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Deuteronomy 34 (ESV)

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.

 

REFLECTION:

• Moses was the leader of the nation of Israel for the latter part of his life. He was mostly obedient and faithful, but there were times of disobedience.  Because of that, God told Moses that the Israelites would enter the Promised Land but that he would not.  In chapter 34 Moses dies atop Mount Nebo, located in the modern-day country of Jordan, just to the east of the Dead Sea in Israel.
• Why does God take disobedience so seriously? What have been some consequences of my own disobedience?
• Am I able to trust the promises of God, even if I never end up seeing them? Why or why not?

 

PRAYER:

Merciful Heavenly Father, I pray that You help me live a life of faith and obedience, always honoring You. Please increase my faith each day, for I understand that without faith, I cannot obey Your will, nor can I please You. Heavenly Father, I pray that You enable me to live out my life according to Your promises, and that I can hold onto hope and reverence in my heart, whether on sunny days or in stormy weather. I want to be inspired by the lives of many prophets and saints, such as Abraham and Moses, who lived their entire lives with faith and hope, and completed their missions on earth, leaving behind a wonderful testimony for You. Many of them died in faith without receiving what was promised, yet their witness surrounds me like clouds, giving me the faith to follow their example. I know that we are just passing through in this world, and our shared hope is to have a more beautiful home in heaven, the glorious eternal city You have prepared for us. I pray that I may live my life with such a beautiful love and longing until the day I return home. Amen!

 

HYMN:

Faith Above Fear – youtu.be/V5z4VqK5ryE