Deuteronomy 34: The end of the Torah

Deuteronomy 34

"Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top
of Pisgah, which faces Jericho, and the Lord showed him all the land:
Gilead as far as Dan, all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and
Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean sea, the
Negev, and the region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms,
as far as Zoar. The Lord then said to him, 'This is the land I
promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 'I will give it to your
descendants.' I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will
not cross it.'" Deuteronomy 34: 1-4

Deuteronomy 34, the last chapter in the Torah, ends with the death of
Moses. Just prior to Moses' death, the Lord led him to the top of
Pisgah on Mount Nebo. From there, the Lord enabled Moses to see the
"promised land", in its entirety.

When I first read this passage, as a young believer, I felt God was
being cruel to Moses. Adonai didn't seem very gracious towards His
servant, who had so faithfully trusted Him. It felt God was dangling
the ever-elusive carrot, one last time.

A few years back, I read the story of a man who climbed to the top of
Mount Pisgah, just to view Israel as Moses had. To his surprise, you
can hardly see the land at all!! It was then that I realized God had
given Moses an extraordinary gift. He had enabled Moses to see
prophetically. Add the fact that Israel never fully conquered the
land, and God's grace to Moses is more profound. Moses is the ONLY
person to have seen the Promised Land inhabited by Israel, in its
entirety.

Faith is the evidence of things unseen, and at the end of his
faithful life, Moses was allowed to view the object of his faith
journey. James 1:12 For Moses, it was enough. He could pass,
knowing his work was not in vain. Moses' success would come at the
hands of his successor, Joshua.

For us, the end of the Torah should act as a reminder, that life is
not about building an earthly kingdom. We should be focused on the
heavenly one. God honors those who "die to themselves", that others
can enter-in to His Kingdom.

There's only one thing better than seeing the "promised land", just
before you die. That's entering God's eternal presence just
afterwards - and that's just what Moses did. Matt 17: 1-9

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins