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"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, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, the Negeb, and the Plain, that is, the Valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. 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.' So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord, 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." (Deuteronomy 34:1-6 ESV)
I feel for Moses. He desperately wanted to see the climax of all his work, and to lead the Israelites into the promised land across the Jordan. But because of one single faithless act (see Numbers 20:2-13), God told him he would never do that. He would die in the wilderness, and Joshua would bring them in.
It might seem hard of God to put such a severe penalty on Moses. After all, Moses had obeyed God in so many terrible situations before! Why did it matter? But in God's eyes, it did. He told him, "Because you did not believe in Me, to uphold Me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them."
Faith matters. In a leader it matters even more, because the people will follow whatever evil a leader does. And so God made this decision and kept His word, even though He loved Moses dearly.
And yet!
Hundreds of years later, Moses did make it into the promised land. He did so when God Himself sent Him to meet with Jesus and Elijah at Jesus' transfiguration, long after Moses' own death (see Luke 9:28-36). Why do this? Partly because Moses and Elijah stood for the Law and the Prophets, both of which testify to Jesus as Messiah. They were living symbols.
But I think there's another reason, which is God's overwhelming love and mercy. He would not reverse His judgment, no—but He would redeem Moses' sin. And so, long after his death, God sent him to meet his Redeemer, Jesus our Messiah—who takes away all our sins, even the faithless sins, and brings us into God's promised kingdom. Through His own death and resurrection, Jesus brings all of us who trust in Him safely home to God—even Moses, and even you and me.
We Pray: Dear Savior, thank You for saving us and bringing us home to the Father! Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on February 25, 2025
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights
Reflection Questions:
1. When have you been forced to miss out on something you were looking forward to very much?
2. Would it have been a problem if God had simply changed His mind and allowed Moses to lead the Israelites into the land during his lifetime?
3. How do you think Moses felt about meeting Jesus on the mountain of His Transfiguration? Why?
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