As I started putting this sermon together this week, I was I was
struggling just a bit. The words were not coming and I
went back to Exodus 4 where where God is calling Moses to go
and speak and I was identifying with Moses.
When he says this to the Lord, he says, he says, Lord, I have
never been eloquent, neither recently nor in times past nor
since you spoke to your servant. For I'm slow of speech and slow
of tongue. And I thought to myself, I read
on a little bit further and God gave him Aaron.
So I called Aaron when he didn't go to New York.
And I'm like, how do you feel about preaching this Sunday?
And he basically gave me the Houghton mantra, you know, suck
it up, buttercup, you'll be all right.
So, so here we are. So we come to Deuteronomy
chapter 3 today, Chapter 3, you say, but we didn't make it to
chapter 3 last week. Yeah, we did just for a moment.
We'll be covering verses 18 through 29 today.
And I think it's it's, it's hopeful that is as we come to
our passage that we realize that we're stepping into the, into
the book of Deuteronomy in a, in a moment of transition.
There's a there's a threshold moment in the life of the nation
of Israel. The wilderness years are almost
over. The the Promised Land lies just
ahead, just across the river. But before Israel crosses the
Jordan, Moses pauses to rehearse the mighty acts of God that have
brought them to the place where they find themselves.
Deuteronomy is, it's not as a whole, just a, a mere history
book, but it's a book describing a period of covenant renewal.
Moses, Moses isn't just giving a history.
He's he's preaching to the people.
He's he's shepherding the hearts of a new generation, one that
may not have have previously experienced the exodus, one that
may have come along after that took place, but but now has to
live in light of of that. And so before issuing
instructions and commands to the people, Moses reminds them of
what God had done to bring them to this point in the previous 38
years. In chapters 2 and 3, Moses
recounts Israel's journey from a time of of wandering to a time
of warfare, from a time of discipline to a time where
deliverance is is begun. Deuteronomy chapter 2, we see
that God governs even Israel's detours.
You know, for 38 years Israel wandered in the wilderness under
judgement because of unbelief. Yet even during that time of
judgement, God was not absent. He directed their paths and
their steps precisely. He told them where they could go
and where they could not go. They were told not to harass the
nations of Edom or Moab or Ammon because God had sovereignly
allotted those lands to others. This reminds us when we read
this, that that God was not merely the Lord of Israel, but
that He is the ruler of all nations, distributing lands and
boundaries according to His will.
And during those years, though a whole generation fell in the
wilderness, God sustained his people.
As Moses said, the Lord your God has blessed you.
You have lacked nothing. Even under discipline there was
mercy. Israel is commanded in chapter 2
to rise up and take possession of the land of the Amorites east
of the Jordan River, beginning with Sion, the king of Heshbon.
And here we're giving a a pretty striking theological insight and
and that Moses does not say say it's I'm sorry.
Moses says that Sihan did not allow Israel to pass through the
land because the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his
heart obstinate. What appears on on the surface
to be political resistance is in truth divine sovereignty at
work. God is.
God is not reacting, He is orchestrating.
He is. He is delivering the enemies of
His people into Israel's hands. As we read, we see Israel
defeats Sion completely. His cities are taking, His land
is given to Israel. The long years of waiting and
wandering are beginning to give way to fulfilment and profit and
promise. As we come to Deuteronomy 3, the
pattern continues with OG, king of Bashan.
He was a formidable enemy, a giant among men.
Humanly speaking, he would have been terrifying.
But the Lord's instruction to them was, do not fear him, for I
have given him into your hand. And again, we see that Israel
prevails against them not because of their own strength,
but because God fights for them. So by the time we reach
Deuteronomy chapter 3, verse 18, the land east of the Jordan
territory belonging to Cyhan and Ogg had already been fully
conquered and distributed to the tribes of Reuben, to Gad and the
half tribe of Manasseh. The time of inheritance had
begun. Israel is no longer wandering.
They're they're winning. They're no longer under
judgement. They're beginning to experience
the promised fulfilment. They're standing on land that's
already been conquered, looking ahead to a land yet to be
possessed. But they're not home yet.
