The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go up into this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel. When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled, failing to uphold me as holy at the waters before their eyes,’” (Numbers 27:12-14 ESV).
Moses disobeyed God and as a result, he did not get to enter the promised land. But when God explained this to him, He didn’t say ‘You will die.’ He said “you shall be gathered to your people.” And I came to realize that God had a promise waiting on the other side of Moses’ disobedience as well. His failure had not taken him out of reach of the promises of God. It took him out of a specific promise, but not out of God’s reach. Moses did miss out on the promised land, but while he missed that, instead he went to the Promised Land. He was gathered with his people. He missed the land of Canaan but gained Heaven. Even in God’s punishment, His promise remains.
Your thoughts?
Todd
Good Morning!
What a greta topic…
I realize that no matter what, we seem to disobey what God ask of us and do not really notice it till we have,
Why is that???? why is it so hard to listen to God and just do what he ask us to do??? Is it that we as humans just feel like we do not want any one telling us what to do, that we disregard the voice until we feel it fits us????
A SIMPLE THING LIKE PRAYING WITH YOUR KIDS OR GRANDKIDS IS SO IMPORTANT TO GOD…………Yet some of us are to tired and just do not want to be bothered……..
AND YET GOD IS ALWAYS THERE FOR US ,HE NEVER TELLS US WE ARE BOTHERING HIM… AND HE STILL KEEPS HIS PROMISE TO US……..
How wonderful it is that He does keep His promise. Perhaps in this case, His punishment of Moses is meant to teach us that His ultimate promise will remain, even if He punishes us in other ways.
I suppose that we tend to get tired and weary in everything we do by nature, no matter how important it is, when we try to do it on our own strength. The only way we can remain strong is through the strength He gives us.
Thank God for his mercy and faithfulness even when I am not faithful.
How did God get such a bad rap? His people so often go around thinking that He’s up there (as if “up” could describe His whereabouts) waiting to cut them off and discard them when they mess up. He is the definition of love, but people often forget that.
If you don’t mind, I’d like to put a concert response here, and if you do mind, well, too bad; I’m going to anyway. 🙂
Over the past few months I’d managed to get my focus shifted. That’s not to say that I’ve wandered from God, it’s that my mind has been clouded with a lot of other stuff that’s been weighing me down. I’d catch myself walking a little too close to the banks of the “slough of despond”, and that’s no good. Your “Need” helped to remind me that the things that really matter are the things of God, not the things of the world, as important as those things often seem. They probably are important, but they’re not worthy of losing my joy over, and they’re not big enough to trip up God’s plan. Your show last night drove that point home once again. Thanks! I’ll be praying for you and for those left back at home. Blessings, Tess
I think of this as real time judgement. When I sin, God lets me see the consequences right here in my life, but I still have the assurance that all is forgiven, and heaven is mine. Moses living out the effects of his sin, had to have been a mighty message about God’s Holiness.
Hey Todd:
Wow what a powerful message. With all the “oh let me do it myself God” words i speak to myself and knowing full well that i stink as a driver of my own life it helps to know that no matter how many times i try to “take to wheel” from God he is still right there with the map. I also want to give you and your tour mates a BIG Thank You and Hugs for coming to Salt Lake City, Utah last Sunday. Oct 25th. I have taken my son to many christen concerts over the pass few year but this one is one of our favorites. I had no idea we were going to hear a “Sunday Service” but man that was to best message i have ever heard on a Sunday, I cried like a little baby because I heard The Lord speaking to me through your words. Thank you for your gift of music because knowing that i am broken God will always be there i just need to call on him.