Humans want life to be fair. If we spend 40 years doing good things, and then make one mistake, we think the one mistake should be overlooked due to all the good we did. That would be fair.
Today, we will finish reading the book of Deuteronomy. The ending of the book reminds us that life is not always fair. We will see that one mistake can be greater than 40 years of positive contribution.
Yesterday, we were reading the blessing with which Moses blessed Israel before he died. He blessed Reuben, Judah, Levi, Benjamin, Joseph, Zebulun, and Issachar.
Deut. 33:20 ¶ Of Gad he said,
“Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad;
He lies down as a lion,
And tears the arm, also the top of the head.
Deut. 33:21 Then he provided the first part for himself,
For there the ruler’s portion was reserved;
And he came with the heads of the people;
He did the righteousness of Yahweh,
And His judgments with Israel.”
Gad was on the eastern side of the Jordan River, which meant many enemies of Israel had to go through Gad in order to get to Israel proper.
Deut. 33:22 ¶ Of Dan he said,
“Dan is a lion’s whelp,
That leaps forth from Bashan.”
Notice the reference to Bashan. Bashan was northeast of Israel. Dan was originally assigned a portion along the Mediterranean Sea. However, Judges 18 tells us Dan migrated to the northern edge of Israel, meaning they were close to Bashan.
Deut. 33:23 ¶ Of Naphtali he said,
“O Naphtali, satisfied with favor,
And full of the blessing of Yahweh,
Take possession of the sea and the south.”
Look at the word “sea”. Naphtali settled along the Sea of Galilee.
Deut. 33:24 ¶ Of Asher he said,
“More blessed than sons is Asher;
May he be favored by his brothers,
And may he dip his foot in oil.
Deut. 33:25 Your locks will be iron and bronze,
And according to your days, so your fortitude will be.
This ends the various blessings upon specific tribes.
Moses mentioned every tribe except Simeon. Simeon and Levi deceived and killed the Shechemites, which did not please Jacob (see Genesis 34:25-30). Thus, Jacob condemned them to being scattered in Israel. Levi was scattered in that his descendants were the priests and did not inherit a specific territory. Simeon’s inheritance was within the tribe of Judah. Eventually, Simeon became indistinguishable from Judah. The fact that Simeon was going to be scattered within Israel may be why Moses did not bother mentioning Simeon.
Deut. 33:26 ¶ “There is none like the God of Jeshurun,
Who rides the heavens to your help,
And through the skies in His majesty.
Notice the statement that there is none like God. There are many idols and false religions around the world. None of them are like the one and only Living God.
Deut. 33:27 The eternal God is a dwelling place,
And underneath are the everlasting arms;
And He drove out the enemy from before you,
And said, ‘Destroy!’
Deut. 33:28 So Israel dwells in security,
The fountain of Jacob secluded,
In a land of grain and new wine;
His heavens also drop down dew.
Moses issued this blessing before Israel entered the Promised Land. However, he wrote this verse because he was confident that Yahweh would make Israel dwell securely in a land of grain and new wine.
Deut. 33:29 Blessed are you, O Israel;
Who is like you, a people saved by Yahweh,
Who is the shield of your help
And the sword of your majesty!
So your enemies will cower before you,
And you will tread upon their high places.”
Ponder the line “Who is like you”. There is no other nation on earth quite like Israel. No other people group was chosen by Yahweh to be blessed the way He blessed Israel, choosing them to be the instrument through which the Creator Himself came to earth as a man in order to save mankind.
Deut. 34:1 ¶ Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And Yahweh showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan,
Gilead was east of the Jordan River. Dan was along the Mediterranean Sea.
Deut. 34:2 and all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah as far as the western sea,
Naphtali was the northern edge of the Promised Land. Ephraim, Manasseh, and Judah were the central portion.
Deut. 34:3 and the Negev and the plain in the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar.
The Negev was the southern edge of the Promised Land.
Deut. 34:4 Then Yahweh said to him, “This is the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your seed’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.”
Take note of the reference to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses lived around 500 years after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This means it took 500 years for Yahweh to fulfill His promise to the patriarchs.
Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land because he failed to treat Yahweh as holy at Meribah (see Numbers 20:12).
Deut. 34:5 So Moses the servant of Yahweh died there in the land of Moab, according to the command of Yahweh.
Deut. 34:6 And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows his burial place to this day.
Deut. 34:7 Now Moses was 120 years old when he died; his eye was not dim, nor his vigor abated.
Don’t miss the age of Moses. He was 120 years old when he died. It seems unfair that Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. On the other hand, Moses had to die at some point. Yahweh had decreed that human life expectancy would be 120 years (see Genesis 6:3). The transition from the wilderness wanderings to the conquest of Canaan was a good time to transition leadership to the younger generation.
Deut. 34:8 So the sons of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end.
Deut. 34:9 ¶ Now Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; and the sons of Israel listened to him and did as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
Deut. 34:10 And there has not yet arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom Yahweh knew face to face,
Ponder this verse. There was no prophet like Moses. Yahweh knew Moses face to face. And yet, Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land because he made one mistake at Meribah.
Deut. 34:11 in regard to all the signs and wonders which Yahweh sent him to do in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land,
Deut. 34:12 and in regard to all the mighty power and in regard to all the great terror which Moses did in the sight of all Israel.
All of the good things Moses did were overshadowed by one emotional outburst.
This is a warning to us. No matter how much good we do, if we make a big mistake, it will overshadow all the good things we did. Pastors and missionaries who spend decades doing good ministry can ruin everything by one act of abuse. Decades of marriage can be destroyed by one act of unfaithfulness. Furthermore, we will all stand before God someday and give an account of our lives. Years of positive contribution will not protect us from having to give an account for our mistakes.
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”