Deuteronomy chapter 3

vs 21

Here Moses is reminding Joshua, who is one of the righteous fellows that came back from spying, to remember what God has just done to these two kings, the victories that God has given his people. Such things are worth remembering. All too easily we can forget the victories God gives us in our own lives. Like when I first got my job with AMT, or Dave just getting his job with CMS. These are things that get prayed for, and we acknowledge them as gifts from God at the time, but then we forget that, and fall back into doubt. Or even if we don't doubt, we tend to look forward for God to do something, and forget to look back on what he has already done with thankfulness.

vs 22

Looking back at God's track record is important. It is, in fact, quite possibly the main reason we have the Bible in the form it's in - because it shows God's faithfulness.

vs 23

Poor Moses. It's coming to brass tacks now. But even then, he's sharing this with the people. He could have kept it to himself (possibly) but he doesn't, because it is part of the history. We as preachers have to remember that sometimes we need to tell the bad stories as well as the good stories. People learn from our mistakes as much as from our successes.

This is yet another reason that I think sometimes God sets us up to 'fail' in a worldly sense. We learn from failure.

vs 24

Begun? So the plagues were a matinee? I guess it could be that he's lumping all the stuff God has done together, but context would suggest he's really referring to the recent combat successes.

vs 25

I do feel for Moses. He is the absolute picture of the life of most people of faith - who live their whole lives aiming towards a goal, and yet never see it fulfilled in their lifetime. Abraham never saw his people living in the promised land. Joseph left his people in Egypt. Moses marched his people to the river, and never got to cross.

But here's an interesting question: if Israel only had a land-based hope, for the Promised land, and Moses was told "You will never enter it," then why did he continue to obey God after that?

Don't fire your slings and arrows just yet. I know that God is worthy of glory and honour and worship and obedience merely for being God. But it's God who set up the covenant of obedience=reward (in the old and the new) so if you say there's something wrong with that, you can take it to him.

Possibly it is just a communal mindedness - sure, Moses won't get in, but his family will, his tribe will, his nation will, and so even though there's nothing in it for him, he still selflessly does the job that is his as leader of the people.

But possibly it's because he knew there was more to it than that, and that his relationship with God for him was not just an earthly thing - he knew that, though God might punish him on earth, there was something waiting for him afterward. If so, where did he learn this? Hard to say. I know people will point to Enoch, but come on, it's pretty vague. Building an entire eschatological theology on that one verse is somewhat rich.

vs 26

And so for Moses the door is forever shut. He never gets to set foot on the promised land. Moses still puts part of the blame at least on Israel.

vs 27

He gets to go to the tourist lookout on top of the mountain, and that's it. He was old, how much did he see? Regardless, that's it for him.

vs 28

God has already moved on to Joshua as leader. Perhaps It was Joshua that was recording all this, for all we know. Moses knows it, but he still has a fair bit to say to Israel. And he also has to encourage and strengthen Joshua - that's his new job.

You know the old saying, "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach." I feel a bit like that. I must admit I am surprised that my path has taken me to study teaching. The idea of being a stepping stone in someone else's life is somewhat depressing sometimes. Which is why you can't look at education as a means to an end when you are an educator, I guess. You have to look at it as an end in itself.

vs 29

And then what happpened? Now, finally, we get to the interesting Deuteronomy stuff.