“The death of Moses”
Moses, the servant of the LORD died there in the land. —Deuteronomy 34:5
Read Deuteronomy 34:5-12
Moses died after he was given a view of the land the children of Israel would inherit. The Lord Himself buried him so that the people would not make an idol of him. In this way the Lord en-sured that He, not man, would receive all the honour.
To us, God’s way with His servant Moses may seem somewhat confusing. Moses could have still played an important role in the life of the nation as they settled in the Promised Land. Why did he have to die? But the Lord considered Moses’ work complete; He had prepared a better place for him. And so we also see in this redemptive history that the Lord is righteous and just. He punished Moses for what seemed an insignificant sin. But the Lord will not tolerate disobedience. This means that we too must live a scrupulous life. That does not mean that we should entangle our-selves in all kinds of rules and regulations that we will follow unwillingly. And yet we must constantly ask ourselves whether we are traveling in the right way, in love and dependence upon God. If we live close to the Lord He will keep us from many sins.
The people mourned the death of Moses for thirty days and then continued their journey. The Lord had provided a successor, Joshua, a man who was full of the wisdom of God (v.9). The people of Israel were God’s, and therefore He would provide for them. How happy and blessed you are if you too belong to the Lord, for He will never forsake His own.
How is the Lord’s care seen in His people’s lives and your life?