And it is to that and the tension of of that that Moses
now speaks because, because the danger at the moment is, is not
just their fear of of enemies across the river, but it's but
it's a fear that they would forget God, the temptation to
settle for too little, too soon to divide that which God had
joined together or to presume on his promises without continued
obedience. So in our text today, verses 18
through 29 of chapter 3, Moses will do two things.
First of all, he will charge the tribes of Reuben of Gad and the
half tribe of NASA, the fight on behalf of their brothers.
And he reminds them that as all Israel had fought to subdue the
land that had become their portion, the portion that those
tribes had had received, they too were obligated to assist the
other tribes as they came into their their possession in the
promised land across the Jordan. And then secondly, he will
recount his own personal plea to enter the land and to recount
God's refusal in a way reminding Israel that even he stands under
the authority of God's word. So as we look at our passage
this morning, we'll we'll see that it brings together promise,
responsibility, leadership and submission.
And it ultimately it points us beyond Moses to to a greater
leader who will not merely see the promised land from a
distance, but one who will bring his people fully into it.
Let's read our text for today, beginning with verse 18, chapter
3. It reads, Then I commanded you
at that time, saying, The Lord your God has given you this land
to possess it. All you valiant men shall
crossover, armored before your brothers, the sons of Israel,
but your wives and your little ones, and your livestock, I know
that you have much livestock, shall remain in your cities,
which I have given to you, until the Lord gives rest to your
fully fellow countrymen as to you.
And they also possess the land which the Lord your God will
give them beyond the Jordan. Then you may return every man to
his possession which I have given you.
I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, Your eyes have seen all
that the Lord your God has done to these two kings.
So the Lord shall do to all the kingdoms into which you are
about to cross. Do not fear them, for the Lord
your God is the one fighting for you.
I also pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying, Oh Lord God,
you've begun to show your servant your greatness and your
strong hand, for what God is there in heaven or on earth who
can do such works and mighty acts as yours?
Let me, I pray, crossover and see the fair land that is beyond
the Jordan, that good Hill Country in Lebanon.
But the Lord was angry with me on your account and would not
listen to me. And the Lord said to me, enough,
speak to me no more of this matter.
Go up to the top of Pisgah, and lift up your eyes to the West,
and the north, and the South and east, and see it with your eyes.
For you shall not crossover this Jordan, but charge Joshua and
encourage him and strengthen him, for he shall go ahead at
the head of the people. I'm sorry.
For he shall go across at the head of the people, and he will
give them an inheritance in the land which you shall see.
So we remained in the valley opposite Beth Pior.
Verses 18 through 20 recorded for us the words that Moses
spoke to the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of
Manasseh. They had already received their
inheritance of land on the east side of the Jordan.
These tribes just in in the previous weeks and and months,
had come into possession of land formerly ruled by, as we read
earlier, Saihan, the king of Heshbon and Ogg, the king of
Bashan. And yet, as we read in Numbers
32, their inheritance of of these lands and their assurance
that they would receive this inheritance was was predicated
on on their commitment to accompany their brothers into
the promised land, to cross the Jordan and to fight with them
until all the remaining tribes came into their possession of
land until the Lord drove out their enemies from before them.
The reminder that that Moses gives to these tribes is as if
they're not done their position of a land to to call their own.
You know that that blessing that was given to them by by God does
does not cancel their responsibility to their fellow
Israelites. They are they are not free to
being in possession of these cities and lands to then sit
back and watch their brothers go forward and fight for their
inheritance. Rest is to wait until all have
come into possession of their lauded portions.
I think there's a a principle here that extends beyond the
relationship of these tribes that live either on the West or
the east side of the Jordan. A a principle that extends to
our life within the church. The the idea being that if that
if God has joined us together in in one body, that that no one
part of us can fail to to serve the common good of the church at
large. It's not as though one of us can
say, you know, let's exempt ourselves and let the rest fend
for themselves. But rather, every man ought to
work for the common good and the man who can fend for himself
should not refuse to assist his brethren in bearing a portion of
their burden. The Christian walk is not a
solitary walk. The the success you experience
in your walk is not is not meant to terminate in and on yourself.
