“Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan, Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows his grave to this day. Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished.”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭34:1, 4-7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

For many years I envisioned Moses as a weak man – but the  chronological journey I’ve been on through the Bible gave me a new perspective of him. Moses was far from weak. 

Moses had physical strength and self discipline. He boldly went before Pharaoh 10 times. He endured TWO forty day fasts – one before the golden calf and one after. He took all of the instructions G-d gave him on the mountain to build the tabernacle and saw it through to completion. 

Moses was a humble man. He heeded his father in law’s counsel and appointed judges. He received G-d’s correction and discipline without argument. 

Moses was a worshipper – time and time again he prostrated himself before G-d when he didn’t know what to do, and he communed with G-d. His countenance glowed from being in G-d’s presence and he talked to G-d face to face and lived. 

Yes – Moses missed it, multiple times. He murdered an Egyptian then fled for his life and hid im a foreign land until G-d called him out. And when G-d called him, Moses argued with G-d about his physical abilities. 

And the biggest miss, Moses didn’t hallow G-d before the Israelites when he responded from his flesh and struck the rock instead of speaking to it, and he paid a high price. G-d told Moses he would not receive the promise because he did not hallow Him – yet, Moses kept going. Moses continued to meet with G-d face to face, he kept worshiping, and he kept leading. He didn’t give up and he didn’t stop even though he knew he would never inherit the promise. Mentally, it had to be hard! 

Moses made a succession plan. Joshua was appointed and anointed as the one to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. Moses then gave final instructions – and warnings – to the Israelites, 34 chapters worth, before he finished with a song for the People and prophetic word to each tribe. 

And when it was time, when he completed all G-d had for him to do, Moses, the murderer turned leader of the great Exodus, breathed his last and was hidden BY G-d. 

The picture of Moses’ death wrecks my heart. I can imagine Moses with a smile on his face as he took in the beauty of the land, then beheld the face of G-d one last time. I wonder if Moses prostrated himself before the Lord one final time, as an act of worship, while he breathed his last or if he clung to G-d in death. I can picture G-d lifting Moses and carrying him to his final resting place – known only to G-d – almost as if G-d embraced Moses one final time, like the imagery in Psalms 91 – hidden under His wings. 

Moses was a man of incredible strength and character. Though once insecure, he died full of “natural vigor” and strength. Moses, the murder, died as a friend of G-d. He finished his life forgiven, accepted, and fulfilled. 

Proverbs 10:7 says: “The memory of the righteous is a blessing..” (‭TLV‬‬). It is customary to say “may his/her memory be a blessing” when a Jewish person passes or when it is the anniversary of their death and for the person’s name to be followed by z”l – the shorthand for zikhronah livrakha – or blessed memory in Hebrew – may the memory of that person and their good works, the life they lived, and the example they set for us continue to inspire, encourage, and bless us when we recall them in our memory. 

Moses, z”l – may his memory be a blessing. May I be inspired to finish stronger than I start. May I find the courage I see in Moses’ life to lead – and leave – a legacy as a friend of G-d. May I fulfill all G-d has for me to do and be found faithful to the end. May my memory be a blessing one day. 

Father – thank You for how You love and guide me through Your Word. Thank You for the life of Moses! As an infant, he was hidden. In death, he was hidden. And in the middle, he lived a remarkable life as Your friend. I want to know what it means to be Your friend. Make my heart a place You can dwell. You are good. Your leadership in my life is perfect and You can be trusted. Amen. 

Daily Reading: Deuteronomy 32-34, Psalms 91