As I read the Bible I am constantly amazed at how much I miss every time I read it. This is my fourth time reading through the Bible and for some reason I never noticed Moses' funeral. At the end of Deuteronomy we have a description of Moses' funeral. Take a look:
Deuteronomy 34: 1-12 - 1Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan, 2 all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea, 3 the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. 4 Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.”
5 And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. 6 He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. 7 Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. 8 The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over.
9 Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.
10 Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, 11 who did all those signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. 12 For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.
Here are a couple of thoughts on this passage.
First: Moses only had one in attendance at his funeral. Moses climbed Mount Nebo by himself where God showed him the promised land. In verse 5 it says he died there. No one else is mentioned. But look at what took place in verse 6. God buried him. Could you imagine? God came down from heaven and buried Moses.
Second: Verses 10 - 12 are Moses' eulogy. It is short and to the point. There was no one else like Moses. He knew the Lord face to face. What I find amazing about this is that Moses was not a super prophet in terms of his behavior. Moses was a coward, he was a murderer, he was not a great public speaker and he was disobedient. He sounds a lot like me (minus the murderer part). Yet through all of this God knew him face to face. Why? How?
Hebrews 11: 24-27 24 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.
Moses was not a super human rather he was a sinner just like you and I. Like all the other prophets in the Old Testament they were chosen by God, not because of who they were but rather because of who God is. Moses had faith in Christ. Moses had the righteousness of Christ applied to his sin filled life.
Imagine what our lives would look like if we could live them as though the only person we needed approval from was God. If we lived a life that did not care what man thought only what God thought. If we could get our minds around this concept what an amazing influence we would have for the Kingdom.
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