By Douglas K. Wilson, Ph.D.
Dean of Christian Studies, University of Mobile
Promised
Deuteronomy 32:48–52; 34:4–8
Death is a foregone conclusion. With the exception of Enoch and Elijah, every human being recorded in Scripture has faced death. The writer of Hebrews reminds believers that death is certain: “It is appointed for people to die once” (Heb. 9:27).
Moses was forbidden to enter the promised land for his disobedience in Numbers 20:12. He had outlived his siblings, Miriam (20:1) and Aaron (20:28). In his psalm, Moses mentioned that the men of his time lived 70 or 80 years (Ps. 90:9–10). By contrast, God had granted him 120 years (Deut. 34:7).
Our Sin Realized (32:48–52)
This narrative, which follows Moses’ last song (31:30–32:43), reminds the reader that the paycheck for sin is death. From Adam and Eve until now, death has accompanied disobedience to God. For some the sentence is immediate, while for others the anticipated end lingers. After 40 years of faithful service, Moses received a reminder that his days were short.
The reader may recall the Lord indicted and sentenced Moses and Aaron for their lack of faith in the book of Numbers, with Aaron’s death occurring shortly thereafter (20:12, 22–29). God repeats the sentence but with a caveat: “Although from a distance you will view the land that I am giving the Israelites, you will not go there” (32:52). God extends grace to Moses, allowing him to look from the mountains of Moab across the Jordan rift valley into the land of Canaan.
God’s Presence Assured (34:4)
Chapter 34 continues where chapter 32 leaves off, with the fulfillment of God’s promise to allow Moses to see the promised land. Verses 1–3 provide a geographical setting for the reader. A review of maps in the back of a good Bible provides a context, as the narration describes Moses’ panoramic view of the promised land from north to south.
Grace and mercy are characteristics of God, yet no one has the right to presuppose or assume that Moses merits them or God owes either to him. Moses made no presumptions. He welcomed the words from the Lord: “This is the land I promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, ‘I will give it to your descendants [literally, seed].’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross over into it.”
God’s Mercy Discovered (34:5–8)
Moses was at full strength and had good eyesight when his appointment with death came. His exact burial place is unknown, though Jude offers insights not provided in this passage (Jude 9).
For 30 days, the people of Israel mourned and wept over the death of their leader. Moses had been faithful to God and led the people well. He had met with God, confronted a Pharaoh, witnessed the mighty hand of God over humanity and His creation, eaten manna, seen bitter water become sweet, received the commandments, endured 40 years of complaining, watched a stiff-necked generation die in the wilderness and instructed the next generation on God’s expectations when they entered the promised land. What a testimony! What a eulogy! And yet the greater prophet, the promised Messiah, was yet to come.
As I type this article and meditate on this passage, the lyrics of “Sweet Hour of Prayer” overwhelm me with emotion: “Till, from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height/ I view my home and take my flight/ This robe of flesh I’ll drop and rise/ To seize the everlasting prize/ And shout, while passing through the air/ ‘Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer’” (William Walford, 1845).
Nowhere is God’s mercy more evident than through His salvation from eternal torment through the death and resurrection of Christ.
Meditate on these words as we close our study: “He saved us — not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy” (Titus 3:5).
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