Moses retired from leadership earlier than he wanted to because God rejected his request to lead the people across the Jordan (Deuteronomy 31:2). However, he exhibits many features of a model retirement. When he addresses the people, Moses does not talk about his achievements. He was not concerned about being remembered, but about how the nation would continue to thrive and fulfil its mission. Leaders today, too, may sometimes have to retire before they want to. Instead of making things difficult for successors, leaders could all take a leaf from Moses' example.

First, Moses does all he can to encourage his successor Joshua (vv. 7-8; see 3:21-22, 28).

Second, he focuses on how God will help them fulfil the mission after he leaves. God has sworn to give the people the land (v. 7). He has given clear instructions (vv. 3, 5). He will ″destroy these nations″ (v. 3), as He had done before (v. 4). He will always be with the people (vv. 6, 8). At the end of his life, Moses still oozes with passion for the Lord's mission.

Third, Moses tells both Joshua and the people to ″be strong and courageous″ (vv. 6, 7) and not to ″be afraid″ (vv. 6, 8). God will help them, but they must persevere without giving up in fear.

Fourth, the legacy Moses wanted to leave behind was not an account of his work but to give the people access to the Word of God. He wrote a copy of the Law to be kept beside the ark and made arrangements for its public reading (vv. 9-13, 24-26). Good leaders know that following God's Word is the key to the success of a movement.

Fifth, Moses warns the people of the danger and consequences of disobedience (vv. 16-22, 27-30). He gives what will become a popular song that the people sing (vv. 19-21). When they forsake God and suffer the terrible consequences of doing so, the song will ″testify against them″ that they knew the truth and the consequences of rejecting it. Realising the truthfulness of the song could even lead them to repentance. We, too, can hope that the carols and other Christian songs broadcast over ″secular″ media would someday prompt non-Christians who sing and listen to them to consider the message that lies behind the words.

Moses was desperate not for his name to be remembered but for the people to continue in God's ways. That was Moses' primary goal at the start and end of his ministry. Even his farewell was dominated by that desire. And the place to get to know about how to follow God obediently is the Word of God. The aim of a good Christian leader should be to get people into the habit of receiving and deriving strategy from the Word. That ought to dominate his or her programme during their tenure as leader and at the end of it. Such an approach could help prevent the serious problems many groups experience after a leader leaves.