We come this Sunday to the end of Deuteronomy and thus the end of our reading together as a congregation the first five books of the Bible. The account of the death of Moses in Deuteronomy 34 is poignant and evocative. The thought that the leader of Israel, who has come so far, endured so much and put up with so much from his people, is not able to enter the Promised Land with them feels so sad.
As I looked for images of paintings of the moment on Mt. Nebo/Pisgah, I was surprised that it does not seem to have been a theme used by some of the great artists of the Renaissance, etc. But I like the painting shown above, a 19th century piece I found. For me it evokes, the ultimate smallness of even a great man like Moses’ place in the grand design of God’s plan. It is fitting that a man known for his humility is dwarfed by the huge scene of where his people will find their future.
The account of Moses’ death, with his unknown burial place, is enigmatic, made even more so by Jude verse 9, about the archangel Michael and Satan contending over Moses’ body. Yet that may again point to his humble willingness to simply bow out of the story without great fanfare, yielding the future to God and the next generation.
As we face the end of our own lives or perhaps for younger souls the smallness of our role in things, I find this scene instructive. The great assurance of it is in God’s words in verse 4 as Moses looks over Jordan north, south and, perhaps supernaturally, as far west as the Mediterranean. “The Lord said to Moses, ‘This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…'” Moses does not enter the land, but he is allowed a glimpse which affirms that the promise of God has not failed and will not fail. May you and I be granted glimpses and assurance like that.