Why Moses did not enter the promised land

Why Moses did not enter the promised land

Read Deuteronomy 3

1. Moses led the people of Israel to the edge of the promised land, but God did not give him the grace to enter the promised land.
2. Rather, God instructed him to hand over to Joshua, who would guide the Israelites to the promised land.
3. What was Moses’ offence?
4. The Bible provided a glimpse, which may not tally with our understanding.
5. Moses dishonoured God when he struck the rock twice instead of speaking to it as instructed by God. The full story is in Numbers 20.
6. The offence of Moses at the Rock of Meribah in the Desert of Zin is summarised below:

• He disobeyed God by striking the rock rather than speaking to it.
• He rebelled against God’s authority by not following God’s instruction; rather, he did what suited his eyes.
• He indulged in self-glorification by portraying his rod as the source of power rather than the word of God that he should have spoken.
• He promoted human worship and idolatry by portraying himself and his rod as the source of miracles rather than the word of God.
• He displayed pride and arrogance by lifting up his hand and the Rod, thereby giving the imposition that the source of power is his hands and rod.
• He dishonoured God by not letting the people of Israel know the miracle was wrought by God. The people of Israel had murmured against God, accusing him of bringing them to a desert to perish in thirst. God wanted to show that He is still with them and can provide for any of their needs in the wilderness, by any means. However, instead of looking to heaven and speaking to the rock, Moses raised his hands and struck the rock twice with his rod.
• It was as if Moses wanted to take the place of God, whereas God does not share his glory with anyone.

The lesson here is that we must remain humble, avoid pride where God anoints us, give all glory to God, avoid ascribing power to any vessel God is using to perform miracles and follow God’s instruction to the letter