“But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see.”
My Notes
What Does Deuteronomy 3:28 Mean?
God gives Moses a specific assignment regarding his successor: charge Joshua, encourage him, and strengthen him. Three verbs, each addressing a different dimension of leadership preparation. "Charge" (tsavah) means to commission with authority. "Encourage" (chazaq) means to fortify his heart. "Strengthen" (amets) means to make firm, to give courage.
The context makes this bittersweet. Moses won't enter the land himself — that judgment stands. But instead of bitterness, God directs Moses' final energy toward preparing the next leader. Moses' last assignment isn't conquest; it's mentoring. His greatest contribution to the promised land won't be entering it but equipping the one who will.
The phrase "which thou shalt see" is both mercy and grief — Moses will see the land from a distance (Deuteronomy 34:1-4) but never set foot in it. Yet even in this limitation, his role matters: the leader who follows him will succeed because Moses invested in him.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Who are you preparing for something you may never experience yourself?
- 2.How do you handle investing in someone who will receive what you worked toward?
- 3.Which of the three verbs (charge, encourage, strengthen) does the person you're mentoring need most right now?
- 4.What does Moses' response to this assignment teach about handling personal disappointment gracefully?
Devotional
Moses won't cross the Jordan. That's settled. But God doesn't let him sit in disappointment — he gives him one more assignment: prepare Joshua. Charge him. Encourage him. Strengthen him. Your last act of leadership is making sure the next leader is ready.
This is the hardest kind of service: investing in someone who will receive what you won't. Training your replacement to inherit the thing you worked your whole life toward. Many leaders can't do it. They grow bitter, competitive, or disengaged. But Moses is told to pour his remaining energy into a younger man who will get what Moses was denied.
The three instructions are a blueprint for mentoring anyone stepping into something bigger than they feel ready for. Charge them — give them clear authority and direction. Encourage them — speak to their fears and doubts. Strengthen them — help them build the internal resolve they'll need when the pressure comes.
Is there someone in your life who is about to step into territory you prepared but won't enter yourself? Your children, perhaps, or a younger colleague, or someone you've been discipling? Moses' final assignment says: your legacy isn't what you accomplish personally. It's who you prepare.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
So we abode in the valley over against Bethpeor. In the plains of Moab, over against a temple built for Baalpeor upon a…
Here is I. The encouragement which Moses gave to Joshua, who was to succeed him in the government, Deu 3:21, Deu 3:22.…
But charge Joshua See notes introd. to this and the previous section. In P (Num 27:15-21) the charge to Joshua precedes…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture