Look Up, My Child. Good Things Are Coming!

October 2, 2019

Look Up, My Child. Good Things Are Coming!

Deuteronomy 34

Kendall Ellison

Central Truth

Our Father is with us, always, even in missed expectations and earth-shattering disappointments. Take heart, for this world is not our home. Hold fast to the hope of heaven that is to come, taking comfort here in the middle in the arms of our Creator.

And the LORD said to him, "This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, 'I will give it to your offspring.' I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there."

The Death of Moses

1 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 all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, 2 all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, 3 the Negeb, and the Plain, that is, the Valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. 4 And the LORD said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” 5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD, 6 and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day. 7 Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated. 8 And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.

9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses. 10 And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11 none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, 12 and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

When I first read this passage, I viewed God's punishment as unfair and honestly a little extreme. Moses had devoted his whole life to delivering the Israelites into the Promised Land, and now, because of a little moment of disbelief (Numbers 20:12), he wasn’t going to be able to enter? As I wrestled with this, I realized I was viewing this story through my short-sighted, human eyes. What this story actually reveals is the tender care of a Father displayed in the final moments of Moses' life. God, in His grace, showed Moses the land he had worked toward for most of his life, before the Lord Himself laid His servant to rest. The intimacy between the Father and His child in this moment is beautiful. "Moments after Moses was blocked from the promised land, God brought him into an eternal life with his Father. The loss was momentary. Temporary. It paled in comparison to what was next." (Angie Smith, Seamless, p. 79).

The Lord longs to have this same kind of intimate, Father-child relationship with you and me. He is always right by our side in the mountaintops and the valleys, calling to us to press harder into Him, even when our circumstances seem impossible to understand. Everything we face in this life is a part of God's ultimate purpose for us (Romans 8:28; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Someday, we will each have our own mountaintop moment with God and get to reflect on our years here on earth, revealing how every trial, decision, and disappointment were a part of His sovereign plan all along.

We will never be able to fully comprehend a love like this and may often stumble into disbelief in God's goodness, just like Moses. But in the midst of heartache and missed expectations, we have a hope that is greater than any "happily-ever-after" we could ever dream up on our own. The hardships of this world will soon be forgotten when the same hands that dug the dirt to lay Moses to rest welcome us into heaven.

1. Has God ever taken something away that you felt like you deserved? What did this disappointment teach you about God's sovereignty?

2. When is a time you have been forced to trust in God's faithfulness more than your circumstances?

3. What is your earthly Promised Land? If you never got to see the fruit of your labor, would your hope of eternity with Christ be enough?