life of a true servant. In our last story,
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  Speaker 3: we learned how Balaam was unable to curse Israel, but
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  Speaker 3: instead blessed them three times. He prophesied from God and
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  Speaker 3: spoke blessings and truth over them. Finally, he spoke of
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  Speaker 3: an all-powerful one that would come from Israel, a shining
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  Speaker 3: star from Jacob. In this story, we learn about the
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  Speaker 3: passing of Moses, his final words before God, and how
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  Speaker 3: Joshua became the new leader to lead the Israelites into
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  Speaker 3: the promised land, as inspired by the book of Numbers
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  Speaker 3: and Deuteronomy.
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  Speaker 2: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
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  Speaker 2: in a Year podcast. In yesterday's episode, we heard the
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  Speaker 2: story of Balaam, who after his encounter with God had
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  Speaker 2: a changed heart, and no longer sought to curse Israel
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  Speaker 2: for his own personal gain, but rather blessed the nation
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  Speaker 2: God had chosen. Our passage ended with a prophecy from
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  Speaker 2: Balaam of one who would come from Israel and shine
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  Speaker 2: bright as a star and bless the whole world. Today
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  Speaker 2: we move ahead many years to the final days of Moses,
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  Speaker 2: the great leader God has used for so many years
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  Speaker 2: to guide his people out of Egypt and through the desert.
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  Speaker 2: We'll also learn of the leader who was to come
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  Speaker 2: after him, a young man we've met before who desired
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  Speaker 2: to follow God and to live in his presence. Let's
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  Speaker 2: listen now to today's reading.
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  Speaker 3: It was still evening when the Lord spoke to Moses.
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  Speaker 3: The stars spread across the skies like a tapestry. Moses,
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  Speaker 3: now 120 years old, slept in his tent soundly. Dawn
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  Speaker 3: was approaching, and God spoke to Moses in the quiet, saying,
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  Speaker 3: Go up to the mountains. and I will let you
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  Speaker 3: gaze upon the land I have promised Israel. Even though
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  Speaker 3: you may not enter it, I shall let you see
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  Speaker 3: the fruit of your labor before you die. Moses had
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  Speaker 3: already accepted his fate and was going to welcome death gracefully. However,
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  Speaker 3: he was still concerned about the people of Israel. Moses,
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  Speaker 3: still lying in his bed, spoke to the Lord, saying,
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  Speaker 3: God of body and soul, Appoint a man from among
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  Speaker 3: the people who shall lead, for they will be like
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  Speaker 3: sheep without a shepherd. Moses was a shepherd after all,
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  Speaker 3: and he had come to realize the people of Israel
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  Speaker 3: were no different than sheep in need of guidance and love.
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  Speaker 3: God spoke to Moses, Take Joshua, who has my spirit,
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  Speaker 3: and lay your hand on him to bless him. Make
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  Speaker 3: him stand before Eleazar the priest and commission him. As
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  Speaker 3: dawn broke, Moses gathered Joshua, Eleazar, and the congregation of Israel.
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  Speaker 3: Moses looked at the people of Israel, God's sheep, their
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  Speaker 3: hopeful faces shone from the rising sun. Moses' heart welled
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  Speaker 3: with love, hope, and sadness. He rose his hand and
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  Speaker 3: spoke his final blessings over them. Hear me, sweet children
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  Speaker 3: of Israel. Blessings and curses stand before you. Every day
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  Speaker 3: there will be a choice to choose between life and death,
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  Speaker 3: hope and hopelessness, good and evil. If you listen closely
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  Speaker 3: to the voice of God and obey his commands, he
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  Speaker 3: will restore your souls. He will circumcise your heart as
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  Speaker 3: he did your bodies. Love the Lord your God with
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  Speaker 3: all your soul and you will prosper. Your enemies will
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  Speaker 3: be cursed and all you do will succeed. for God
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  Speaker 3: will take delight in you as he did your forefathers.
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  Speaker 3: Keep his commands close to your hearts. The afternoon had come,
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  Speaker 3: and Moses continued to speak to Israel with a contented
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  Speaker 3: smile on his face. I am 120 years old today.
