There is spiritual encouragement to be found in the obituary columns of Christian magazines. We read of long years of faithfulness to the Lord, of works carried out and accomplished in His name. The question arises: What will my life be worth when it is reviewed at its close?
The obituary of Moses (Deut. 34:1-12) provides a model of how a Christian’s obituary should read. But the words cannot be written if the deeds are not done!
Moses enjoyed the supreme blessing that is open to a human being in this life. He not only saw the pur-poses of God unfolding, but he also played a practical role in those purposes. As Moses looked over the land of Canaan from the top of Mount Nebo (v. 1), he realized that God was about to fulfill His promise to Abraham by giving this land to his descendants, the nation of Israel. Moses also had the supreme satisfaction of knowing that he had been a divine instrument in bringing the nation to the borders of that land. This blessing is open to every Christian. We are in the happy position of seeing God’s purposes being fulfilled. Is ours the present joy of knowing that we are being actively used by God in this world by helping to spread the good news of eternal salvation?
But Moses was not perfect: “Thou shalt not go over thither” (v. 4). Because of his sin in the wilderness of Zin, Moses was disqualified from entering the land (Num. 20:1-13). He could have been used by God to lead Israel into the land. But Moses’ usefulness to God, great as it was, was curtailed by sin. We must ever watch that sin does not limit our usefulness in God’s hands. Remember, it was not at the weakest point of his character that Moses failed, but at the strongest point. It was Moses who “was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth” (Num. 12:3), who lost his temper in the wilderness of Zin. Extreme provocation was no excuse!
“Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated” (v. 7). Moses visibly enjoyed the blessings of God which he dispensed to others, for he had blessed the tribe of Asher thus, “As thy days, so shall thy strength be” (Deut. 33:25). In the New Testament, the Christian is not promised good physical health into old age, but the Scriptures do promise another kind of good health all the days of our lives. John wrote to Gaius, “That thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3 John 2). It is the gospel which brings the glow of spiritual good health to the soul, including the joy of salvation (1 Pet. 1:8-9), the peace of God (Phil. 4:7) and the hope of eternal life (1 John 5:11-12). As we Christians proclaim the gospel to a joyless, troubled and hopeless world, do we exhibit the blessings of which we speak? As the Asherites looked at Moses, so vigorous in his old age, the blessing he announced was credible. Does the world see in us, as Christians, the joy and the peace and the hope which are contained in the good news we proclaim? Or is there a credibility gap?
“The children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days” (v. 8). Moses’ loss was keenly felt. It was obvious to all that here was a man whose words and deeds had had a great practical effect for good on the lives of his fellow Israelites. They had not just lost Moses, they had also lost his indispensable good works. Do we with helpful words and acts of service have an impact for good upon the lives of our fellow Christians? Would our loss to our assembly be keenly felt? Would they weep?
The quality of Moses’ leadership is shown in his provision of the next leader for Israel after his own decease, in the person of Joshua (v. 9). This reveals Moses’ deep concern for the welfare of Israel, even when he was no longer with them. It is also the measure of his true greatness. For Moses did not want to be the “great” leader of Israel out of lust for power, but because of his zeal for the honor of God and the welfare of His people. Why do we undertake Christian service, whether in a leadership capacity or not? Is it to pander to our ego (the lust for power is the most subtle lust of the flesh) or is it out of genuine love for the Lord and his people?
Moses also rendered to God the service of a prophet (v. 10). His duty as a prophet was to pass on to the people of Israel the truth about God, for Moses knew God “face to face.” But every believer has known God “face to face” with a much dearer vision than Moses ever knew. “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). In Christ we have come “face to face” with the glory of God’s grace. Are we serving God as His prophets by proclaiming the gospel of God’s grace to a lost world?
Moses had the finest education from the universities of Egypt (Acts 7:22); he also commanded great authority granted to him by God. But wonderful as these things were, Moses knew they were no substitute for hard work. “All the signs and the wonders which the Lord sent him to do…all the great and terrible deeds which Moses wrought” (vv. 11-12, RSV). Moses used the power God gave him to the utmost limit; he used it in the performance of deeds. What do we do? We can engage our minds with noble thoughts and schemes. But what do we do? God has given powers to us, intelligence, time, health, energy, wealth, and education. Are we using these powers to the full in pursuing the purposes of God? Moses was above all a man of action; his most lasting memory was what he did.
Perhaps our own obituary will never be published in a Christian magazine. But an account of our lives will be rendered in much greater detail at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10; 1 Cor. 3:15; Rom. 14:10-12).
How will the account read?