Well Done, Thou Good and Faithful Servant
Deuteronomy 34:10-11
And there has not risen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.
As we conclude what has been a two-year journey through the life and ministry of Moses, let’s join this scribal eulogist in a reverential epitaph for this outstanding life. Still today, thousands of years after Moses bade farewell to the world on Mount Nebo, he’s rightly heralded among the great heroes of history. But what was the secret of his greatness? Was it that miracle-staff that parted seas? Was it his royal upbringing in Pharaoh’s palace? Was it his fearlessness in the face of Sinai’s torrents? Oh no—it’s far more mundane than that. It’s that he simply prayed one day, “LORD, show me Your glory!”, and pursued that beatific vision with everything he had.
How many Christians today, in our social media saturated age, are starving for greatness, throwing all their God-given energy and time and money into gaining more subscribers, all the while expending little energy on private, unheralded devotion that God loves best? I preach that first to myself because I get just as stuck in the muck of vanity as anyone else. But reading Moses’ life brings us to a point of reckoning. His biography bids us to take a long, hard, soul-searching look in the mirror and deliver a hard truth: “Oh, you want to be great? You want to be an influencer? You want to be a leader? Good: get ready to die without a shrine in your honor. Get ready to devote your life to serving people who never say ‘Thank you.’ And get ready to be hated by your neighbors and friends for righteousness’ sake.”
Moses met those challenge head-on, with head held high, in pursuit of the face of God, because he was a disciple above all else. What higher accolade can we give than that? He died just as he lived: side by side with his Shepherd, following in his Master’s steps, and bidding us through the poetry of his forward motion to follow.