The View from Mt Nebo

Moses, like most of the heroes of the Bible, was subject to substantial mistakes. The people he was leading into the wilderness had been complaining. They were afraid that God could not meet their needs, even though God had been with them all through the wilderness journey. At a place called Kadesh, there was a rock. Moses was supposed to speak to the rock and water would flow for the people. Instead, Moses took his staff and struck the rock (Num 20:8ff). He was irritated. He was reacting out of frustration. “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”

It was this moment that kept Moses out of the Promised Land! He was to climb the mountain and God would show him the whole land. From the top of the mountain he could see from Dan to the Negev. He could see all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. He could see it, but he could not cross over into it.

What do you think of that? Does that seem fair to you? Kay Bessler Northcutt comments, “What if fairness is not the ultimate issue to be wrestled with on Nebo? What if the view from Mount Nebo is ultimately found in the quest for the unattainable? And what of the definition of a great life is one that consciously lives (and dies) with the attainable for which one has worked one’s entire life just beyond one’s grasp? Surely this is the good news of Mount Nebo.”

God is gracious. In every story, we see a lesson. Perhaps the lesson here is: One life-time is not enough. Moses had a long and eventful life. If we could do so much in cooperation with God, would that not be enough? Yes, we want to finish. However, I think there is a reason for life after life. Accomplishing what God has in mind with a life, or within a community, is more than one life can attain.

So what? As I look for a cure for dissatisfaction, I find this to be a peaceful truth. The goals remain and are fiercely sought. However, our dreams are not what really matter. We work hard, making ourselves available to the Divine Design. One day, on the other side of what we can see in our lives, or in our community, there will be more. The ‘more’ will be better than our ambitions, dreams, or imagination. Reinhold Niebuhr said, “Anything worth doing cannot be accomplished in one lifetime.”

Maybe we will have the gift of standing on Nebo, looking into the future, seeing the fruit of our labor with God. If we can catch a glimpse, that will be enough.