YOU Are Not the End of the Line

Deuteronomy 3:26–28 (ESV) But the Lord was angry with me because of you and would not listen to me. And the Lord said to me, ‘Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes westward and northward and southward and eastward, and look at it with your eyes, for you shall not go over this Jordan. 28 But charge Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he shall go over at the head of this people, and he shall put them in possession of the land that you shall see.’

Moses has not shown concern for himself since his call into ministry at the burning bush. For all his hesitancy and self-esteem issues there, his leadership of 40 years over God's people showed a man so utterly devoted to his task he more than once offered to die in place of the people who sinned. 

But Moses was also a man. Here in Deuteronomy 3, Moses recounts the prayer he prayed to God seeking to annul God's announcement at the Waters of Meribah where, because of his bad choice in striking the rock twice, God determined he would not enter the promised land. Moses now prays for himself for the first time at 120 years old and about to leave the Earth, heart's desire unfulfilled. It was hard. He was earnest. But God was firm.

What does this teach us? You have to look closer at God's response. God concedes that Moses can get a bird's eye view of the land on top of Mount Pisgah. That will be all. THEN God turns Moses' attention to the man who would come after him - Joshua. 

It's really incredible how God immediate shifts the attention from Moses' desire to Joshua's encouragement. Moses would learn an important lesson here that so many need to learn today. You are not the end of the line with God. We appear on this Earth for 80 years if we are lucky (and sometimes unluckily). We play our part and run our race. But we all end our lives giving much of what we worked for into the hands of someone who will benefit from our efforts and start in a much more favorable position that we did. Moses began in the wilderness, Joshua begins leading on the edge of the Promise. Moses had to go through fugitive years. Joshua has only known desert wanderings. Moses struggled with complaints for 40 years. Joshua will somewhat struggle with a few missteps in war. Moses brought the people far. Joshua will bring the people much farther. 

God is very much into generational blessing. We focus on our lives and our seasons. God is interested in how your season can set up the next season for someone else. Even in the commandments God is interested in seeing obedience in our day work for the favor of God for ages beyond us. 


Exodus 20:5–6 (ESV) You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

The point of this moment? Moses is to encourage and strengthen the man coming after him because Joshua needed to know Moses cared for him. Joshua was going to do some things Moses didn't do. And Moses needed to leverage his last days giving Joshua the strength and encouragement he would need for when Moses was no longer there. Your time on Earth is necessary for those to follow you. Don't blow it for THEM. Don't just live for yourself. 

The question for leaders today is this: Who are you setting up to do far more than you? Are you living for yourself or are you considering that as much as God can bring blessings to your season on this Earth, ultimately, there's a long term goal in mind with God. Your season might set up your sons/daughters for greater seasons. You are not the end of the road. Before you got here, someone helped set you up. Now it's time to pass it onward and pay it forward. 

Paul modeled this well. He wasn't just investing in Timothy. He was asking Timothy to invest in future ministers to carry the torch. 

2 Timothy 2:2 (ESV) and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

At the end of the day, the Church is built generationally, not in one age. God is patiently working out His purpose for the culmination to come. We have our part and we play it. We also take joy in knowing we are connected all the way back to Moses... and we should be thankful he passed it on for us.