Deuteronomy 34: The View from the Mountaintop

I don’t like saying goodbye.  At every major life milestone I have experienced, I try and make my goodbyes as quick as possible.  Kind of like a band-aid, just pull it off and be done with it already!  But as we approach our goodbye to Moses, I can’t help but want to linger here for awhile.  It’s such a beautiful scene, such a climactic end, I just don’t want to say goodbye quite yet.  When I think of where Moses started, all that he went through, and then where he finished;   it makes me want to smile and cry all at the same time.  Let’s quickly glance back at Moses’ last words to his people; words that are so indicative of his character:

“Blessed are you, O Israel!  Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord?”

Oh how Moses loved his people!  He was building them up and encouraging them all the way to the end.  They didn’t deserve his affection.  At their best the Israelites were whiners, and at their worst they were threatening to stone Moses.  But Moses was continually faithful, and always interceded on their behalf.  Moses understood his calling to these people.  He understood that the Lord was a God of freedom and forgiveness.  Later the prophet Isaiah would foretell of the Messiah’s future mission by proclaiming “He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners” (Isaiah 61:1).    That is who our God is, and Moses understood that.  Moses obediently laid God’s ground work for what only Christ could ultimately fulfill.  God used Moses to reveal to the Israelites that He is a God who deliverers.  What a job that was!  How highly esteemed Moses must have been in the eyes of the Lord!

But now we have arrived at the end.  Deuteronomy 32:50 warned us this day was coming.  The Lord told Moses, “on a mountain that you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your people.”  So after Moses blessed the tribes, he began his final ascent.  Can we just stop there for a minute and try to grasp that level of faith?  Moses knew he would die on Mount Nebo, yet he climbed it.  He didn’t run from it, but rather put one hand over the other and pulled himself to it’s summit. How did he welcome the end of life so courageously?  He knew to Whom he was going, like no one else in history ever had.  Oh, that we would long for the Lord’s presence like that!  That we would keep climbing our mountain with the kind of faith that Moses had, the kind of faith that tells us that He is our great reward, and that He will be waiting for us when we get to the top.

Moses’ final climb to his death however, is more than just a lesson on faith.   It was also evidence of obedience; an acceptance of not Moses’ will, but God’s ultimate will for his life.  By God’s mercy, Moses was allowed to see the Promised Land, but was not allowed to move in.  From a human perspective this seems like failure.  But in a review of God’s plan for Moses from the beginning, Exodus 3 reminds us that Moses’ job was to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.  Further, read carefully Exodus 3:8 where God states that He plans to bring them (meaning the Israelites, not y’all-as He would have said if the burning bush was in the South) into a good and spacious land.  As Moses stood on the mountaintop on his dying day and looked over Canaan, he was fulfilling God’s plan, and in God’s timing.

How about us?  Can we accept that?  What happens when you and I journey and labor, and then land in a place that is not what we expected?  Watch and listen to the last words of another man who led an oppressed people to a better place, but was also unable to escort them in.

Like Moses, Martin Luther King Jr. died right after he gave this final speech, only King’s death was by gunshot.  Was he a failure?  Of course not!  He led the way to freedom for millions of African Americans less than a century ago.  His death, though tragic, was no surprise to the Lord.  Dr. King had faithfully fulfilled his purpose and once complete, the Lord welcomed him home to the eternal Promised Land.  That’s not called defeat, that’s called Glory!  When we look around and find that God has planted us in a land we did not envision, we must hold unto the truth that His ultimate goal for each of His children is to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever.[i]   Instead of saying, “God this isn’t exactly what I had in mind.  I kind of wanted my Promise Land to look a little different”, let’s instead put on the attitude of Moses (and ultimately Jesus).  May we with faith and obedience proclaim instead, “Not my will, but Yours” (Luke 39:42).  Believe us both when we say-we know that is not always easy!  But will it be worth it?  Read Paul’s eulogy for Moses from Hebrew’s “Hall of Faith” chapter and you decide:

“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. ²⁵ He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. ²⁶ 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. ²⁷ By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. ²⁸ 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.” Hebrews 11:24-28

Being mentioned in this famous chapter of scripture testifies to how blessed a sacrifice it is when we are courageous enough to look ahead to our reward and not wallow in less than desirable circumstances; certainly one of the greatest lessons we can glean from Moses.

