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