Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, as the LORD had said. He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab facing Beth-peor, and no one to this day knows where his grave is…
No prophet has arisen again in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.                     Deuteronomy 34:5-6, 10 (HCSB)
Lectionery Texts: Deuteronomy 34:1-12, Psalm 90, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Matthew 22:34-46
My family is growing today. There is a wedding in our family. I am blessed with a new daughter and two grandchildren. With this wonderful gift from God comes responsibility to live my life in the truth of what I believe and sow the seeds of that truth into their lives.
The recording of the death of arguably one of the “greats†in Biblical history, Moses, comes with some unexpected messages about life in God’s Kingdom. Messages that I need to hear now.
Monuments in God’s Kingdom are not made of concrete or granite. There is no grave marker with “Moses†written in God’s hand like He wrote the Ten Commandments on stone tablets. There is no mausoleum. There is no shrine where people come to remember and speak in whispers. It is the remembering in the hearts of those that God brought into my life that is a monument to Him. All that Moses did, He did to build God’s Kingdom and serve His children. That is a monument that will not crack or crumble no matter how many years and generations may pass.
My legacy will reflect the intimacy of my relationship with God. It is noted that the relationship between God and Moses was not a distant one. God knew Moses’ face and Moses knew God’s face. Moses knew the character of God because they spent time together. They talked. They argued. Psalm 90 speaks succinctly of the power and glory God and how I have struggled and failed and then how God is faithful to heal and restore. Through my own conversations (and arguments!) with God I can join the psalmist in that song.
“Silver and gold I don’t have but what I have I give to you…â€(Acts 3:6). I have attended many, many funerals in my life. I suspect more funerals than most people with my twelve years in hospice ministry. In all the various gatherings, when the children, siblings, or grandchildren stood up to speak of the one that they loved, they did not mention the house or the money that the person accumulated. It is always how they gave to or served others. It is the impact that their life made on the speaker and their community. It is the “ripple effect†of their life that is told with such passion.
We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.         1 Thessalonians 2:8 (NLT)
Legacy is an inheritance from my heart to the hearts of the next generation and generations to come. I want to give my children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews, the best of what I have – my faith which has sustained, comforted and strengthened me throughout my life. I know the faithfulness of my LORD to continue to do the same for them.
Jesus answered:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, “Love others as much as you love yourself.” All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets are based on these two commandments.         Matthew 22:37-40 (CEV)
