Moses has just finished teaching the Israelites a song they are to sing in the future, in a time when many will have turned to idolatry and need to be reminded that their safety and prosperity come from God alone. Today the Lord will reveal to Moses the location of his death, then Moses will bless each tribe of Israel in Chapter 33 before he departs for the location revealed to him by the Lord. In Chapter 34 Moses will die and be buried by the Lord.
We concluded our look at the lyrics of the song yesterday and that's where we pick up now. "Moses came with Joshua son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, he said to them, 'Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you---they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.'" (Deuteronomy 32:44-47)
In Deuteronomy Moses has been retelling the laws and commandments of the Lord to the new generation that will enter the promised land. The people reaffirmed their vows to the Lord when he read them all the laws and commandments. Now, before he leaves this world, Moses reminds them that these aren't idle words. Obedience to these words means abundant life. Obedience means experiencing all the blessings the Lord promised them in the land He is giving them. You'll recall the list of blessings from Deuteronomy 28: that they would be blessed in the city and in the country, blessed by the fruit of their womb, blessed by fertility of livestock, blessed by abundant harvests, blessed by being protected from enemies and---most of all---blessed by a close relationship with their Maker.
You'll also recall that the Lord dwelled longer on the list of curses for disobedience than He did on the list of blessings for obedience. This is because He wanted to deeply imprint on their minds the consequences of choosing wicked things. He wanted them to avoid both the natural consequences of sin and the spiritual consequences of sin because He loves them and desires only the best for them. The best for them, and for anyone, is Him! The one who forsakes the Lord is forsaking Him at their own peril, to their own shame, and to their own ruin.
After Moses and his successor Joshua faithfully repeated all the Lord's laws and commandments and the words to the song to the people, the Lord tells Moses where he will take his last breath. "On that same day the Lord told Moses, 'Go up into the Abiram Range to Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, and view Canaan, the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession. There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people.'" (Deuteronomy 32:48-50) A panoramic view of the land can be seen from one of the high ridges in this location.
The Lord previously told Moses that although he would not enter the promised land he would be given a view of it. (Numbers 27:12-14, Deuteronomy 3:27) The view from Mount Nebo is the one the Lord was speaking of. Moses, along with everyone who was aged twenty and up when the Israelites left Egypt (with the exceptions of Joshua and Caleb), will not enter the promised land. The congregation members who were of legal age when they left Egypt were not allowed to enter because they rebelled against the Lord at Kadesh in Numbers 13 and 14 when they lacked the faith to believe the Lord could enable them to fight the giants and scale the city walls of the promised land. Moses and Aaron were not allowed to enter because although they believed the Lord would help them take the land they disrespected the Lord at Meribah in Kadesh in Numbers 20. They disobeyed the Lord's instructions about how to bring water out of a rock in the desert and they took the credit for causing the water to come forth. Because of this the Lord said that neither of them would enter the promised land. The Lord restates His reason for not allowing Moses (and Aaron, who has already died) to enter the land here in Deuteronomy 32:51-52, "This is because both of you broke faith with Me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold My holiness among the Israelites. Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel."
Did the Lord not forgive Moses and Aaron? There's no reason to believe He didn't. I am certain that both men were heartily sorry for their actions and I believe the Lord accepted their repentance. But He did not change His mind about not allowing them to step foot in the promised land.
Sin can have very far-reaching consequences that linger long after the sin was first committed. We may repent and obtain forgiveness from the Lord but that doesn't mean the harm we did with our sin just disappears instantly. Moses and Aaron did spiritual harm to the congregation when they lost their tempers at Meribah and failed to follow the Lord's instructions (which were very simple and very precise) and when they took the credit for the water that flowed from the rock. It's bad enough when average citizens sin and set a bad example for those around them, but it's a serious matter indeed when a religious or political leader sins and sets a bad example. Moses and Aaron were in a position to greatly influence the entire congregation of Israel and they set a bad example at Meribah. When they did not honor the Lord in the sight of the people, this had the potential to cause the people to feel they didn't have to honor Him either. These two men had more influence over the congregation than anyone else and that's why their mistake was judged so harshly.
But the Lord doesn't leave us wallowing in our mistakes, not if we let Him pick us back up. The Lord is going to allow Moses to impart a benediction upon each tribe of Israel before he leaves this earth. His many years of work for the nation will end on a good note. One big mistake may have kept Moses from the promised land but it didn't disqualify him from blessing the Lord's people.
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