Like the Israelites at the end of their 40 years in the desert, we are also at the end of our summer message series, “Moses: Lifelong Journey of Faith.” I want to thank you for joining us here at Resurrection Parish, whether in person at our Holy Name Church or remotely watching the live-stream on our parish website, as we looked at the life of one of the most important people in the Old Testament.
Moses had a remarkable life. First, he shouldn’t have even been born, but through God’s hand not only was he not killed as an infant nor made a slave, but Moses was raised as a prince in Pharaoh’s household. However, he never forgot who his people really were; in fact it got him into some trouble as a young man and he had to flee Egypt. He settled in Midian, worked as a shepherd, got married, started a family. But a routine life would not be his.
God revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush, and gave him a very important task: to go to Pharaoh and get him to release the Israelites from their slavery. A real challenge, but Moses put his faith in God, and the Israelites were freed.
You would think that would be the climax of the story, but no, it was only just beginning. For the Israelites, during their long time in slavery, had really forgotten about God. Sure, they knew the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but they did not have a personal relationship with God. It was through Moses that God started to reveal Himself to the Israelites. But they were a tough crowd, often bickering and complaining and basically not trusting God. It was because of their disobedience and lack of trust that they spent so much time in the desert.
The story of Moses can be found in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy – four of the first five books of the bible. Some of the more well known stories are found in the book of Exodus. Exodus gives us the stories about the burning bush, the plagues, the ten commandments and the golden calf. Leviticus is about much of the rules and regulations God had to put into place. Numbers tells us about the wondering in the wilderness for 38 years.
Today we are going to read from Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy means the second law. It records Moses’ sermon on the laws and are his final instructions to the nation of Israel before he dies. It is his last will and testament. The setting is right before the Israelites are to enter the Promised Land. Moses preaches to Israel to impress upon them the importance of following God’s word. The book contains some very specific laws or teachings, which are actually compromises because the people of Israel over and over again prove themselves to be rebellious and do not follow God completely. In fact, God himself calls them statues that were not good. Lesser evils were condoned to prevent greater evils.
Going to the last chapter of Deuteronomy, after giving the people their final instructions we are told, “Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, the peak of Pisgah which faces Jericho, and the LORD showed him all the land—Gilead, and as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, the plain (the valley of Jericho, the City of Palms), and as far as Zoar. The LORD then said to him, This is the land about which I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you shall not cross over” (Dt 34:1–4).
It was the promise of this land that had driven Moses to persevere day in and day out through the hardships of leadership. Moses pleaded with God to let him actually go into the land, but God said no. When God said no, Moses didn’t argue, but he accepted God’s decision.
The final vision of Moses’ earthly life was the Promised Land he had worked to get his people to. Then we are told, “So there, in the land of Moab, Moses, the servant of the LORD, died as the LORD had said; and he was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; to this day no one knows the place of his burial. Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated” (Dt 34:5–7).
Moses died and even though he was advanced in age, he still had vim and vigor. While he had spent himself on a worthy cause, the cause had given him energy and vitality. Moses lived for a greater purpose and so he didn’t die wasting away or getting weaker and weaker. He finished strong because he had something to drive him until the end.
“Now Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom, since Moses had laid his hands upon him; and so the Israelites gave him their obedience, just as the LORD had commanded Moses” (Dt 34:9). This is important, Moses set up Joshua to take his place. He appointed his successor who would take the Israelites into the Promised Land. But the only reason the Israelites obeyed Joshua and followed him into the promised Land because Moses was sure to pass on his power and authority to Joshua.
Moses while he did not get to enter into the Promised Land, did everything he could to make sure the next generation of Israelites would. We see this over and over again among great leaders in the Bible. They set up the next generation for success. The greatest leaders serve their generation and the next one. They invest in the next generation.
I think it is appropriate that we end the series with Moses seeing the Promised Land because that was such a driving force of his life. And any good reflection on the life of Moses would force us to ask that question for ourselves?
What is your Promised Land? What is the vision that drives you, the end to which your whole life is progressing? Over the course of the series we have hinted at smaller goals – losing weight, getting out of debt, getting into a school. And all those things are good, but when it comes to the end of our lives, what is your true Promised land? You should lose weight and get in good shape but not for the sake of just looking good but so that you are healthy enough to fulfill a greater mission or purpose. You and I should take care of our finances and manage them well, but so that we are free to give and support financially a larger purpose. You should have vacations that you enjoy and rejuvenate you, but they should rejuvenate you for a larger purpose.
Moses had lived to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land. This was his larger purpose. And his larger purpose was not just about him or about him and his family. His larger purpose both served his God and served other people.
We actually have something better than seeing God face to face. We have the Holy Spirit living inside us. The Holy Spirit will guide you to that vision that is larger than yourself or your family.
Some of you may be pushing back. You may be thinking that if you follow God’s will for your life than it is going to wreck or ruin your life. He is going to get you to be a missionary or give away all your money or do something you can’t imagine yourself doing. Maybe he will. I don’t know, but even if that is true it is not because God wants something FROM you but because God wants something FOR you.
But you see, it is our limited thinking that believes the way to fulfillment is in getting our way or living a life that is about us. The constant temptation and pull of our culture is to believe that we will find life by pursuing a great life for ourselves. But it is actually the opposite. We find life not by pursuing some ideal life, but by giving our lives away to God and to others for a larger purpose.
Jesus said it this way, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:25)
Remember Moses resisted God as well. He gave God all kinds of excuses, but it was in giving to God that he found his life. It was in giving into God that he found his LEGACY.
Moses’ life positioned him for the purpose God had in mind for him. He had grown up in Egypt and saw first hands the sufferings of the people. He grew up with a great education so that his mind was trained for leadership. Then God took him out of Egypt where he was a shepherd out in the wilderness and he prepared Moses to be a leader.
So God prepares his people for a greater mission. The mission God has for you is based upon your history. So what is your vision of the Promise Land that God is leading you to? And how will you use the graces that God has given you to lead the people God has put in your life to that Promise Land?