And so Moses, the servant of the Lord, stands atop Mount Nebo victorious in his purpose: delivering the Israelites to freedom.  He kept the faith, and he was about to inherit his heavenly reward.  He was moments away from stepping foot into his eternal Promise Land, and finally being able to see all of God’s glory (not just the back view of the Almighty as He passed by).  And there at that moment, Moses breathed his last breath, and only God knows of where he is buried.  There would be no tomb left for the Israelites to make into an idol.  Moses’ unmarked tomb is but a whisper of another that the Ultimate Deliverer would one day walk out of.  God’s story was just getting started.  Soon, there would be another tomb that would shout louder than any other “Freedom for the captives!”  This tomb is empty, for the One vainly laid to rest there could not be contained.  He is victoriously sitting at the right hand of God (Hebrews 1:3).  By faith in Him, we are free to enter our Promise Land.  So what are you waiting for?

Love,

Mary and Amy

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A few last thoughts…

Words cannot express the great privilege that this bible study has been to us.  You have walked along two girls that needed to study this information more than any other women walking this planet!  Our desire was to bring God glory, and perhaps along the way, walk a little closer to our own Promised Land.  Neither one of us has yet entered into the land that we know God has set aside for us; we still don’t know what that will look like.  But our desire, as we are sure yours is, is to keep the faith and get there!  To our sister Elizabeth, who helped us edit our words, even when we sent them to her in the last possible hour, thank you!  You didn’t have to do it, but you joyfully did, and we love you!  For those of you that came back day after day, thank you!  Your commitment was an encouragement to us, and we are forever grateful.  We hope that along the way you found encouragement to believe and follow the One who adores you, and has created a place just for you.  You have a purpose sweet friend, press on and keep the faith!  Your Reward is waiting for you…

In Him,

Mary and Amy

Deuteronomy 33: Moses Blesses the Tribes

You need to know something: this was hard.  Amy and I have both struggled terribly through these last few posts.  It is now 11:30 pm (Geneva time) and Amy is waiting for me to send this to her so she can get this ready to post in a few hours.  I have started writing on this chapter about a dozen times over the past week and yet here I am again, deleting everything I had written and starting over.  I just keep praying, “Lord, what do You want said here?” since it is truly my heart’s desire to faithfully proclaim His glory through His servant Moses; and for us all to be drawn nearer to Him through studying His Word.  I just want to finish well.

Finishing well…maybe that is the whole point of chapter 33.  Certainly Moses struggled with mixed emotions during his last days.  He must have been sad to say good bye to the people he loved, yet also somewhat relieved that his commitment to them was near complete.   I wonder if he painstakingly battled over every word he would deliver to the Israelites in his final blessing over them.  Maybe he didn’t sleep much that last night of his journey either…

But Moses did finish well, didn’t he?  He faithfully goes through each tribe and proclaims the unique blessings the Lord would bestow on them.  Yet his last words in verses 26 through 29 are the ones that resound with me the most tonight.  These final thoughts seem to be the “bottom line” of all he and the Israelites had been through, of all we have been through, and certainly what the Lord has taught me the most.

“There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,
   who rides across the heavens to help you
   and on the clouds in his majesty.
 The eternal God is your refuge,
   and underneath are the everlasting arms.
He will drive out your enemies before you,
   saying, ‘Destroy them!’
So Israel will live in safety;
   Jacob will dwell secure
in a land of grain and new wine,
   where the heavens drop dew.
 Blessed are you, Israel!
   Who is like you,
   a people saved by the LORD?
He is your shield and helper
   and your glorious sword.
Your enemies will cower before you,
   and you will tread on their heights.”

There is no one like You, God!  We have a God Who is our ever present help, our refuge and constantly holds us in His Everlasting Arms. Over the past few months we have watched God deliver, feed, protect, teach, forgive, guide, reside among, fight for, listen to and Passover His chosen people, both on the pages of scripture and in our own lives.  I pray that as we conclude this study, we might believe this unbelievable truth:  that no matter where we are on our journey to the Promised Land, the one who rides on the heavens and on the clouds in His majesty, also stands ready to destroy our enemies and help us on our way.    There truly is no one like Him!

