Deuteronomy 34:1-12
The time had come for Moses' journey to end...as well as his life. He had overcome so many obstacles to get to the place in which he found himself when God came to him with a final word. At the ripe old age of 120 years, Moses climbed to the top of Mount Nebo at Pisgah Peak (this may be a bit of an assumption based on the way the text reads; v. 1). In any case, it was an amazing feat. Once he reached the top, he was able to see the entire land that God had promised him and his people. It was vast and, probably, lush since there were rivers and seas throughout.
God showed Moses all this, perhaps, because he wanted to assure him in his old age that he would keep his promises; or maybe since he just wanted to illustrate his point about obedience and faithfulness. For whatever reason, God brought Moses all the way up to the mountain top to get a good look at the Promised Land in all its glory, only to remind him he would never enter into it.
It seems cruel, but it's justice; God is a very just God...there's none more so than him. Remember that time when God told you to do something a certain way, but you did it the way you felt like doing it and you kind of got what you wanted, but it didn't turn out exactly the way you expected? The same was true here of Moses. Back in Numbers 20, God gave Moses a command in order to provide water for the people. But Moses didn't follow that command exactly...he modified it a bit. And therein lies the flaw.
Moses' legacy is still great, despite his shortcomings, but he did indeed have shortcomings. So instead of reading about how he courageously overcame his stuttering problem to speak boldly before God's people and lead them into the Promised Land, we read about his death outside of it. We learn that he was forced to pass his promise on to his descendants without partaking of it himself. All this, because of a flaw - in this case a fatal one - named disobedience.
It is important for us to understand that God has a wonderful and perfect plan for our lives. But it is more important for us to realize that in order to see the full execution and beauty of that plan, we must be obedient to him.
So, Lord, forgive us for our sins against you, ourselves and our fellow man. Please cleanse us from all unrighteousness as you promised us you would. Receive us again unto yourself when we repent, fully and honestly.Thank you for your love and support and provision in good times and bad. I love you, God and I want to please you in all things so I can enter into my promised land. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
The time had come for Moses' journey to end...as well as his life. He had overcome so many obstacles to get to the place in which he found himself when God came to him with a final word. At the ripe old age of 120 years, Moses climbed to the top of Mount Nebo at Pisgah Peak (this may be a bit of an assumption based on the way the text reads; v. 1). In any case, it was an amazing feat. Once he reached the top, he was able to see the entire land that God had promised him and his people. It was vast and, probably, lush since there were rivers and seas throughout.
God showed Moses all this, perhaps, because he wanted to assure him in his old age that he would keep his promises; or maybe since he just wanted to illustrate his point about obedience and faithfulness. For whatever reason, God brought Moses all the way up to the mountain top to get a good look at the Promised Land in all its glory, only to remind him he would never enter into it.
It seems cruel, but it's justice; God is a very just God...there's none more so than him. Remember that time when God told you to do something a certain way, but you did it the way you felt like doing it and you kind of got what you wanted, but it didn't turn out exactly the way you expected? The same was true here of Moses. Back in Numbers 20, God gave Moses a command in order to provide water for the people. But Moses didn't follow that command exactly...he modified it a bit. And therein lies the flaw.
Moses' legacy is still great, despite his shortcomings, but he did indeed have shortcomings. So instead of reading about how he courageously overcame his stuttering problem to speak boldly before God's people and lead them into the Promised Land, we read about his death outside of it. We learn that he was forced to pass his promise on to his descendants without partaking of it himself. All this, because of a flaw - in this case a fatal one - named disobedience.
It is important for us to understand that God has a wonderful and perfect plan for our lives. But it is more important for us to realize that in order to see the full execution and beauty of that plan, we must be obedient to him.
So, Lord, forgive us for our sins against you, ourselves and our fellow man. Please cleanse us from all unrighteousness as you promised us you would. Receive us again unto yourself when we repent, fully and honestly.Thank you for your love and support and provision in good times and bad. I love you, God and I want to please you in all things so I can enter into my promised land. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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