I'm studying this week a little bit John Calvin and he writes
for for according to the ability that God gives, So does he bind
us to serve our neighbors therewith.
Let me repeat that it says, you know, for according to the
ability that God gives us, so does he bind us to serve our
neighbors therewith. You know, it's the same reminder
that Paul writes the church in Romans chapter 12, verses 3
through 6, where he wrote, you know, I say to everyone among
you, not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think,
but to think so as to have sound judgement as God allotted for
God has allotted to each a measure of faith.
For just as we have many members in one body, and all the members
do not have the same function, so we who are many are one body
in Christ, and individually members one of another.
Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to
us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly.
This commitment that that Moses exhorts these tribes to was was
no light thing when we read the book of Joshua and we and we
read of the conquest of of the land of of Canaan, the the
conquest that went on the western side of the Jordan.
We we read that that took seven years.
You know, it was it wasn't for seven long years until those
tribes that lived on the east side were released by Joshua to
return to their homes on a permanent basis.
Our commitment likewise should be so enduring there, there,
there are many in this room who are experiencing a, a measure
of, of stability and and blessing at this time.
But there are also those that are are weary, those that are
weak, those who need someone to come alongside and fight for
them for what God has promised for them.
And that is our responsibility. Moses turns verses 21 and 22
from addressing those tribes and he, he turns and he addresses
Joshua directly, you know, and he encourages him by by way of
remembrance of God's past actions on their behalf.
The reminder is, is not of Joshua's past victories or of
the people's past victories, but it's of God's past victories.
He says that you have seen it you and the people have seen it
with your own eyes impetus being or or the the logical conclusion
being that that you should allow that memory to fuel your courage
and your obedience as you crossover into the promised
land. You know it's it's the personal
experience of of having seen God work on on their behalf that
that is to animate his future endeavors as he leads the people
of Israelites into the promised land.
Much the same is is said in first John 11, where it says
what we have heard, what we have seen with her eyes, what we have
looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of
life. The life was manifested and we
have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal
life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us, which
we have seen and heard. We've proclaimed to you also so
that you too may have fellowship with us.
I mean, there's John telling the church that that, that his work
in the work of the apostles was something that was that was that
was animated and that was strengthened by having seen and
personally experienced time with, with with Christ.
I think, I think for us, we may not have been able to experience
that exact thing, but we do have personal experiences with God
ourselves. We have been saved.
We have experienced God's protection, his his provision
for our very needs and and as we look back on those times and and
places it provides reason and motivation to to trust and obey
continued instruction. The instruction of verse 22 is,
is not to fear those nations on the other side of the river.
You know, 38 years prior, fear of those nations had resulted
and they're wandering in the desert until an entire
generation died. I think as as we go, as we go
forward, we'll see that, you know, this time around the
people did not falter. They're they're said and he wish
to have faltered through through unbelief.
But but this time they they rested in the memory of what the
Lord had done, and they counted on Him to fulfill his promise to
them as they as they walked in obedience into the land.
The closing verses of our chapter recording Moses plea to
the Lord that he be allowed to cross over the Jordan and to set
foot on the Promised Land, and they include the Lord's refusal
to entertain his plea. The Hebrew phrasing of this
passage indicates that that Moses had had asked on more than
one occasion for permission to enter the land.
Rabbinic tradition notes that Moses begged God 515 times that
he'd be allowed to enter. I guess it begs the question,
you know, why exactly was it that Moses, that great prophet,
the mediator of the covenant, the leader of the people of
Israel for some 40 years, why was it that he was denied
entrance into Canaan? Numbers chapter 20 records the
story of how the the Israelite people rebelled against Moses in
the wilderness of Zen on account of there being no water.
It was there that the Lord spoke to Moses.
Lord said this to take the rod, and you and your brother Aaron
assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their
eyes, that it may yield its water.
You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock, and
let the congregation and their beasts drink.
