"These are the commandments and the judgments which the Lord commanded the children of Israel by the hand of Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho." (v.13)
The Book of Numbers began in the wilderness (Numbers 1:1). It now finishes as close to the Promised Land as you can get without actually being there. As the Children of Israel stood across from the city of Jericho, consider what it took to take them from Egypt to this place.
Through the book, we have seen how the nation actually set out from Mount Sinai to the Promised Land, but found themselves struggling with the flesh – they murmured, complained, and rebelled; most of all, they failed to enter into what God had set before them by faith – and a generation of unbelief was condemned to perish in the wilderness.
After that, the new generation set out towards the Promised Land again and faced the same challenges of the flesh – but through faith, they dealt with them better this time - until they made their way to the threshold of the Promised Land, across from the Jordan.
By spiritual analogy, many Christians die in the wilderness because they will not trust God and will not enter into what He has set before them. Many Christians also see the evidence of that lack of faith display itself in a weakness towards the things of the flesh. Sadly, many Christians live more in the wilderness than on the threshold of the Promised Land.
Now consider what it would take to move the Children of Israel into the Promised Land from across the river. Staying on the shores of the Jordan River is better than being in the middle of the wilderness; but it isn’t the Promised Land. They came this far by faith and will need faith to take them the rest of the way.
Again we see how this analogy could fit many Christians today. We must keep moving forward in faith in our walk with the LORD in order to receive everything He has in store for us. Thank God Moses didn't lose his faith...his temper, "Yes" his faith "No".
The Truth: "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned." (Hebrews 11:24-29)
