Psalm 90: opens the fourth book of the Psalms (90:-106:), which corresponds with the

fourth book of the Law, the book of Numbers, and speaks of this experience of Moses as

it was also shared by those whose carcasses fell in the wilderness. To this verses 9 and

10 refer, for every one that was twenty years of age and upward died during the forty

years wandering. To this Psalm 106:, the closing Psalm of the book, refers:

They angered him at the waters of strife (Meribah--see Deut. 32: quote above).

The first "man of God" stands as a warning to all who follow, to remember the great

responsibility that attaches to this office, and avoid "striving" (Meribah Numb. 27: 14).

"The servant of the Lord must not strive" (II Tim. 2: 24). Secondly, the fact that even

Moses forfeited the right to enter the promised land is a solemn warning to all who have

responsible positions in ministry, for II Timothy speaks of suffering and reigning with

Christ, or of denying Him and so being denied (II Tim. 2: 11, 13), which subject is

closely related to this matter of "striving about words" (II Tim. 2: 14). In contrast with

Moses who did not "finish his course" the Apostle put his own case, "I have finished my

course . . . . . henceforth . . . . . a crown" (II Tim. 4: 7, 8).

With this encouragement we come back to note the other references to Moses as "the

man of God", and see whether they, too, point to any other important principle contained

in the second epistle to Timothy.

The second reference occurs in Josh 14: 6, where Caleb comes to Joshua and speaks

of these very same forty years of wilderness wandering, but, this time, instead of

forfeiture because of failure, reward because of faithfulness is the keynote.  "Thou

knowest the thing that the Lord said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee

at Kadesh-barnea". Caleb endured, and, at the end of the forty years' wandering, claimed

his reward. The last but one reference to Moses, the "man of God", is found in Ezra 3: 2

where, once again, the name Joshua comes before us, this time the High Priest. "The

Prophets" open with Joshua, "The Captain of our salvation", and end with Joshua, "the

High Priest", and so take us to the epistle to the Hebrews, where Christ, the true Joshua

(Heb. 4: 8 "Jesus" here is "Joshua") is represented as the "Captain", or "Author"

(Heb. 2: 10, 12: 2 Archegos) and "Finisher", or "Perfecter" (Heb. 12: 2 Teleiotes)

which again emphasizes the relation of service with suffering and with a crown, and so

enforces the thought already brought forward in II Tim. 2: 11-13 and 4: 7, 8.

To complete the record, there remain but two further references to Moses as the "man

of God". These are in I Chron. 23: 14 and II Chron. 30: 16, and have, as their

contexts, the services of the Law. In the first passage David brings one part of the service

of the Levites to an end, "They shall no more carry the tabernacle", and these are "the

last words of David" (I Chron. 23: 26, 27).