His Glory and Grace
Moses is a great hero of the Jewish and Christian faiths because of his ability, through the power of God, to deliver the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. He lived a long life and eventually died at Mount Nebo, in the wilderness of Jordan. Although Moses was a great man of faith, he wasn’t good enough. His incredible actions were not enough to make up for even small sins. For that reason, God told Moses he would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land of Israel.
You failed to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel there. 52 So you will see the land from a distance, but you may not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel.
We are tempted to believe that our good behavior makes up for our bad behavior, but that is not how God works. If that were the case, then Moses’ good works would have easily made up for his bad behavior. The solution to bad behavior is not good behavior. The only solution to bad behavior is punishment. Our sins require punishment. In fact, our sins require death. The good news for us is that Jesus took that punishment for us, but Moses lived before Jesus died on the cross for our sins.
I assume that as Moses was dying, he was positive that his fate was sealed and that his sin was going to keep him from his hopes and dreams.
Growing up in the church, I regularly heard that Moses was not allowed to enter the promised land because He sinned in the wilderness, but that’s not the full story. When Jesus was on Earth, He had an experience that transformed Him. We call this experience The Transfiguration.
Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. 2 As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. 3 Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus.
This event did not take place on Mount Nebo. It happened on one of the mountains in Galilee, in Israel. More importantly, it was in the Promised Land of Israel. Because of Jesus’ glory and grace, Moses was forgiven, and he did enter the promised land.
If you think your sins have disqualified you, they haven’t. Because of Jesus’ glory and grace, you can be forgiven! Moses did get to enter the promised land, and you will too.
Our promised land is called Heaven. It is the promised inheritance of everyone who has put their faith in Jesus Christ. It is not a reward for people who commit fewer than a set number of sins, and it is not a reward for good behavior. It is a gift for those who will receive it.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
Elijah, another great hero of the faith, was also on the mountain when Jesus was transfigured. That leaves us to wonder why God chose these two men to be present in this moment. For that answer, let’s look at the significance of these two figures. Moses was the giver of the law, and Elijah was one of Israel’s most significant prophets. The law and the prophets were the foundation of the old covenant that God gave to the Israelites. The transfiguration shows Jesus had not come to reject the law and the prophets. Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets.
The Jewish religious leaders hated Jesus because He claimed to be their promised Messiah, but they also hated Jesus because He preached a gospel that was contrary to the law of Moses. Jesus was establishing a new covenant that did not follow the Jewish traditions, and the Jewish leaders would eventually kill Him because of it.
The transfiguration occurred just days after the first time Jesus predicted to His disciples that He was going to die. It seems that because of this prediction, His disciples had begun to doubt whether He truly was the Messiah. Even though they had seen and performed many miracles, the faith of Jesus’ disciples, like the faith of the Israelites in the wilderness, was shaky. In fact, as Peter, James, John, and Jesus returned from the mountain of the transfiguration, they reunited with the other disciples to discover them struggling to drive a demon out of a man. When they asked why they couldn’t get the job done, Jesus blamed their lack of faith.
Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast out that demon?” 20 “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them.
When the apostles began to doubt Jesus, the transfiguration served as a reminder of Christ’s deity, of His glory and grace. Let it do the same for you. The events of the life of Christ give plenty of affirmation of His glory. God the Father and the Holy Spirit affirmed Jesus at His baptism. Jesus was empowered to perform miracles. Moses and Elijah affirmed Jesus at the transfiguration. Jesus rose from the dead. He is who He says He is. Put your faith in Him.