Unlucky Moses?

FOCUS READING

Deuteronomy 34:1-5 (NRSV)

Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the LORD showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, and the Plain - that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees - as far as Zoar.

The LORD said to him, "This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your descendants'; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there." Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord's command.

DAILY BYTE

We looked yesterday at the theme of unfulfilled promises, and today, we look at a huge promise in the life of one of our ancient leaders – Moses. We love to talk about little baby Moses when he was put in the basket of reeds. We love the story of brazen, young Moses who killed an Egyptian and then protested God’s call in his life. We especially love the stories of Moses as a vehicle for God’s power through miracles like the parting of the Red Sea.

But we don’t love to tell the story about when this great prophet dies. Especially because the way he dies seems so unfair. It seems a hugely disappointing end to a great story. It’s a promise unfulfilled after a deep struggle and a long journey. But we’ll look at the story this week from both the perspective of Moses and the perspective of the Hebrew people. Perhaps you will find a bit of your own story in theirs.
First, Moses – incomparable leader in the history of the Hebrew people. Led the people out of Egypt, through the wilderness – through 40 years of uncertainty and struggle – through times of doubt, always keeping faith.
How unfair – that he worked so hard – he believed so deeply – he trusted so much, and he is not allowed to go into the Promised Land? Well, if he wasn’t allowed, I’d like to know what the criteria were for other people! We aren’t sure of the reason why. A few are given in the texts leading up to this one, but at this point, it is not clear. It simply says, Moses shall not enter the Promised Land.

Perhaps you are at a point in your life where you feel like you’ve worked hard, you’ve waited, you’ve hoped, you’ve believed, you’ve come to the precipice of something new, and yet, you are disappointed that something you feel you’ve been promised by God just does not seem within your reach. Perhaps you’re even literally coming nearer the end of your life, and there simply are many dreams and promises that you feel are unfulfilled.

But if you feel that this is you, there may be another way of looking at Moses’ situation and your own. Look carefully at the scripture and what happens when Moses reaches the edge of the Promised Land. We’ll explore the possibilities further tomorrow!