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DEUTERONOMY: GETTING OTHERS TO BE VICTORS, NOT CASUALTIES
Part XXXIV: Discipling Others Through Evaluating Past Personal Records
(Deuteronomy 34:1-12)
  1. Introduction
    1. Every believer is currently forming a permanent spiritual record, an indelible report card of acts and thoughts that is being registered by God for personal evaluation and accounting at the Bema seat of Christ, cf. 2 Corinthians 5:10-11; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15.
    2. Surveying the permanent record of Moses in Deuteronomy 34:1-12 causes us to reflect on our own long-term records of life and service as believers so that we might profitably respond to them as follows:
  2. Discipling Others Through Evaluating Past Personal Records, Deuteronomy 34:1-12.
    1. The last time he interacted with God in his earthly life, Moses' failure in his permanent spiritual record stood out in stark contrast to his stellar accomplishments as a man of God, Deuteronomy 34:1-7:
      1. As the last function in his earthly life, Moses obeyed the Lord in ascending to the top of Mount Nebo to prepare to die, Deuteronomy 34:1a with Deuteronomy 32:48-50.
      2. The reason he was to die this way came from Moses' sin of exalting himself and Aaron before the people when he should have exalted the Lord, Deuteronomy 32:51-52 with Numbers 20:10-11.
      3. On the mount, God showed Moses the whole land of promise pledged to the forefathers, explaining the panoramic view starting from Moses' right hand and going around to his left, Deut. 34:1b-3, 4a.
      4. Then, in a bittersweet scene due to Moses' ministry failure at Meribah, the Lord closed out His survey of the land for Moses, declaring he would see the land but not enter it, cf. Deuteronomy 34:4b.
      5. Following this final reminder of his failure to reach the long-desired Promised Land, Moses died, and God buried him in an unmarked grave to keep people from making an idol out of his remains opposite Moses' own failure to sanctify the Lord as God instead of himself at Meribah, Deuteronomy 34:5-6.
    2. However, Moses' accomplishments were likewise duly noted after his death by the author (probably Joshua, Moses' servant) who completed the book of Deuteronomy, cf. Deuteronomy 34:7-12:
      1. Moses was missed for his great leadership ministry, so Israel mourned his loss a full month, 34:8.
      2. Moses' effectiveness as a leader was seen in the existence of stability in the nation following his death; he had groomed Joshua under God's guidance and empowering to take the role of leader, and so the nation peacefully adjusted to Joshua's leadership at Moses' death, Deut. 34:9; Num. 27:15-23.
      3. Moses' ministry reputation became legendary in the annals of godly service, Deuteronomy 34:10-12:
        1. Moses' left a track record of unparalleled personal spiritual fellowship with the Lord, Deut. 34:10. All other prophets knew the Lord by way of visions or dreams, but no one besides Moses ever arose who consistently knew the Lord face to face as friends would address one another, Numbers 12:6-8.
        2. Moses left a track record of unparalleled task accomplishments through God's power: (a) He worked massive miracles in number, Deut. 34:11a. (b) Moses worked great miracles in view of the opposition he faced in his ministry before the emperor of Egypt in Pharaoh, Deut. 34:11b. (c) When we consider Moses had fled from Egypt for 40 years out of fear Pharaoh would kill him for murdering the Egyptian, his return to face Pharaoh with such a great ministry of conflict with Pharaoh is all the more remarkable by way of personal triumph, cf. Ex. 2:11-5:1 (d) When we consider Moses was raised to be Pharaoh, and that he gave it up to identify with the slaves in Israel in faith in their future destiny, his ministry is a remarkable one of faith, cf. Hebrews 11:24-29. (e) Moses worked great miracles in scope, covering the land of Egypt minus the land of Goshen, and moving the Red Sea back and forth for Israel's deliverance from Pharaoh, Deut. 34:11c. (f) Moses worked massive effects on God's people, causing them to fear God, Deut. 34:12b. (g) Moses worked massive miracles in view of the spiritual opposition he must have faced: the miracle of the death of the firstborn in Egypt showed God's sovereignty over Egypt's idols, so there must have been great pressures on Moses in the realm of the angelic conflict (cf. Exodus 12:12)
Lesson: Where Moses' ministry FAILURE at Meribah stands out as a WARNING to US to heed God in ALL areas of life and service, his OBEDIENCE with its outstanding results MOTIVATE us to HEED the Lord all the more in our own lives that we may receive God's rewards for service in eternity.

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