Reading
SAA Notes
Under Joshua, Israel defeats all the enemies that come against her. Do you ever fear for the future of the Church, of Christianity? Don’t! Find in these readings the hope that John saw in Revelation 19 – that Christ is the victorious Joshua conquering His enemies. Great encouragement is ours that our labour is not in vain in the Lord!
SJA Notes
* Holy God, You are our shield, God Most High the righteous judge. We praise Your Name!
“Please let me go over to see the good land beyond the Jordan …”
There is a hard lesson here.
Moses wanted to enter the promised land. This was the land of many hopes and dreams, the place that His God was going to give to Israel – The people Moses had been leading for half his life.
Moses knew he was barred from the land, God had made that clear at Meribah when Moses struck the rock instead of speaking to it – bringing dishonor to God.
But Moses persevered and continued to plead with the Lord to let him enter.
Jesus is very clear about perseverance in prayer.
In Luke 11 we read the story of the persistent (impudent) friend.
Ask and it shall be given. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door shall be opened to you.
How do these truths bear up against what we read here in Deuteronomy?
God speaks. A diamond-hard razor-sharp crystal-clear word.
“Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again.”
God answered Moses’ prayer. God said “enough”.
God’s word to Moses here should grow a deeper understanding in us of His will and of prayer, of conversation with Him.
Sometimes God’s will is such that we do see immediate “what we ask” action from Him. Sometimes we don’t see that at all.
But this is part of daily active trust. The God _is_ at work.
God did bring Moses into the promised land. And more, we today will get to meet Moses in glory.
We can be encouraged as Moses was, that our God is a faithful God who works out His purposes for us.
* Sovereign God,
Thank You for Your word here today, for Your response to Moses.
Please help us wrestle with what this means for each of us.
You are our King. You save us. What else have we to do but to do what You tell us to!
Amen.