Today’s Reading: Deuteronomy 31-34; Psalm 18

I love you, Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. – Psalm 18:1-2

Today we finish up the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible). The last 11 weeks have given us a great opportunity to picture God’s relationship with humankind — from the Garden of Eden to crossing over into the Promised Land. God clearly laid out how to enter into a covenant relationship and what will break that covenant relationship. He has given us a choice of whether or not to follow Him. If we truly love God, obedience will flow from that love relationship and faith will grow.

DO NOT BE AFRAID, GOD IS WITH YOU.

Moses told the people that he would not be going with them into the promised land but that God would be with them. In fact, not only was God going WITH them, He was also going BEFORE them. As he handed leadership over to Joshua, he gave them these words of encouragement:

“Be strong and courageous! For you will lead these people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors he would give them…Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” – Deuteronomy 31:7-8

The reason Moses would not be going with them into Canaan was because he did not fully obey God’s instructions. When God told him to speak to the rock to make water flow, Moses struck the rock instead. God gave Moses his own “rock song” to sing in his last moments — a song that speaks of a different kind of ROCK.

GOD IS THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION.

“Listen, O heavens, and I will speak!
Hear, O earth, the words that I say!
Let my teaching fall on you like rain; let my speech settle like dew.
Let my words fall like rain on tender grass, like gentle showers on young plants.
I will proclaim the name of the Lord; how glorious is our God!
He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect.
Everything he does is just and fair.
He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!” – Deuteronomy 32:1-4

THE LORD IS MY ROCK, MY PLACE OF SAFETY.

Then Moses went up to Mount Nebo where he could see all of Canaan to the east. The Lord showed him the land he had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then Moses died, just as the Lord had said he would, and the Lord buried him in a valley but to this day no one knows the exact place.

There has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. The Lord sent him to perform all the miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt against Pharoah, and all his servants, and his entire land. With mighty power, Moses performed terrifying acts in the sight of all Israel. – Deuteronomy 34:10-12

Moses was strong and his eyesight was clear when he died. The same Moses who had argued with God when called, who questioned his own ability to be used by God, and who had a moment of trusting more in his own strength than in God’s word — this imperfect man had an intimate relationship with God like no other man had ever had.

Thank you for being a personal and intimate God! Thank you for your grace and mercy that picks us up when we fall and gives us new opportunities to be used for your purposes. Father God, we praise you for your steady and faithful presence in our lives. May we see moments today when you make us strong and courageous, trusting in the Rock that goes before us and is with us. May it be said of us when we die that we had a personal relationship with the Rock of our Salvation! Amen.

To the faithful you show yourself faithful;
to those with integrity you show integrity.
To the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
You rescue the humble, but you humiliate the proud.
You light a lamp for me.
The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.
In your strength I can crush an army;
with my God I can scale any wall.
God’s way is perfect.
All the Lord’s promises prove true.
He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.
For who is God except the Lord?
Who but our God is a solid rock? – Psalm 18:25-31