Blessed are you, O Israel.  Just as there is no one like Him, there is no one like you either!  No other religion on earth can boast of their god saving them as the One True God has saved His children by His own blood.  There is no god like our God; therefore there are no people on earth like His people!  Hear me my friend: You have been chosen, adopted, redeemed, and forgiven (Eph 1:4-7).  You are sons of God and heirs according the promise (Gal 3:26-29), a royal priesthood and you belong to God (1 Peter 2:9).  Did you hear that glorious bit of news?  You are heirs with Christ!  He showed the full extent of His love for you when he went to the cross and nothing can ever separate you from that love-nothing in all creation (Romans 8:38-39)!  If Moses could be certain of this blessing even as he knowingly faced death, can you as you face the trials the Lord has set before you?

So, how does all this end?  I’m not sure what Wednesday is going to look like or how Amy and I are ever going to get there.  But I’m going to claim the promise that Moses delivers to a people on the brink of their long awaited Promise Land: God is my shield and my helper.  And as I sit here and struggle to know if my efforts will bring Him glory; if I can “finish well,” I am reminded of Jesus’ words on the cross… the real work is already finished (John 19:30).  Thank You, Jesus.

Love Mary

Your very last homework assignment for next time is to read Deuteronomy 34.

Deuteronomy 32 – Gathered to His People:

No man knew God’s people the way that Moses knew God’s people. He had come so far with them, or more accurately, he had led them for so many years. Time and time again Moses interceded for the Israelites before the Almighty. His role before them was so critical, so specific, so needed, and certainly must have been oh so burdensome. What a calling Moses had! He was to lead God’s children out of slavery, teach them of their Creator in heaven, and then walk them into the land that God had set before them: their Promise Land. “The Song of Moses” (Deuteronomy 32), in a way summarizes all that Moses saw and experienced along the path of his life. It is both a tragic and triumphant song, one of history and prophecy, and it is all bound together by pleading words of warning from our now dying servant Moses.
Moses uses 43 verses to walk us through the history (and also the future) of the relationship that God has had and will have with His people. It speaks of God’s constant faithfulness, and the Israelites’ continued rebellion. We see a beautiful picture of God’s love for his children in verses 10 & 11:

In a desert land he found him,
in a barren and howling waste.
He shielded him and cared for him;
he guarded him as the apple of his eye,
like an eagle that stirs up its nest
and hovers over its young,
that spreads its wings to catch them
and carries them aloft.

Oh friend, did you hear that?  You are the apple of God’s eye! Never are you more watched, guarded, and cared for than you are when you are in a season of life that is barren, that is a waste land. He never stops protecting you. What comforting words! Moses’ song ends with a call for God’s people to rejoice, and a warning for His enemies to prepare for vengeance:

Rejoice, you nations, with his people,
for he will avenge the blood of his servants;
he will take vengeance on his enemies
and make atonement for his land and people.

Moses was telling the children of God that they had nothing to fear for their future. God was in control and would make atonement for His people. Interesting words coming from a man that knew his own death was so near. Let’s look ahead to verses 48 – 50:

On that same day the LORD told Moses, “Go up into the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, and view Canaan, the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession. There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people.

“Gathered to your people”, I love that imagery. This is not the only time we see this wording in scripture, it appears in several other places throughout God’s word. Let’s look back to Genesis 25: 7-8 when the death of Abraham is recorded:

Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people.

Have you ever questioned what heaven will be like? It is a silly thing to do really, though I am certainly guilty of spending time on it. I finished reading Don Piper’s book, 90 Minutes in Heaven in one day. I couldn’t put it down! We humans were created to be eternal beings. Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that “God has set eternity in the hearts of men”. Death seems sad and unnatural to us because we were not designed to die, but rather to live in the eternal presence of our Father. I suppose that is why these words “gathered to your people” seem so dear to me. Through all that Moses (and Abraham) had been through, God affirms that He will gather them back to Himself and to their people once they die, once their calling and their time on earth is done.  Jesus drives this point home in Matthew 22: 31-32 when He says:

But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”

Jesus was telling the Sadducees that were questioning Him in these verses, that God is the God of these living people as much today, as He was back when they walked the earth. He had “gathered them to their people”, and they were alive in heaven and in the presence of their God that had delivered them.

I think that as we prepare to end our study next week, as we prepare to watch Moses bless the tribes of Israel, as we prepare to say good-bye to our servant; I think we should remember that this is not the end…for Moses, it really is the beginning. Gathered to his people, oh what a welcoming committee he must have had when he got there!

Have a wonderful weekend, thanks so much for being here. I will meet you back here on Monday.
Love, Amy

Your homework for next time is to read Deuteronomy 33.