Saturday after Laetare

Scripture: Deuteronomy 34:1-12 (NKJV)

1 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan, 2 all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, 3 the South, and the plain of the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. 4 Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.”

5 So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. 6 And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows his grave to this day. 7 Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished. 8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. So the days of weeping and mourning for Moses ended.

9 Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.

10 But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, 11 in all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land, 12 and by all that mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

Devotion

After forty years of faithful service to God, Moses, the man of God, died. He had spoken with God as a friend speaks with a friend. He had revealed God’s Word to Israel. He had performed many signs and wonders. He had given them bread from Heaven for forty years. He had been a judge for the people in their disputes, an intercessor for them when they had sinned, a commander for them in battle. And, for all his service and sacrifice, he had often been despised by the very people whom he served. Before he died, the Lord gave him the opportunity to look upon the Promised Land, but he wasn’t allowed to lead the people to their goal.

Moses was the greatest prophet of the Old Testament; there was no prophet like him—not until Jesus came.

Jesus was like Moses, but greater. He knew God as the Only-Begotten Son Who is “in the bosom of the Father.” He performed even greater signs and wonders. He is the Living Bread that came down from Heaven, that, if a man eats it, he will live forever. He is the Judge of all mankind, yet also our Advocate and the One Who intercedes for us at the right hand of God. He is not just our commander; He is our King. And although He was despised and rejected, and even put to death by those He came to serve, He was also raised from the dead and will lead all who believe in Him safely into the heavenly Promised Land.

Lord God, we give You thanks for Moses and the Law he gave, but especially for Your Son and His Gospel; through Whom we have received grace for grace. Amen.