Falaite ‘Aokosi 27, 2021
You shall not go over this Jordan
‘E ‘ikai te ke a‘a ‘i Soatani na
Teutalonome 31 (Deuteronomy 31)
(v. 1-3) So
Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel. And he said to them, “I am
120 years old today. I am no longer able to go out and come in. The Lord has
said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’ The Lord your God himself will
go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall
dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, as the Lord has spoken.
(v. 1-3) PEA
‘alu ‘a Mōsese, ‘o ne fai ‘a e ngaahi lea ko eni ki ‘Isileli kātoa. Pea ne pehē
kiate kinautolu, Kuo u teau mā uofulu ta‘u he ‘aho ni; ‘oku ‘ikai te u kei lava
ke hū atu mo hū mai: pea kuo folofola kiate au ‘e he ‘Eiki, ‘E ‘ikai te ke a‘a
‘i Soatani na. Ko Sihova ko ho ‘Otua ko ia ia ‘oku hā‘ele mu‘omu‘a ‘iate koe;
te ne faka‘auha ‘e ia ‘a e ngaahi kakai ni mei ho ‘ao, pea te ke ma‘u
kinautolu; ko Siosiua pē te ne taki koe, ‘o hangē ko e folofola ‘a Sihova
David Guzik :: Study Guide for Deuteronomy
31
(v. 1-2)
Moses, at 120 years, was not limited by
his physical condition (in a short time he will climb to the top of a
mountain). Instead, he could no longer go out and come in because he was
limited by God's command - the decree that Moses would not enter the Promised
Land (Numbers 20:7-12).
These specific words of God to Moses are
not recorded in the Numbers 20 account; this must be a further elaboration of
the decree you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have
given them (Numbers 20:12).
There is a difference between you shall
not bring this congregation into the land and you shall not cross over this Jordan. By the first statement, it is allowable that Moses could go into the
Promised Land, but not as the leader of
the nation, having passed the torch of leadership to Joshua. But God
made it even more clear to Moses: you shall not cross over this Jordan.
God's correction of Moses was hard; not
only will he not lead Israel into the Promised Land, he will not even go there.
That which he had dreamed of, and felt called to, as a child in the palaces of
Egypt - to deliver God's people - will not be completed. Another will finish the job, and Moses' feet will never touch the
soil of the land that God had promised to the covenant descendants of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. Why was it such a
severe punishment? What did Moses do?
Essentially, at Meribah (Numbers 20:7-12),
when Israel complained and cried out for water, Moses misrepresented God. He misrepresented God by
lecturing the nation harshly and unnecessarily. Moses misrepresented
God by
acting as if God needed him to provide water for the people. And Moses
both misrepresented
and disobeyed
God by angrily
striking the rock twice, instead of just speaking to the rock as God had told
him to.
This may seem an excessively harsh
punishment for Moses; after all, with only one slip-up, he now must die short
of the Promised Land? But Moses was being judged by a stricter
standard because of his leadership position with the nation, and
because he had a uniquely close relationship with God. It is right for teachers
and leaders to be judged by a stricter standard (James 3:1); though it is
unrighteous to hold teachers and leaders to a perfect standard. It is true the
people's conduct was worse than Moses' but it is irrelevant.
Worst of all, Moses defaced a beautiful
picture of Jesus' redemptive work through the rock which provided water in the
wilderness. The New Testament makes it clear this water-providing, life-giving
rock was a picture of Jesus (1 Corinthians 10:4). Jesus, being struck once,
provided life for all who would drink of Him (John 7:37). But was unnecessary -
and unrighteous - that Jesus would be struck again, much less again twice,
because the Son of God needed only to suffer once (Hebrews 10:10-12). Jesus can
now be come to with words of faith (Romans 10:8-10), as Moses should have only
used words of faith to bring life-giving water to the nation of Israel. Moses
"ruined" this picture of the work of Jesus God intended.
So now, Moses must face his destiny. Not
only you shall not bring this congregation into the land but also, you shall
not cross over this Jordan.
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