Sweet Discipline

God disciplined Moses. It was hard. Moses pleaded with God in Deuteronomy 3:25, "Please let me go over and see the good land." After all it had been a tough road to travel. For all their time together the children of Israel turned away from God at the drop of a hat and it seemed Moses was always interceding. Moses had just declared to God, "You have only begun to show your servant your greatness and Your mighty hand." I picture a child imploring with all persistence, "Please Father, please!"

How does God respond? "Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again." Wow.... what are we to make of that? I've seen God as harsh in this text before. I mean really, all Moses did was strike the rock instead of speaking to it (Numbers 20:10-12). He had just recently lost his sister too. Cannot a little latitude be given to a grieving brother? But now I strangely see an intimacy in God's words here. Like a parent who needs to be a little stern, "enough about this now.... I don't want to hear any more about it." As if to say, "I know what is best, you don't."

We don't always get what we want.

Fast forward to the end of Deuteronomy. God again reminds Moses what his sin cost him (Deuteronomy 32:48-52). Moses gives Israel their final blessing and Moses climbs Mount Nebo to die. God tells him to climb the mountain and look across at the land and then die up on the mountain.

Now picture Moses in chapter 34. He's up on the mountain, alone there with God. They had spent so many glorious days together; at the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai, all those times in the tent of meeting, even at the burning bush where Moses first met YHWH. Now again he's on top of a mountain alone with his Father. Maybe God was smiling as He and Moses looked out across the land. Maybe they were both smiling when child and Father surveyed the green valleys, the shimmering brooks and the mountaintops in the distance. Maybe God parted the mist with His hand for a moment and said with pride, "Moses, this is the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 'I will give to your offspring.' "

"Now Moses, lay down over here by this tree in the shade and die. Lay down and be gathered to your people." Maybe God softly spoke while Moses drifted off to sleep. Maybe He said something like this....

"Moses, you will see greater things than real estate. You will again stand on a mountain. You will see Me, like you always wanted to, but you will see God in flesh. You will see my very son Moses! You will look into his human eyes, and see his face. You will stand on that mountain with another prophet, another one who faithfully spoke my words to an obstinate people. You both will stand there looking at My son and you will talk to him. His face is going to shine like the sun and his clothes will become white as the light. You will remember the glow you yourself experienced Moses. You will recall how your countenance changed. It was so bright the children of Israel couldn't look at you."

"But this will be more... so much more. This will be my lamb Moses. My spotless one. My only son. One upon whom I will pour unspeakable horror. He will buy the people Moses! He will redeem for me a people from every tribe, every tongue, every nation. Their hearts will finally be circumcised Moses. I will pour My Spirit into them and they will love me. They will love My son and walk in my ways because I will pour My Spirit into them and cause them to be born anew."

"Yes Moses, I do know what is best. You do not understand all these things now my child. Go ahead and look at this land but don't be sad or dismayed. You will indeed see it again on that day. Sleep now.... sleep."