Deuteronomy 34:1–12
34 And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And Jehovah showed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, 2 and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the hinder sea, 3 and the South, and the Plain of the valley of Jericho the city of palm-trees, unto Zoar. 4 And Jehovah said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. 5 So Moses the servant of Jehovah died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of Jehovah. 6 And he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab over against Beth-peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. 7 And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. 8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping in the mourning for Moses were ended.
9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as Jehovah commanded Moses. 10 And there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom Jehovah knew face to face, 11 in all the signs and the wonders, which Jehovah sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, 12 and in all the mighty hand, and in all the great terror, which Moses wrought in the sight of all Israel.
When we read this part of [Moses’] epitaph and think of all the mighty power and all the miracles that Moses did, many of us tend to think, Moses is in another league. I can’t touch him. This life I’ve observed amounts to just another theoretical study. It almost mocks me, because I’m light years from Moses.
What a colossal error we make if we come to such a faulty deduction. Moses was unique, certainly, but he was just a man in the service of God. Still, we can learn much of personal benefit from his life and death.
The secret of fulfillment in life is involvement.
When you’re planning on retirement, don’t plan on checking out with people or with God’s Word. If you do, you’ll be moving away from that which is eternal, and that’s the wrong direction, my friend. So stay in touch. Give until you don’t have anything else to give, and then tap into God’s reservoirs and give some more. This is what lengthens the meaning and purpose—and sometimes the years—of life.
The secret of reality in life is humility.
If involvement gives life length, then humility gives it breadth. Moses presents us with a beautiful picture of real humanity mixed with deep humility and genuine godliness. Moses never believed his own press reports. He never got lost in his own track record. He never got up in the morning to see what the headlines had to say about his performance the day before. He stayed real, believable, and humble.
The secret of happiness in life is perspective.
If involvement gives life length and humility gives it breadth, then perspective gives life depth.
Death comes to all of us. And unless our Lord comes in the clouds for us first, that day of departure will arrive . . . maybe sooner, maybe later. We have no control over that, but we do have control over the way we live, right up to the moment we leave this planet.
Moses teaches us that, regardless of whether we live or die, God remains worthy of our praise. It must be our goal, then, as it was the goal of Moses, to bring honor to Him, whether by life or by death.
We can’t control our death, but we can control the way we live until it comes.
— Charles R. Swindoll
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