Key events in today’s reading:

• Firstfruits and Tithes (Deuteronomy 26:1-15)
• Renewal of the Covenant (Deuteronomy 29)
• The Offer of Life or Death (Deuteronomy 30:11-20)
• Joshua to Succeed Moses (Deuteronomy 32:48-52)

Verse that stood out: Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face – Deut 34:10.

To be truthful, the verse that most stood out today was one of the first that I read, Deuteronomy 23:12, “Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself.” Can’t say I’ve ever seen a devotional written over that verse. I don’t plan to be the first.

That verse, notwithstanding, there was still plenty to take from these chapters. There’s that great passage in chapter thirty, “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). In the words of my preaching professor, that’s a great “call to action” in the conclusion of Moses’ sermon.

I was even more deeply moved, however, by Moses’ death. That doesn’t actually show up until tomorrow’s reading, but I went ahead and finished Deuteronomy today. Hope I don’t spoil the story for anyone!

Moses’ death is a tragic death in many ways. He was right on the edge of the Promise Land. Moses’ entire ministry had been spent essentially wondering in the desert. Granted, his entry into the ministry had been spectacular – the plagues, the crossing of the Red Sea, the Ten Commandments. And then . . . forty years of eating manna and listening to the people grumble! It’s depressing, really. We like stories where people get what they’ve been striving for. This just hurts. It feels unfair. Why would God not let him at least put a foot in the Promise Land? God’s stated reason seems overly strict to us. Moses made one mistake in forty years of ministry?

And yet, what we perceive as a failure, the writer of Deuteronomy perceives as a triumph. Moses’ story isn’t to be pitied, but revered. There has never been another like him. Moses, after all, knew the LORD face to face. Makes me wonder if I’m judging my ministry in the correct light. Do I judge it based upon how close to my goals I get or by how close to God’s face I draw?

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For tomorrow, Monday, September 14, 2020

Cover to Cover: Deuteronomy 33:24-Joshua 13:22

Key Passage: Joshua 1:1-18

Verse of the Day: Joshua 1:9