Moses dies in the steppes of Moab and the people mourn him
“And Moses went up from the plains of Moabunto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the LORD shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan…And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD” Deut. 34:4 – 5
- Moses reaches the final stage of his journey. He tries to annul the divine decree preventing him from crossing the Jordan River – but God turns down his prayers. Moses leads the last battle of his lifetime – and loses. Moses, the greatest of prophets, fails because of his pride. He does not act with submission when addressing God. When we pray to change a negative situation, we must never forget our place. Moses misses his opportunity to repent and grow. He implores God to answer his prayer and reverse His decision. However, rather than focusing on correcting himself – Moses tries to remind God of the way He forgave the Israelites’ sins in the desert.
- A sinner can always repent – even if his actions are as terrible as those of the Israelites in the Golden Calf affair. Ultimately, their regret will be accepted. “God, You will not despise a contrite and crushed heart” (Psalms 51:19).
Moses dies but his mission lives on – to move forward towards the future
“And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, In all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel” Deut. 34:10 – 12
- Moses’ final resting place has been left undiscovered. This is not only to prevent people from idolizing him, but also to emphasize that his life mission has not concluded – it is still in the making. Moses’ dream has still not been entirely fulfilled. As such, it is our duty to continue to study it and bring it closer to completion. Before dying, Moses defines the goal of our life mission as permanently belonging to the future – it can never be completely accomplished. If it could, our personal growth would come to an end. We should therefore never stop aiming higher – because there is no limit to the spiritual levels we can attain.
Pearls of Divine Wisdom: “This Is the Blessing”
- Every person needs to show submission in the presence of God. When a person prays to change a negative situation, they must always remember their place and seize the opportunity to improve.
- We must devote our lives to serving other creatures and human beings. Our approach should not be one of suspicion – but of love. Our attitude should not be driven by the pursuit of personal gain but by a desire to give to others and bring people together.
- A heartbroken person will never be rejected by God. To rise to the highest spiritual level, we must uproot our pride. This is the only way to open and awaken our hearts.
- Our life mission continues even after we die. The dream lives on and we can always look forward and come closer to it.
- The mission of our lives is to reach the highest of heights to the best of our abilities. Our true reward is our ongoing journey towards the future. Our path towards righteousness and superior spiritual spheres is what fills our lives with meaning.
- When we ascend to this supreme level, we will not see any darkness – but only light.
Certainty in the love and blessings of the Creator leads to peacefulness and the end of violence.
