“And I pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying, 24 ‘O Lord God, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours? 25 Please let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.’ 26 But the Lord was angry with me because of you and would not listen to me. And the Lord said to me, ‘Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again.’” Deut 3: 23-26
For the first time is several years I committed myself to reading through the Bible this year. It is amazing how many passages, especially in the Old Testament, seem so fresh and new. The one quoted above just seemed to jump off the page and has stayed in my mind for some time. There are four thoughts or insights I had from these verses.
1. Even after being told that he would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land, Moses makes one final petition – he had a strong desire to see the land.
If nothing else, Moses had a keen understanding of the promises of God. Since he is the one that committed the book of Genesis to writing, he knows the promises given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I would imagine that thoughts about the land were a daily occurrence for Moses. When God told him that he could not enter the land due to his sin, I am sure this was a crushing blow. Though he did not have access to the New Testament, I suspect his familiarity with God was such that he understood the parable Jesus told about the persistent widow who gave the judge no rest until he ruled in her favor. Maybe these thoughts were in Moses’ mind as he pleaded his case to God one more time.
Moses could stand on the mountain and look across the Jordan to the land. It is interesting that Moses’ prayer was specific about wanting to see “the good hill country and Lebanon.” What he was asking for was not just to be given permission to cross the Jordan but to travel throughout the land. This is a bold prayer and should be an example for us. I know that my prayers tend to be small and timid as if I forget the power of the God I pray to – Lord make me bold and keep me from shortening your arm!
2. Moses, who experienced the burning bush; who witnessed the miracles of the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, manna, water from a rock; who stood before and spoke with God, says “you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand.”
If this does not give us chills when we think about our future in the presence of God, nothing will. Remember how the face of Moses glowed with the reflected glory of God. It was so bright that he had to wear a veil for an extended period of time because it was more than the people could stand. Wow! And Moses says that this is just a small beginning of what is to be experienced we will be exposed to the full glory of God (and maybe we will never be able to experience the full glory because we are the creature and not the Creator). Again, I am lead to think about how much richer my prayer life would be if I spent even a little time each day meditating on God’s glory.
3. Moses states that the Lord was angry with him “because of you [the people].” Even the godliest of leaders have trouble taking responsibility for their sins.
We probably need to review the backstory just a bit. In Exodus 17, the people of Israel were camped in an area in the wilderness were there was not sufficient water for the people. Moses interceded with God and the Lord told Moses to take his staff and strike the rock. When he did, the rock opened and a stream of fresh water poured out that was large enough to provide water for all the people. This place was Massah (testing) and Meribah (quarrelling). In Numbers 20 the people have reached a place (also called Meribah) where there is no water. Moses and Aaron intercede again with God. God tells him “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water.” Moses instead strikes the rock with the staff instead of speaking to it. This is his sin. So, what’s the big deal? Moses did the same thing he had done before, why was God angry with him? I’m sure there are a lot of opinions about this event. I think that God had Moses to strike the rock the first time to continue to establish his role as leader of the people and as the prophet of God. Forty years later Moses’ role was not in question. On the second occasion God told Moses to speak to the rock and not use the staff. I think this was to make it clear to the people that it was God who brought water from the rock and not some trick of Moses. By striking the rock with the staff, Moses stole some of the glory that was God’s alone. This is a big deal.
God calls some men to be leaders among his people. All through scripture, and especially in the NT, these men are characterized as ‘servant leaders’ and one of the hallmarks of such leaders is humility. One of the greatest temptations for our leaders is to lose some of the humility and begin to take pride in their abilities and talents. When this occurs, they are diminishing the glory due to God. Whether we are in leadership positions or not, we all are prone to the same temptation. Think about how different Moses’ prayer would have been if he had acknowledged his sin openly before the people rather that blame-shifting.
4. The God of mercy says “No” to Moses’ pleading.
What about when God answers the deep pleadings of our heart with a ‘no’? Most of us have probably experienced this at some point in our lives. Sometimes we get angry with God. Sometimes we begin to search for that hidden sin we must have committed that cause God to respond this way. And, there are a good number of other ways we respond to what the country music song terms “unanswered prayer.” Many of the people I have met who clearly demonstrate deep faith live in Africa. And, they have a saying that seems appropriate for the moment: God is good . . . all the time! We don’t have always have a good answer to the “why” question, but we always have a good answer to the “Who” question.
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