So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as he had
commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the
assembly before the rock. And he said to them, Listen now,
you rebels, shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?
And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his
rod, And water came forth abundantly, and the congregation
and their beasts drank. The Lord said to Moses and
Aaron, Because you have not believed me to treat me as holy
in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not
bring this assembly into the land which I have given him.
Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of
Israel contended with the Lord, and he proved himself holy among
them. You see, the people's rebellion
did did not excuse disobedience on the part of Moses.
All too often we we point to to provocations endured or or
exigent circumstances to to excuse our lapses of obedience.
We, we, we, we, we played that. Perhaps, you know, it's not it's
not really my fault. Surely, surely the punishment
should not be as severe as as that there were things going on.
You know, there's there's contingencies that that should
be that should be under should be understood.
Yet that's not what we see. We see we see that the actions
of of of both Aaron and Moses in that in that instance resulted
in their being unable to enter the promised land.
You come to the end of of chapter 20 of of Numbers in it
and it records the death of. Of Aaron on on Mount Hor and it
and it talks about that the Moses is told to take Aaron up
there and to take his son and they they take the priestly
robes off of Aaron and they put him on his son.
There's a transference of the of the priesthood from from from
Aaron to to his son and his and Aaron dies on that mountain and
said the people you know, mourn for for 30 days.
In the text of Numbers, it says they were not able to enter
because of the rebellion that he and Moses had staged against the
Lord's command at Meribah. You know, it's a pretty harsh
word rebellion. It's it does it seems like a
harsh word to describe the actions of a frustrated man in
the face of some ungrateful people.
But it but it's the word that God uses to describe their
failure to follow his clear instructions.
I mean, instructions were talk to the rock.
It was not sock the rock, it was talk to the talk to the rock and
it will bring forth water. This is this is the same word
that's used in First Samuel 1618 to describe Saul's failure to
utterly destroy the Amalekites, where it says for rebellion is
as the sin of divination and insubordination is as iniquity
and idolatry, impurity. Because you've rejected the word
of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.
It's a reminder that that rebellion against the Lord's
instruction is no small thing. I mean, even in these accounts
that we've seen today, we've seen, we've seen a a prophet, a
priest and a king. The prophet and the priest
denied entrance into the land and the king denied a Kingdom.
The Kingdom was taken from him and given to another for
disobedience to the Lord's clear instruction.
Yet Moses begins his plea to the Lord.
He acknowledges God's marvelous work in the Exodus and most
recently in in the sustenance of Israel in those 38 years where
they've been wandering in the wilderness and the and the gods
driving out the Sai Han and and and Ogg in the land east of the
Jordan. But it but it seems that that
now he's looking forward. He says, you know, we're almost
to the climax for the story. We we are there, we have that
generation has died off. It's time to enter the promised
land. And, and the thought that he
would be unable to enter in, that he's unable to see the
fulfilment of that ancient prophecy or that ancient promise
that the people of, of God would be returned to the land of
Canaan was, was almost too much to accept without question.
You know, he speaks of the incomparable works of God, you
know, echoing the language of Exodus 1511 where it was sung.
Who is like you, O Lord among the gods, who is like you,
majestic and holiness, terrible and glorious deeds doing
wonders. You know, it was his, his
earnest request and desire that the Lord would relent and allow
him to crossover to see the good land that, that, that object of
all his efforts these last 40 years.
I mean, who would not say that that was a good desire?
I just want to, I want to take your people into the land, those
people that you have appointed me to lead these last 40 years.
How can it, how can it not? I mean, that's the end of the
Hallmark movie. That's, that's, that's where we,
that's where we, that's where we make it happen.
And yet, and yet we're told in our text that the Lord was angry
with Moses on account of the people and that he didn't
entertain his request. And we're given the impression
that he spoke just a little bit roughly to him, you know,
instructing him, you know, speak to me no more on this matter.
Calvin makes an interesting observation here that there
there comes a point when continued pleading is no longer
based in faith, but rather resistance to the revealed will
of God. And as such, it demonstrates a
lack of submission to God. Submission to God's revealed
will is something which must be practiced.
