(REFLECTIONS ON Deuteronomy 34:1-12)

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.”

Moses’ time is up, and up next is Joshua to take the lead. This transition serves as a reminder to us that our lives aren’t forever, and we need to be responsible for the time that we have from the Lord, as Moses was. In fact, Scripture notes, “Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face…”

We will never be able to accomplish everything, be able to hold on to the things of this world indefinitely, but our responsibility is to do what we can as Christians with the life that God has blessed us with. What can we do in our time, in response to the life that we have been given by God through Christ?

Moses’ time is up, and although he will not be the one that will lead Israel into the Promised Land, the Lord showed him the land saying, “This is the land.”

This is the land is the land of promise, and turns God’s promises from just a promise into reality, the promise is now visible, and Moses has seen it. That Moses was not able to enter, even though Scripture tell us that when he died, “his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone,” which means that Moses was physically capable of taking Israel into the land of Canaan, shows us that God’s ways span across generations and are not to be owned by any one person.

That Moses was not able to enter the land, also reminds us that entering into the promise will be fulfilled later, and as Christians, we believe this was fulfilled through Jesus Christ. Again, God’s ways span across generations and are not to be owned by any one person, but rather is owned by God, His Son, and His Spirit.

This is the land reminds us that we are also a people, a nation, a church that is looking for a home, looking for our rest, looking for forever. It is in Christ Jesus that forever is given, and it is through Him that we will enter into His rest. This is the land, is Jesus Christ, and through Him who deserves more glory that Moses, we can finally enter, and enter into God’s rest.

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy 34