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  Speaker 3: I am no longer able to keep myself upright. The
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  Speaker 3: Lord will go before you and lead. He will vanquish
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  Speaker 3: every nation that opposes you. Moses then held the shoulder
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  Speaker 3: of Joshua and brought him before the people. Joshua will
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  Speaker 3: lead you as the head. Be strong and courageous. Fear
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  Speaker 3: no one, for God will not leave you or forsake you.
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  Speaker 3: The people cheered as the final words of Moses struck
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  Speaker 3: the collective chord of Israel. Hope filled the crowd like
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  Speaker 3: an overflowing well. Moses turned to Joshua, holding his head
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  Speaker 3: close to his own. Be strong and have courage, he
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  Speaker 3: said to Joshua. It is God who goes before you.
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  Speaker 3: He will be with you. He will not leave you.
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  Speaker 3: Do not fear anything. Moses' voice cracked as he held
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  Speaker 3: back tears. Joshua looked deeply into the eyes of Moses,
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  Speaker 3: the eyes of a man blessed by God. After this,
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  Speaker 3: Moses said his final blessings over Israel. He spoke to
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  Speaker 3: them as a tender and loving father. Tears streamed down
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  Speaker 3: their faces as they listened in silence. After Moses said
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  Speaker 3: his prayers and blessings over Israel, he sang over them.
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  Speaker 3: His voice was old and raspy, but the people were
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  Speaker 3: enraptured by every word. They swayed to the song, smiling.
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  Speaker 3: Moses sang to God, and in that moment, his heart
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  Speaker 3: for the Lord was pouring out onto all the people listening.
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  Speaker 3: The deep well of connection was now overflowing, and the
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  Speaker 3: people rejoiced. The sun began its descent. Moses then climbed
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  Speaker 3: up the plains of Moab towards Mount Nebo. There, at
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  Speaker 3: the peak, the Lord showed Moses the entire land. God
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  Speaker 3: mapped out the countryside before him, making mention of where
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  Speaker 3: all the twelve tribes would dwell. This is the land
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  Speaker 3: I swore to Abraham, God said gently. Even though you
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  Speaker 3: will not step foot in it, I have allowed you
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  Speaker 3: to see it. The setting sun painted the sky a
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  Speaker 3: deep orange. The land was golden. A strong breeze galloped
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  Speaker 3: across the plains up towards the mountain and blew Moses'
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  Speaker 3: hair back. He could not take his eyes off Canaan.
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  Speaker 3: Since that infamous day he met God as a burning bush,
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  Speaker 3: Moses had dreamed of the day he would finally see it.
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  Speaker 3: The land, flowing with milk and honey, Tears fell from Moses' cheeks.
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  Speaker 3: He smiled and continued to look towards the countryside. As
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  Speaker 3: the golden rays dimmed below the horizon, Moses breathed his
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  Speaker 3: last breath and was joined with God for all eternity.
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  Speaker 3: The people mourned and looked to Joshua for guidance, and
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  Speaker 3: God blessed Joshua and filled him with a courageous spirit.
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  Speaker 3: Thus the days of Moses came to a close. The
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  Speaker 3: man God had chosen to lead his people out of
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  Speaker 3: captivity had died. One day, a leader greater than Moses
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  Speaker 3: would lead God's children out of captivity from their sin.
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  Speaker 3: The sting of death would split in half, just as
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  Speaker 3: the Red Sea. He would be the greater Moses. So
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  Speaker 3: Israel waited hundreds of years until his arrival.
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  Speaker 2: We open today's story with Moses, who is now 120
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  Speaker 2: years old. He has lived under the discipline of God
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  Speaker 2: because he spoke to the rock angrily and took credit
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  Speaker 2: for the water that flowed. God said, you will never
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  Speaker 2: enter the promised land. And yet God extended grace and
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  Speaker 2: peace to Moses in the final days of his life.
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  Speaker 2: Though he would never enter the land of promise, God
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  Speaker 2: would show Moses the land that he would give to Israel.
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  Speaker 2: Moses served God faithfully for decades, leading a stiff-necked people
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  Speaker 2: with both strength and humility. God tells him he'll soon
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  Speaker 2: join his brother Aaron and all of his people who
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  Speaker 2: had gone before him. Death, after all, is an open
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  Speaker 2: door to heaven to all who trust in the Lord
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  Speaker 2: God through Jesus Christ. Even in these final days, Moses'
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  Speaker 2: chief concern is for the people and who will shepherd them.
