Deuteronomy 34:1-12: Over His Dead Body and In Spite of Themselves

Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea, the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.”

And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over.

Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.

Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did all those signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel. - Deuteronomy 34:1-12

I think that our lives are marked by goals never obtained, probably due to some limitation of our character or situation. Who knows? Maybe if I had been more aware of God's thoughts, I might have moved to the Philippines or become a pastor. Instead, I can only look upon those things in the same way that Moses looked at the promised land--with unrequited longing. All he could console himself with was that Israel would make it there, over his dead body and in spite of themselves. 

But on the other hand, he did make it. He died and was buried by God's own hand and made it across to the other side of eternity where his ancestors and his God waited for him. He was then a part of the great cloud of witnesses who see God fulfill his promises through Joshua. No one found his body so they couldn't build a monument to him and that's ok.

We will eventually fail, our bodies give out, our hearts despair, our characters break-but God will not and we can witness his success not ours. Isn't that the point? To let people forget us and see Jesus?