Daily Thoughts from Deuteronomy 34:1-6: All the Land (Kal-et Haaretz)

36 All the Land (Kal-et Haaretz)

Moshe ascended from the plains of Mo’av to Mount N’vo, to the summit of Pisgah, across from Yericho. There Yahweh showed him all the land — Gil‘ad as far as Dan, all Naftali, the land of Efrayim and M’nasheh, the land of Y’hudah all the way to the sea beyond, the Negev, and the ‘Aravah, including the valley where Yericho, the City of Date-Palms, as far away as Tzo‘ar.  Yahweh said to him, “This is the land concerning which I swore to Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over there.”

So Moshe, the servant of Yahweh, died there in the land of Mo’av, as Yahweh had said.  He was buried in the valley across from Beit-P‘or in the land of Mo’av, but to this day no one knows where his grave is.

(D’varim 34:1-6)

He sat outside the cave looking down the escarpment at the valley below.  Every once in a while he would notice a slight movement, likely some small desert animal skittering from bush to bush.  He was a bit worried.

His water had run out.

Should he walk around to see if his Father had provided any liquid-filled flowers like he had seen on the way to Ein-Gedi?  His energy was so low that he doubted he could walk very far without collapsing, but perhaps that was what his Father would have him do.  He prayed.

“Father, you know my needs.  I am here at Your command.  I cannot survive without water.  What shall I do?”

“Trust Me!  I will provide.”

He pulled out his scroll, his precious scroll containing the d’varim, the words of Moshe.  It had become his friend in the yeshimon, his companion on lonely days, his upper room for meeting with his Father.  It had been the perfect companion, speaking to what his need was day by day.  Surely today would be no different.

The account of Moshe’s death made him sad.  He could see Nebo from here.  Had Yisrael searched for Moshe’s body?  Had Yahweh hidden it or taken it to glory?  Did Yahweh say words over Moshe’s body or did He need to, since Moshe was in Avraham’s bosom now and Yahweh’s presence in Paradise was welcoming Moshe, His trusted servant, the moment he expired?

Would Moshe’s fate be his own?  Yes, if not here in the yeshimon, then certainly at the completion of his service to Yahweh.  The mention of Moshe as Yahweh’s servant sent his mind immediately to Yesha‘yahu and his servant songs.  Yeshua had seen these songs of Yahweh’s servant as sung to him.  And they definitely foretold his death.  He was particularly troubled by the passage that said,

“See how my servant will succeed!
He will be raised up, exalted, highly honored!
Just as many were appalled at him,
because he was so disfigured
that he didn’t even seem human
and simply no longer looked like a man,
so now he will startle many nations;
because of him, kings will be speechless.
For they will see what they had not been told,
they will ponder things they had never heard.”

The part about succeeding was encouraging, but the part about being disfigured was frightening.  What would he have to endure?  As he felt himself drying up, death seemed a peaceful departure from this life.  But Yesha’yahu’s description did not seem to allow for a peaceful departure.

If he died out here in the yeshimon, like Moshe, his body might never be found, his bones picked clean by that fearsome cat and whatever other creatures shared his flesh and then scattered about wherever they were eaten.  But Yesha’yahu also described a grave that awaited the servant of Yahweh.  And Father promised him that He would provide.  He did not believe he would die out here.

The rest of the day seemed like a dream.  He languished without water and even began to hurt inside.  He had only been without water for a day, but he supposed that the stress on his body from the fast was also contributing to his discomfort.

As it grew dark and he began to feel a little cool, he covered himself and lay down to sleep.

Thunder!

In the distance for sure, but definitely thunder.  His Father was sending him water.  He fell asleep hearing what was surely the beginning of a real rain as isolated drops hit the ground around him.

“Thank you, Father.”