“The Death Of Moses”
Then the
Lord said to him, “This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not
go over there.” So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of
Moab, according to the 1word of
the Lord. (v.4-5)
Why
couldn’t Moses enter the Promised Land? because his sin of disobedience at
Meribah dishonored the Lord (Psalm 106:32-33). As a result, when Israel was
about to enter the land promised to their forefathers, Moses wasn’t allowed to
go with them. Instead, at God’s direction, he climbed Mt. Nebo and from there
God graciously showed him the promised land, before He called him home.
Moses died at the age of 120 in good health. His last
moments were spent privately with God, surveying the Promised Land and no doubt
meditating on the greatness and faithfulness of the Lord. He died in peace,
knowing that his labor had not been in vain. God
Himself buried His friend and servant, and to this day the location of the
grave remains unknown (v.6).
Moses'
story encourages those of us who feel that our lives have been a mixed bag of
regrets and successes. Psalm 90, written by Moses himself, provides us with a
realistic perspective on our own lives and our human frailties. The psalm
concludes with an earnest prayer: “May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon
us; and establish the work of our hands.”
Like Moses,
we must work diligently at whatever God has called us to do, but ultimately, we
rely on God for the results—and our own legacy.
The Truth
“Therefore,
my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of
the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians
15:58)
