MOSES DIED THERE. Deuteronomy 34 There comes a time in the lives of God's servants when their work is finished. It is not easy to accept that God has chosen others to continue the work we have been involved in. They may not do the same things, nor will they do the work God has called them to in the way we would have preferred. However, they are servants of God too, and the Lord fits them for their tasks in a manner best suited to their personality and the needs to be met.
Moses knew when he had finished his work, and God did not leave him in the camp of Israel to intimidate Joshua or to distract the minds of the Lord's people by having two leaders in one place. He wisely accepted God's discipline without bitterness or rancor. He accepted the fact that he was not going into the promised land with the characteristic meekness for which he was known, "The meekest man in all the earth." God, in grace, had him go to Mount Nebo at the top of the hills of Pisgah and pointed out to His servant the places where the tribes would settle. He could see to Dan in the north, over to where Naphtali would settle, all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. He also saw the southern plains and, closer, the city and plains of Jericho, where Israel would cross the Jordan.
We may not accomplish everything we hoped for in our lifetime, but we must remember that the work is not ours; it belongs to God. What God has done through us and for us is deserving of our praise and thanksgiving from full hearts. Being given the opportunity to speak for God to the people is a great privilege. Pointing precious souls to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation is a great privilege. Being allowed by God to participate in the life and testimonies of local assemblies is a great privilege. Having the gift God gave us blend with that of other members of the body of Christ is a great privilege. Being in fellowship with the people of God in an assembly of believers is a great privilege. "I am the Lord's, O teach me all it meaneth, all it involves of love and loyalty."
Moses was "slow of speech," he said when he was in Midian forty years earlier. However, the three eloquent speeches he delivered in the book of Deuteronomy show that God had made him a very articulate speaker who spoke with power and authority. God can do whatever He wants with His servants to accomplish His plans and purposes. No one in Israel could doubt that Moses spoke for God. Whether they would act on his words was now their responsibility.
It is our duty to share the truths of God's Word with others and do so in fellowship with God as best we can. Not all of God's servants are the same, but if we preach the word in the spirit of "meekness and lowliness," we can trust God to use it as He sees fit. Those who guide God's saints should have gracefulness and a compassionate spirit. A prideful attitude and arrogant authority will not endear a leader to God's people. Such a person will soon be resented and face opposition. If they do not change, some will ignore their leadership, and others may even leave.
Moses was a humble man who genuinely identified with the people of God. He was courageous and didn't give up when faced with great difficulties or unjust criticism. Over the years of following God, he gained wisdom that could not be overlooked by those he led. Humility, wisdom, and courage are essential traits for anyone leading God's people today, whether in assembly leadership or public service. Moses never allowed his success or position to make him arrogant or domineering.
Moses didn't stop growing spiritually at age eighty. In fact, he became the greatest prophet in Israel until Lord Jesus Christ came. The Lord knew him face to face, and nobody else has ever experienced that. The signs and wonders God performed through Moses in Egypt were unprecedented. The miracles Moses performed, from crossing the Red Sea to forty years of wilderness travel and living, had an impact on Israel that continues to this day. Enemies of Israel in surrounding Middle Eastern areas were caused to fear Moses because he was the man God chose to use—and could use without Moses claiming credit for himself.
It is crucial that we all recognize who we are before God and never seek to take credit ourselves for success in God's work. Giving God all the glory for souls saved, saints strengthened, assemblies established, and teaching received is absolutely vital for a servant of God. There can be no room for self-exaltation in the Lord's work.
The Lord maintained His servant with strength and clear eyesight until the very end of his days. The story of Moses' life is about a remarkable man who was spared from death as a baby because his parents, knowing he was a "proper child," did everything they could to keep him for God's purpose. He was in the safest place in Egypt—Pharaoh's palace—during the first forty years of his life. He was exposed to all the world had to offer but realized it was only temporary.
For forty more years, he learned leadership principles by tending sheep. In the years ahead, the patience and meekness he gained in Midian's wilderness would serve him well. The last forty turbulent years testified to the victorious power of faith in God. How he died is not mentioned, but the keys that only God possesses were used in God's way. His death wasn't caused by weakness or illness. God simply decided it was time to take his servant home and buried his body in an unknown place, so it wouldn't become a shrine or a stumbling block to God's people. There was even a conflict between Michael, the archangel, and the devil about Moses' body.
There is no substitute in the life of faith for going through testing times. We learn more about ourselves and God through life's difficulties than in any other way. It is during the problems we face that we discover who we truly are. We might believe we have certain strengths, and God often shows us that His strength is made perfect in weakness. We may think our intellectual reasoning will provide the solution to the issues we face or the challenges before us. When we reach our limit, we find that what we truly need is real faith in God. Not just talking or teaching about faith, but believing that God can and will do the impossible. There is no better teacher to reveal what is right than failure when we act outside of God's will.
God did not abandon His people, Israel, but stayed with them through all their failures until they reached the land of Canaan. Later, in their smug complacency, they forsook God, and to this day, they are suffering the consequences of self-will and disobedience. There is no reason to think God has abandoned us because our numbers are decreasing if we are doing His will and following His Word. Problems arise when we try to do God's work our way, because that feels more convenient and less stressful. If we seek acceptance from every church group or everyone around us, we will find we have nothing to offer, and others can't improve in some other place or way. Our commitment to God is not in a written contract but in the call to "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and I will be a Father unto you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."