He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. – Deuteronomy 34:6

Today's Scripture Reading (February 4, 2022): Deuteronomy 34

As Judah began to return to Canaan after the Babylonian Captivity, they chose Joshua, the son of Jozadek, to be the nation's High Priest. Joshua is credited with being part of the team that cast the vision for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem and creating a desire within the people to be part of the reconstruction. The Prophet Zechariah had a dream about Joshua the High Priest that he records in Zechariah 3. Joshua had become an important figure in the rebuilding of Judah following the captivity. Yet, despite all that, in Zechariah's vision, Joshua is standing before God "dressed in filthy clothes" (Zechariah 3:3). And standing beside the High Priest was Satan, getting ready to "accuse him" (Zechariah 3:1). The setting that Zechariah describes is that of a battle about to take place between God and Satan. It is unclear as to whether Joshua was still alive as Zechariah has his vision or if the High Priest had died. But the context of the image is clear. It is a battle for the body and soul of the High Priest. According to Zechariah, it is a battle that God would win. From the context of the vision, I believe that Joshua was not only alive at the time of Zechariah's dream, but he was just beginning his tenure as High Priest. Zechariah writes,

            The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take off his filthy clothes."

Then he said to Joshua, "See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you."

Then I said, "Put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood by.

The angel of the Lord gave this charge to Joshua: "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here" (Zechariah 3:4-7).

Moses died, and God buried him in Moab. Although it wasn't quite that easy. According to Jude, the archangel Michael disputed with Satan over the body of Moses. This battle might have been very similar to Zechariah's battle over Joshua, the son of Jozadek. Satan was set to accuse Moses of all of the evil that Satan believed that the Prophet had committed. Maybe Satan thought that he owned the body of Moses because Moses had murdered the Egyptian eighty years earlier. If Satan could gain control of the body of Moses, maybe he could entice Israel to worship at the shrine of Moses rather than the God of Israel.

And so, there was a battle over the body of Moses. It was a battle that God eventually won, and therefore, God was able to bury Moses in an unmarked grave. And "to this day no one knows where his grave is" (Deuteronomy 34:6).

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Joshua 1