Deuteronomy 32:49-52 – Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel for a possession. And die on the mountain which you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died in Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel. For you shall see the land before you, but you shall not go there, into the land that I am giving to the people of Israel..
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The judgment of God on Moses came very forcefully at the end of his life. After Moses led the people of Israel through their forty years of wandering in the wilderness, he was forbidden by God from entering the promised land. Moses was allowed to see the land from a distance, but he was not allowed to personally experience the blessing.
Moses’ sin that cost him so much came in the desert years before. He was angry with the people, and he struck a rock instead of speaking to it as he was commanded by God. Many who hear this as the reason Moses was not allowed to enter the promised land simply do not understand. “What’s the big deal,” they often ask. The big deal is this: Moses failed to obey God.
The Lord said that Moses would not enter the promised land, “because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel.” God’s holiness is of utmost importance. For Moses to have a direct command from God which he chose not to obey exactly as it was given was for him to defame the holiness of God. God is holy, and we must obey him fully in order to honor that holiness.
We ought to be very thankful that God has not chosen to judge us all immediately for all the times that we have failed to treat him as holy in a worse way than did Moses in the desert that day. Each time we have a command of God that we choose to disobey, or that we choose to just fudge on a little bit, we do not honor him as holy. Each time we shrink back from telling the truth to save face, we fail to honor God’s holiness. How often have we treated the Lord of Glory as something less than holy, holy, holy? How often have we been graciously spared the judgment we deserve?
We must never forget that God is absolutely holy and wonderfully gracious. We must never let our understanding of his grace compromise how we reverence his holiness. The more we focus on the total purity and perfection of God, the more we will be challenged to obey him. So, let us remember that he is holy, and let us give ourselves to total obedience in honor of that holiness. Let us remember that 99% obedience is disobedience. Let us treat him as holy in public and in private—in every aspect of life.
Lord, I recognize from this passage that your holiness is of tremendous importance. I acknowledge here and now that I have not always treated you as holy in every situation. I thank you for having mercy on me, for not judging me right away when I deserved it. I ask that you will forgive me my failures, and help me to turn away from my sin. You are holy, and I want to treat you as such. Let me obey you, fear you, and honor you as I ought. Lead me to 100% obedience, that your name might be truly glorified in my life. May I never again be guilty of treating you as anything less than holy, holy, holy.
Pastor Travis Peterson 