You know, and if and if it's ignored it, you know, it can
lead to catastrophic results. I mean, we, we need look no
further than to to R JS sermon last week.
You know, we're told that the people refused to enter the
promised land. They sent the spies over, They
came back, they got discouraged, said we don't want to go.
At which point God said, well, then let's put on your shoes.
We're going to go on a really long walk.
At which point they had a they had a rather rapid change of
heart. And so that's OK, We'll go,
we'll go. And it says they went into the
Hill Country and they attacked the Amorites.
And it says that they were. They were beaten badly and they
were chased as though they were chased by bees.
We see a different example in Second Samuel 10.
We look at King David. We find him a man that is
desirous of building a house for the Lord.
He says in effect in Chapter 7 that it didn't seem right to him
that he lived in a House of cedar while the ark dwelt within
curtains in a tent. He receives word from from
Nathan the prophet, but the building of that house was was
not something that he would be able to do.
And speaking to his son in chronicles, he he talks about
the fact that that he was a man who had shed too much blood and
that the temple would be built by a man of rest.
To his credit, we don't, we don't see David insisting on, on
building that house. What, what do we see him do?
We? We see David, it tells us in
chronicles that that he didn't, he didn't attempt to build the
temple, but he made provision for it.
That he brought up his son with the understanding that he would
be the one to do that. That he amassed a great
quantities of, of stone and silver and gold and bronze and
everything that would be needed for the building of that temple.
That he made provision for it, but that he didn't take that
step to actually build it himself.
There was there was a submission on his part to the revealed will
of God. We can go to the New Testament
and see the same type of things. When we read about Paul and 2nd
Corinthians 12, he speaks of imploring the Lord three times.
He says, listen, there's a there's a thorn in my flesh and
I would like it gone, only to be told by the Lord that my grace
is sufficient for you. For power is perfected in
weakness. And this and this revelation was
was met by mature submission on the part of Paul.
He says that he would rather boast about his weakness so that
the power of Christ might dwell in him.
It seems then as as we look at our text today, it is
emphasizing that that prayer is not, it's not just about
persistence, but it's about submission as well.
In my reading this week, as I was reading one of the early
reformers and he wrote this, he says God has shown me that it is
not proper for me to ask whatsoever I think good, but
that I must come and put myself into his hands with all
humbleness to receive what he thinks good and to hold all my
desires in obedience unto him. And seeing that He shows me
this, and it's in my best interest to Orient my heart
toward obedience and to take that to be best for me, which He
shall condescend to give me. I just didn't get what he
wanted. He was never allowed to cross
the river. He died on a mountain and God
buried him somewhere no one knows nowhere.
And yet while he was prohibited from crossing over the Jordan,
God, God graciously provided him an opportunity to view the
promised land, you know, for the mountain.
Please go. And unable to, unable to enter
himself, he was, he was able to view that land that had been so
long promised to his people. You know, I think it's, I think
that it, as Moses went, went up that mountain and, and was
provided a view, it probably wasn't just your normal 2020
view. I think that God probably
granted him something a little supernatural in that, in that
instance where he could see all that was there for for his for
his people, you know, and I think that it's, it's that view
that that he had of the land that that kind of animated that
we that which we see in the next 30 chapters of Deuteronomy as as
Moses come and he's and he lays before the people and he and he
preaches to the people and he prepares them for entrance into
that land of promise that he's seen what it is and what the
promise is that God has for them.
And he's and he's working to make sure that they are ready to
enter into that place. Verse 28 contains one last
instruction for Moses. And now says, But charge Joshua
and encourage him and strengthen him, for he shall go across at
the head of his people, and he will give them as an inheritance
to land, which you will see, I think we see here change.
Moses embraces this, this instruction at this time going
going forward, no longer as we go through Deuteronomy, are we
going to see Moses imploring the Lord that he be allowed to enter
the land. His his obedience is shown not
just by what he does, but by what he doesn't do.
