A BLESSED EULOGY

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land — from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. Then the Lord said to him, "This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, 'I will give it to your descendants.' I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it."

And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over.

Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.

Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt — to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

Deuteronomy 34

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As Deuteronomy ends, so too does the life of Moses.

After wishing blessings on Israel and its tribes, Moses climbed Mount Nebo where the Lord “showed him the whole land — from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar”. Once on the mountain and in sight of the vista, God told Moses, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, 'I will give it to your descendants.' I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it." And with that, Moses died as “the Lord had said”.

But Moses didn’t die without some acclaim. All his faithful service hadn’t went for not. True, he had sinned against God and in a big way. But that shouldn’t have blotted out all the good Moses did in the name of the Lord. And he did a lot of good.

God’s word tells us positive things about Moses…things that serve as a blessed eulogy…things that we should pray are said about us when we die. Let’s look at what was said:

1. Moses was a servant of the Lord.

When it comes right down to it, service is the essence of what God expects from His people. He wants all of us to submit to His will, word and way…just as we have seen Him want Israel to do as we have studied through these first five books of the bible. God demanded obedience to His words because it would naturally lead us to service. And Moses was definitely a strong servant of the Lord…a Lord who favored him for his faithful devotion. We should be like him.

2. Moses set himself apart for God.

Moses could have just lived a normal life, never seeking distinction. But that isn’t what God expects from His servants. “To serve” is an action verb. It requires a person to do something for another…it requires proactivity. Moses indeed distinguished himself through his service. So much so that scripture tells us, “…no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses…for no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.” Moses was able to do what he did because he placed his full heart and soul into the Lord’s service, setting him apart from everyone else. And we can only set ourselves apart for the Lord, living in distinction, if we give Him our full heart and soul…just like Moses.

3. Moses was known by the Lord face to face.

God came to Moses at the Burning Bush and commissioned him to lead His people from bondage and oppression to freedom. God then met with Moses on many occasions thereafter, the most significant being their meeting on Mount Sinai where God gave Moses His commandments to be passed onto Israel. Why did God meet with Moses face-to-face? Because Moses was an obedient, devout disciple who strived to set himself apart by serving God with all his heart and soul. God is just as available to us as He was to Moses. How well we distinguish ourselves before Him in obedience and heartfelt devotion…not just with part of what we are but all of what we are…will dictate just how close He relates to us. Our hope should be that we have a face-to-face relationship just as Moses did.

4. God used Moses in powerful ways.

Scripture tells us so saying, “…no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses…who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt — to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land.” Indeed, the Lord did use Moses to perform many miracles…not by his power but from the very power of God. The failure and fall of Moses only came when he broke this rule and instead tried to take credit himself instead of giving it to God. We need to learn from this mistake so that we might always be in God’s favor and be used by Him in powerful ways in everything we do.

So where do you stand in life? If you were to die today, what would your eulogy read like? What would say about you and your relationship with the Lord? Would they say you were a faithful, dedicated servant? Would they say you worked very hard to set yourself apart from the world for the Lord’s cause? Would they see you as having a special, intimate, personal relationship with God in your life? And would they have seen God use you in powerful ways?

Friends, only you can answer those questions. My prayer is that you will do an honest assessment, praying over each question and honestly assessing where you stand. May we ever strive to make sure that our eulogies at life’s end are as blessed as the one Moses had. Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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