#GOFAMINTDailyDevotion Sun. 22/11/2015
LESSON 12 22/11/2015
MOSES: HIS ULTIMATE GLORY
Suggested Hymns: G.H.B. 183, 190
Devotional Reading: Hebrews 6:9-12
Topic For Adults: Glorious Ending
Topic For Youths: Impact Your Generation Positively
Topic For Intermediates: A Glorious Future Is Ahead
Scripture Lesson: Deut. 34:1-8; Matt. 17:1-4; Heb. 11:23-29
Memory Verse: “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the Son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin (Heb. 11:24-25) NKJV
DAILY DEVOTIONAL READING
Sun. 22/11/2015
What Will You Be Remembered For?
Heb. 11:23-29
Many people are passing through this world without making a significant impact in their generation. Nobody is feeling the impact of their existence. If they die today, people can even say that it is better for them not to have come to this world. Know that people are watching you. All that you are doing are going into record. Your record may not be read to your face when you are alive, but someday, after you might have died, it will be read to later generations. What will you be remembered for? Moses was remembered for his various acts of faith through which he served his generation. You too must have positive impact in your generation.
Point of Emphasis: Moses gave his all to God and his generation.
Prayer Point: Lord, let my generation and the in-coming generation praise Your name through my life.
BACKGROUND
The fact that God got angry with Moses and told him that he would not enter Canaan, as seen in last week’s lesson, does not mean God sent Moses to hell. Though his disobedience cost him earthly Canaan, God did not allow him to miss heaven. This shows the goodness and mercy of God. This week’s lesson looks at the event and records that show evidence of Moses’ ultimate glory in God.
NOTES ON THE TEXT
PART 1: MOSES’ DEATH AND BURIAL BY GOD HIMSELF (DEUT. 34:1-8)
When God told Moses that he would not get to the land of Canaan (Num. 20:12), he thought it was a joke. He thought when he prayed God would change His mind as He had done in the time past (Deut. 3:23-26), but God stood His ground. God did not allow him to get to Canaan, but that did not mean God abandoned him or disgraced him. God still cared for him and covered him with glory as shown in Moses’ death and burial by God himself.
There were certain things in the account of Moses’ death and burial that revealed his ultimate glory. First, God allowed him to see the land of Canaan from afar off (vv. 1-4). Second, if there is anything that any man will cherish, it is to know when and where he will die. God gave Moses the privilege to know when he would die and where he would die (Num. 27:12-14; Deut. 32:48-52 cf Deut. 34:1). Third, when Moses died on the mountain as predicted, it was God himself who buried him, He didn’t send an angel. He did the burial Himself. What an honour and a glorious way to exit from this world by any mortal being. Fourth, Moses died at a very good old age (120 years), with all parts of his body intact and functioning well. What a glorious end! Lastly, Moses was mourned by the people (v.8). it is only good people that are mourned at death. There are some kings that were not mourned because of their evil acts (1 Kgs. 14:9-13; 2 Chro. 21:19; 24:23-25). That the people mourned Moses at death meant that they appreciated what he did for them and they acknowledged his leadership role, importance and influence in Israelites history. What a glorious way to end one’s life on earth!
PART 2: SEEN WITH JESUS AT TRANSFIGURATION (MATT. 17:1-4)
During Jesus’ transfiguration, it is recorded that Jesus’ face shone like the sun and His clothes became as white as the light (v.2). This description signifies God’s glory that descended on Jesus. In the midst of this glorious change of Jesus, Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus and the three disciples that were with Him were talking with Jesus (v. 3). Moses and Elijah were considered the two greatest prophets in the Old Testament. They were the primary figures associated with the Messiah. Moses represented the law, or the Old covenant. He wrote the Pentatench (the first five books of the Old Testament) and had predicted the coming of the great prophet (Deut. 18:15-19). Elijah represented the prophets who had foretold the coming of the Messiah (Mal. 4:5-6). Moses’ and Elijah’s presence with Jesus confirmed Jesus’ messianic mission to fulfil God’s law and the words of God’s prophets.
That Moses was seen at Jesus’ transfiguration means that his body was raised again from the dead, as a pledge of the resurrection. And as Christ is to come to judge both the living and the dead, for we shall not all die, but shall all be changed (1 Cor. 15:51), Jesus probably gave the full representation of this in the person of Moses, who died and was raised to life (or appeared now as he shall appear when raised from the dead in the last day), and in the person of Elijah who never tasted death. Both their bodies exhibited the same appearance to show that the bodies of glorified saints are the same, whether the person had been translated, or he had died.
This event confirms to us that Moses made heaven at last, though he did not get to Canaan land. He was honoured by partaking in the glorification of Jesus. No wonder the Bible says if we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together (Rom. 8:17), for the suffering of this present world (the type of the one Moses suffered) cannot be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Rom. 8:18). The glory was so much that Peter declared, “Lord, it is good for us to be here, if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (v. 4). What a glory to be counted among the triumphant saints. This shows that Moses’ efforts in the wilderness did not go down the drain, God recognised them and rewarded Moses with honour and glory, even in his death.
PART 3: COUNTED AMONG THE HEROES OF FAITH (HEB. 11:23-29)
Hebrews chapter eleven listed the names of important heroes of faith whose deeds and ways of life are worthy of emulation. It is significant to note that the name of Moses comes 8th after Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Jacob (vv. 4-22)
The Bible reveals, in a summary form, the biography of Moses. His birth and preservation at the time when Hebrew male children were to be killed was an act of faith (v.23). How he was raised up in the palace of the king who ordered his genocide and by the daughter of that king was an act of faith. How he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter when God had not even called him, showed him as a special child and that God’s hand was upon him (v.24). Rather than enjoying in the palace, Moses chose to suffer affliction with the people of God. He esteemed the reproach of Christ as greater riches than the treasures in Egypt. No wonder he was glorified by God (Rom. 8:17-18). By faith he answered God’s call and by faith he delivered Israel from the Egyptian bondage. What a man of faith! What a man to emulate.
CONCLUSION
Moses was not appreciated by his people during his life time. But God, who is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6), honoured and glorified Moses in death and in the world to come. He made him to become a reference point. Let us know that God will not forget our labour of love for Him, He will surely reward us with His glory, both in this world and in the world to come.
QUESTIONS
- How and where did Moses die?
- Mention those pointers to Moses’ ultimate glory.
- What is the significance of Moses’ appearance at Jesus’ transfiguration?
- Mention some of the acts of faith of Moses.
- What lesson(s) can you learn from the glorious end of Moses?