You know, he, he knew he would not be allowed to enter the
land, but he was to appoint Joshua as his successor and to
encourage him and equip him to do the job which he most desired
to do. And yet as we, as we see Moses
and as we, as, as we see him in, in the, in the chapters to come,
we see that he's, he's not a man.
He didn't withdraw. He didn't grow bitter.
He didn't say, well, if I can't cross, then I won't help.
Instead, we see a man that that finishes well, a man who was who
was most concerned that the people be prepared, that they
had a faithful man to guide them into the Promised Land.
The chapters that follow in Deuteronomy record Moses's
instructions, both the Joshua and to the people.
And in Deuteronomy 3123, when commissioning Joshua for the
work, he exhorts him saying, Be strong and courageous for you
shall bring the sons of Israel into the land which I swore to
them, and I will be with you. It's a it's an incredibly
commendable thing to go from a place from wanting to be that
man to commissioning someone else to do that work in in your
stead. And I think we can say that the
the efficacy of of Moses instructions is is referenced in
chapter 34 nine, where it's written that Joshua, the son of
Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom for Moses had laid his
hands on him and the sons of Israel listened to him and did
as the Lord had commanded Moses. It wasn't 1/2 hearted effort to
equip the people and God, the man that Moses devoted himself
to. As we as we conclude, I'd like
us to re examine the figures of of Moses and and David who we
mentioned earlier, just a little deeper.
We can make the comparison that they were both denied something
that they longed for. But but I think we can draw a
deeper, A deeper parallel and that in the case of both men,
neither entered into the fullness of God's rest during
their lifetime. You know, in the case of Moses,
he led the people out of Egypt. He bore the burdens of the
people. He received the law, He mediated
the law to the people. He shepherded the people through
the wilderness. He brought them to the very edge
of the Promised Land, and yet he did not enter.
He saw it, but he did not possess it.
David was a king after God's own heart.
He united the Kingdom of Israel. He defeated Israel's enemies, He
established Jerusalem as the political and spiritual center
of the nation, and Scripture even tells us that God gave him
a measure of rest from his enemies.
But the temple wasn't built yet. The dwelling place of God among
the people was not established in its fullness, and and David,
like Moses, would not live to complete the work which he
desired to do. He gathered materials and set
the stage, but he was unable to enter the fullness of what he
longed to see. In the case of both men, they
stood on the threshold, but neither fully entered.
I think when we look at this, this is, this is not accidental.
This is, this is a theological in nature.
Scripture is showing us something greater, that even the
greatest leaders in Israel, Moses the Lawgiver and David
King, do not bring God's people into their final rest.
This is where the New Testament picks up.
Hebrews 3 and and four remind us that on account of sin, an
entire generation perished in the wilderness and did not enter
God's rest. Joshua, even in leading the
people into the Promised Land, did not give them fullness of
rest. And Hebrews reminds us that a
promise of rest still remains for the people of God.
What this means for us is that the Promised Land, a place
presented in the Old Testament as a place of rest, a place of
settlement, of safety, of peace, that it was never intended to be
The final reality, the Kingdom carved out by David, was but a
partial fulfillment. What Moses could not do, what
David could not complete, Christ fulfills.
Jesus is greater than Moses. He does not merely lead us to
the promise, He brings us in, He says, greater than David.
He does not merely secure partial peace, but He
establishes eternal rest. It is he who says, you know,
come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give
you rest. Take my yoke upon you and lean
upon and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and
you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
The rest that Jesus promises is, is not a land, it's not a
Kingdom, it's not a building. It's rest from sin with the
guilt of sin lifted. It's rest from striving, no
longer trying to earn or demerit God's favor.
It's rest in the presence of God.
And it's a rest that's both now and yet experience now, but to
be perfected in eternity. So as we look at our text today,
we stand here. We stand here with Moses atop
Mount Pig Son, with David before the temple he would never build.
And what and what do they teach us?
They teach us that faith is not about seeing everything
fulfilled, but trusting that God fulfills everything.
That while you and I may not see the end, Christ will.
And that is enough. Thanks for listening.
To learn more about Heritage Church or if you'd like to
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www.heritageshawnee.org.