“…Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows his grave to this day” (Deuteronomy 34:5-6).
The book of Deuteronomy ends with the death of Moses, the great faithful servant of God. Regarding his epitaph the Bible simply says, “But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face” (Deuteronomy 34:10). Moses, the great servant of God who through God’s power delivered the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage and then endured the 40 years of wilderness wandering with them because of their sin, was finally laid to rest. His earthly journey had ended. Though not entering the physical Promised Land himself, Moses was going to the Heavenly Promised Land which is far better.
As the opening verse above indicates, the Lord buried Moses. I see here the tender love of God here as God lovingly and gently buries this faithful servant of His. Remember how Jesus wept at the death of His friend Lazarus (John 11:35). I see God’s tears falling on the body of Moses as God begins throws the first ounces of dirt upon the dead body of His friend Moses as Moses’ lifeless body lies in the grave.
As Christians, it is important for us to appreciate God’s tender love for us. I am afraid sometimes we forget just how PRECIOUS we are to God. King David said, “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You” (Psalm 139:17-18). God’s tender love for us is seen in the fact that He has many “thoughts” about each of us.
Tomorrow my local congregation of the Lord’s church is saying goodbye to a sister of ours who obeyed the gospel later in life. Had she lived her 100th birthday would have been tomorrow. However, she has reached a greater milestone than her 100th birthday. She has reached her Promised Land. She was a sweet sister and she will be missed. Her family and her church family will shed tears at her funeral and at her grave. We need to remember that God also sheds tears and loves her with a tender love. Today, I will rejoice for God’s tender love for me in both my life and my death!
“Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints” (Psalm 116:15).