Face-To-Face

Scripture: (Deuteronomy 34:1-4)

Now Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, and all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, and the Negev and the plain in the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. Then the LORD said to him, "This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your descendants'; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there."

Commentary:
Having read how Moses finished his testimony, we are told here how he immediately after finished his life. This chapter could not be written by Moses himself, but was added by Joshua or Eleazar, or, as bishop Patrick conjectures, by Samuel, who was a prophet, and wrote by divine authority what he found in the records of Joshua, and his successors the judges. We have had an account of his dying words, here we have an account of his dying work, and that is work we must all do shortly, and it had need be well done. Here is, I. The view Moses had of the land of Canaan just before he died (v. 1-4). II. His death and burial (v. 5, 6). III. His age (v. 7). IV. Israel’s mourning for him (v. 8). V. His successor (v. 9). VI. His character (v. 10, etc.) (Henry, 1996).


Moses looking downward again towards this earth, to see the earthly Canaan into which he must never enter, but therein by faith looking forwards to the heavenly Canaan into which he should now immediately enter. God had threatened that he should not come into the possession of Canaan, and the threatening is fulfilled. But he had also promised that he should have a prospect of it, and the promise is here performed: The Lord showed him all that good land, v. 1. 1. If he went up alone to the top of Pisgah, yet he was not alone, for the Father was with him, Jn. 16:32. If a man has any friends, he will have them about him when he lies a dying. But if, either through God’s providence or their unkindness, it should so happen that we should then be alone, we need fear no evil if the great and good Shepherd be with us, Ps. 23:4. 2 (Henry, 1996).

Though his sight was very good, and he had all the advantage of high ground that he could desire for the prospect, yet he could not have seen what he now saw, all Canaan from end to end (reckoned about fifty or sixty miles), if his sight had not been miraculously assisted and enlarged, and therefore it is said, The Lord showed it to him. Note, All the pleasant prospects we have of the better country we are beholden to the grace of God for; it is he that gives the spirit of wisdom as well as the spirit of revelation, the eye as well as the object. This sight which God here gave Moses of Canaan, probably, the devil designed to mimic, and pretended to out-do, when in an airy phantom he showed to our Saviour, whom he had placed like Moses upon an exceedingly high mountain, all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, not gradually, as here, first one country and then another, but all in a moment of time (Henry, 1996).

3. He saw it at a distance. Such a sight the Old-Testament saints had of the kingdom of the Messiah; they saw it afar off. Thus Abraham, long before this, saw Christ’s day; and, being fully persuaded of it, embraced it in the promise, leaving others to embrace it in the performance, Heb. 11:13. Such a sight believers now have, through grace, of the bliss and glory of their future state. The word and ordinances are to them what Mount Pisgah was to Moses; from them they have comfortable prospects of the glory to be revealed, and rejoice in hope of it. 4. He saw it, but must never enjoy it. As God sometimes takes his people away from the evil to come, so at other times he takes them away from the good to come, that is, the good which shall be enjoyed by the church in the present world (Henry, 1996.)

Reflection:
God was merciful to Moses in that he was allowed to see the promise land. Moses was able to behold the beautiful land that God had promised to his people; the land flowing with milk and honey. However, Moses knew that because he stepped outside of the will of God at Meribah, by getting angry and reacting to the demands of the people; that he would not receive the benefit of entering the promise land. Nevertheless, Moses had such a close relationship with God, that even though he made a grievious mistake; God still talked to him face-to-face, until it was time for Moses to be called home to be with his fathers. Moses loved God, and did not question the decisions of God. Therefore, Moses accepted what God said, and was received into the eternal promise land; though he did not enter into the earthly promise. Let us learn from the example of Moses, and continually strive to be obedient in what God gives us to do, so that we can possess all the promises of God, earthly and eternal.

Strong's Concordance Definitions - (Deuteronomy 34:4)

This is the land: 776
1) land, earth

2) earth
1) whole earth (as opposed to a part)
2) earth (as opposed to heaven)
3) earth (inhabitants)
b) land
1) country, territory
2) district, region
3) tribal territory
4) piece of ground
5) land of Canaan, Israel
6) inhabitants of land
7) Sheol, land without return, (under) world
8) city (-state)
c) ground, surface of the earth
1) ground
2) soil
d) (in phrases)
1) people of the land
2) space or distance of country (in measurements of distance)
3) level or plain country
4) land of the living
5) end(s) of the earth
e) (almost wholly late in usage)
1) lands, countries
a) often in contrast to Canaan

which I sware: 7650
1) to swear, adjure

a) (Qal) sworn (participle)
b) (Niphal)
1) to swear, take an oath
2) to swear (of Jehovah by Himself)
3) to curse
c) (Hiphil)
1) to cause to take an oath
2) to adjure

to Abraham: 85
Abraham = "father of a multitude" or "chief of multitude"

1) friend of God and founder of Hebrew nation via God's elective covenant

unto Isaac: 3327
Isaac = "he laughs"

1) son of Abraham by Sarah his wife and father of Jacob and Esau

and unto Jacob: 3290
Jacob = "heel holder" or "supplanter"
1) son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham, and father of the 12 patriarchs of the tribes of Israel

saying I will give: 5414
1) to give, put, set

a) (Qal)
1) to give, bestow, grant, permit, ascribe, employ, devote, consecrate, dedicate, pay wages, sell, exchange, lend, commit, entrust, give over, deliver up, yield produce, occasion, produce, requite to, report, mention, utter, stretch out, extend
2) to put, set, put on, put upon, set, appoint, assign, designate
3) to make, constitute
b) (Niphal)
1) to be given, be bestowed, be provided, be entrusted to, be granted to, be permitted, be issued, be published, be uttered, be assigned
2) to be set, be put, be made, be inflicted
c) (Hophal)
1) to be given, be bestowed, be given up, be delivered up
2) to be put upon

thou shalt not go: 5674
1) to pass over or by or through, alienate, bring, carry, do away, take, take away, transgress

a) (Qal)
1) to pass over, cross, cross over, pass over, march over, overflow, go over
2) to pass beyond
3) to pass through, traverse
a) passers-through (participle)
b) to pass through (the parts of victim in covenant)
4) to pass along, pass by, overtake and pass, sweep by
a) passer-by (participle)
b) to be past, be over
5) to pass on, go on, pass on before, go in advance of, pass along, travel, advance
6) to pass away
a) to emigrate, leave (one's territory)
b) to vanish
c) to perish, cease to exist
d) to become invalid, become obsolete (of law, decree)
e) to be alienated, pass into other hands
b) (Niphal) to be crossed
c) (Piel) to impregnate, cause to cross
d) (Hiphil)
1) to cause to pass over, cause to bring over, cause to cross over, make over to, dedicate, devote
2) to cause to pass through
3) to cause to pass by or beyond or under, let pass by
4) to cause to pass away, cause to take away
e) (Hithpael) to pass over

References:
Blue Letter Bible. "Book of Deuteronomy 34 - (NASB - New American Standard Bible)." Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2010. 17 Mar 2010. http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Deu&c=34&t=NASB


Henry, Matthew. "Commentary on Deuteronomy 34." . Blue Letter Bible. 1 Mar 1996. 2010. 17 Mar 2010.

http:// www.blueletterbible.org/commentaries/comm_view.cfm?
AuthorID=4&contentID=818&commInfo=5&topic=Deuteronomy&
ar=Deu_34_1

Higgins, S. (2010). Face-To-Face. Devotions for Thought. Higgins Publishing. Http://devotionsforthought.blogspot.com, http://www.higginspublishing.com