September 30 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Moses had committed a sin that disqualified him from entering the promised land. Numbers 20:2-13 tells the story. Moses lost his patience and did not follow the instructions of the Lord exactly. He was supposed to tell the rock that it should yield water. Instead he lashed out at the people—"Listen, you rebels!" Then he hit the rock.

Psalm 106 recounts the incident as follows: "By the waters of Meribah they angered the LORD, and trouble came to Moses because of them; for [the Israelites] rebelled against the Spirit of God, and rash words came from Moses' lips" (vv. 32-33).

If the Bible itself presents excuses for Moses, then we had better not sit in judgment on his angry words and deeds. God always counts sin heavier when it is committed by someone who is close to him. Therefore Moses was not allowed to enter Canaan.

As an intercessor, Moses had often caused a change in the Lord's intentions. But all his pleas to be allowed to enter Canaan were turned down flat: God said, "Do not speak to me anymore about this matter" (Deut. 3:26).

In this way God teaches us that he is just in all his ways, and that there is only one perfect Mediator between God and man—the Man Christ Jesus.

The weary wanderings had come to an end. Israel was encamped in the valley of Moab. Here the old leader renewed the covenant between Israel and its God (Deut. 29-31). Moses gave them a song, and he blessed each of the tribes of Israel (Deut. 32-33). Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo, from where God showed him the land of Canaan, which the Israelites were now ready to possess. And Moses died.

No man in the Old Testament was greater and closer to God than Moses. And no man came closer to fulfilling the function of Jesus Christ, both in revealing God's will to people and in interceding for the people with God.

The life of the Old Testament mediator shows us how much we need a mediator. And his death reminds us that only Jesus can do it perfectly and forever.

REFLECTIONS

What can we learn from the death of the greatest man in the Old Testament?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.