Deuteronomy 31

“I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in...Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Behold, the days approach when you must die; call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of meeting, that I may inaugurate him.'” vv.2,14

Read chapter 31
Moses was 80 years old when he was appointed by the Lord to lead Israel out of Egypt and now is 120 years old when the baton is being passed on for Joshua to lead.  40 years of leadership to the millions of Israelites and all that time spent in the desert wilderness.  Usually people at age 80 plus are far retired, but not Moses he was only just beginning and the Lord sustained and preserved him for forty years.  It wasn't that Moses was getting to old for the job, but that he was not to enter the Promised Land by crossing over the Jordan which they were about to do.  In Deuteronomy 34:7 we read, "Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished." 
This isn't the first time we hear of Joshua(Ex.33), but he was there since the beginning when Israel left Egypt.  He followed under Moses' leadership for forty years, learning the ways of the Lord.  He wasn't just someone Moses chose to succeed him or a vote by the people to who would lead next, but appointed by God.  Moses passed the baton well to Joshua teaching him over all those years, writing down the words of the Lord and encouraging him in seeking the Lord as he leads the people.  Man I wish sometimes I had someone that taught me for 40 years before I became a leader, leading is hard.  Why is godly leadership so important?