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  Speaker 2: Moses wanted to be sure they were taken care of
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  Speaker 2: when he was gone and not left to go astray
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  Speaker 2: as he knew they would. God reveals to Moses who
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  Speaker 2: his leader will be. It is the same one, the
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  Speaker 2: same man who sat outside the tent of meeting even
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  Speaker 2: as others went back to camp. It is the same
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  Speaker 2: man who believed God to take the promised land along
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  Speaker 2: with Caleb when the spies entered into the land. It
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  Speaker 2: was the same man who led their first battle against
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  Speaker 2: the Amalekites. Yes, this man is none other than Joshua.
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  Speaker 2: God tells Moses to call Joshua and bless him and
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  Speaker 2: commission him before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation
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  Speaker 2: of Israel. Moses, who is barely able to keep himself upright,
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  Speaker 2: then addresses his flock one last time. He has so
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  Speaker 2: much to remind them of. All of God's commandments, the
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  Speaker 2: laws for living as God's holy people. He recounts the
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  Speaker 2: stories of God's faithfulness over many years and countless challenges
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  Speaker 2: and campaigns. The final chapters of Numbers and Deuteronomy Most
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  Speaker 2: of Deuteronomy record his words. Then in Deuteronomy 30, verses
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  Speaker 2: 15 and 16, Moses says this, See, I have set
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  Speaker 2: before you today life and prosperity and death and adversity,
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  Speaker 2: in that I command you today to love the Lord
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  Speaker 2: your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep
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  Speaker 2: his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that you
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  Speaker 2: may live and multiply, and that the Lord your God
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  Speaker 2: may bless you in the land where you are entering
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  Speaker 2: to possess it. These are the greatest rewards for obeying God.
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  Speaker 2: If they choose obedience, they will experience fullness of life, blessing,
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  Speaker 2: and God's hand of provision and protection. Think about it,
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  Speaker 2: because the same is true for us. Of course, it
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  Speaker 2: doesn't mean that we will live our lives without adversity
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  Speaker 2: or hardship. But what we know, because of the promises
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  Speaker 2: of God, is that God's ways are higher and better
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  Speaker 2: than our ways. And his way always leads to abundant
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  Speaker 2: life and blessing. But there is the other side. Moses
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  Speaker 2: warns the people that if they turn from God and
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  Speaker 2: follow other gods, false gods, they will perish. They are
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  Speaker 2: to keep God's commands close to their hearts. This is
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  Speaker 2: a powerful, powerful encouragement to you and me to stay
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  Speaker 2: in God's word daily and obey him. Moses then spoke
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  Speaker 2: to Joshua the words he would keep close to his
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  Speaker 2: heart for years to come. Be strong and courageous. Joshua
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  Speaker 2: was taking on a task that would require strength and
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  Speaker 2: courage in the face of great fear. But as Moses
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  Speaker 2: also reminded Joshua, God would be with him and go
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  Speaker 2: before him. God's faithful servant knew it was time to go.
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  Speaker 2: God took him to the top of Mount Nebo and
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  Speaker 2: showed Moses the land that he would give to Israel.
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  Speaker 2: God's grace and kindness shone through Moses one more time
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  Speaker 2: before he took his final rest and joined his heavenly Father.
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  Speaker 2: Dear God, how we thank you for the story of Moses.
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  Speaker 2: What a life, a life of example and leadership and service.
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  Speaker 2: One of the greatest men who ever lived because he
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  Speaker 2: was your man. May we follow his example of humility
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  Speaker 2: and strength in our lives and look to you in obedience.
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  Speaker 2: And help us to be strong and courageous always as
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  Speaker 2: we follow you, no matter what. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 2: I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com app
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  Speaker 2: and make Bible reading and prayer the priority of your life.
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  Speaker 2: If you enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you love,
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  Speaker 2: a big difference, an eternal difference in someone else's life.
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  Speaker 2: And if you want more resources on how to tap
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  Speaker 2: into God's power for your life, be sure to visit jackgram.org.
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  Speaker 2: God bless you.
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  Speaker 1: This episode is sponsored by MediShare, an innovative health care
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