That was surely a thought Moses flirted with as he gazed down from Mt. Nebo upon a land he had spent 40 years journeying toward, yet would never set foot in.
I've occasionally thought it one of Scripture's most unfair moments, a supremely faithful servant of God denied the thing he most wanted, all because he blew his top and beat the rock with his rod in Kadesh so as to produce water, rather than speaking to the rock as God had instructed.
But then I reel myself back in, remembering that God is perfect justice and never errs. A verbal command would have illustrated for the people of Israel a foundational principle of the Kingdom, that of the supernatural creative power of the spoken Word birthed by faith in response to the revealed purpose of a beneficent Father…yet Moses opted instead for a display of raw human emotion and force; so…bye bye Promised Land.
Explanations and justifications aside, the loss is still painful. Have you ever been there, looking out upon a party that might be missed, painfully aware that some past flash of human frailty or failure to carry out a command has potentially exempted you from a portion of your dream? Such thoughts can torment, and fill a New Year's Eve with angst instead of anticipation.
Yet in the Kingdom, failure is not fatal. On Nebo, Moses still had vision to see the glories in store for those he had led. He still retained his authority to lead, and to pass on to the Joshua generation the lessons that would guarantee their success. And most important of all, he still had intimacy with his God, so profound and so intense, that God would call Moses His friend. God summoned him to the mountaintop to die, it's true, but only after a life of fantastic glory, repeated supernatural display, a level of Divine Presence that most can barely imagine, miraculous health and strength to 120 years of age, and at the end, the honor of a private home going and burial, kept secret between the man and the Lover of his soul.
Perhaps you too have lamented a measure of milk and honey that might not be yours to savor. You recognize that your season is waning, either from age, or simply that your path has run a course different than what you had dreamed. Turn that regret into a New Year's resolution, one that celebrates the privilege of the relationship which you still retain with God most high. Celebrate that you still have eyes to see the destination. Celebrate the privilege of assisting those after you up to the edge of their own destinies.
Moses wasn't depressed at year's end up there on Mt. Nebo. No, I think rather that the atmosphere was electric as he heard his final charge: "Take a long look Moses, and drink it all in; this is the land I swore to give to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; I have granted you the privilege of beholding it with your own eyes, even though you won't cross over." (Deut. 34) And though these next words are not recorded, I can hear them by implication: "You are the very first of My people to see what lies ahead, and you can come to Me now in peace, knowing that your labor was not in vain; well done, My good and faithful servant; well done, my intimate friend".
2024 is knocking, and the best is yet to come, whether you and I taste its fullness in person, or whether it is most fully realized one day by those we currently lead and love. For it is the people, after all, who are the point of our profession. It is the Promised Land's Promise Keeper whose fame we proclaim.
- R.K. Brake
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