JUST THREE DIFFERENCES?

 Mel Futrell

          Recently, while going through some old files, I came across a number of photo copied pages from “Mademoiselle” magazine which ceased publication in 2001. This was not a publication that I personally subscribed to. However, the material did contain an interesting letter to the editor from a Christian woman in Houston, TX. The short letter is apparently taking exception to a statement made in a previous issue of the magazine labeling the church of Christ as a religious cult. Below, I reprinted the letter and the attached magazine editor’s note:

“I have belonged to the Church of Christ all my life and am furious that you referred to it as a cult. Half of my family grew up in the Church of Christ, the other half Baptist, and I’ve attended services for both. As I see it, there are just three differences: Instead of musical instruments, Church of Christ has a capella singing; instead of once a month, Church of Christ has communion every Sunday; and instead of a rigid doctrine, Church of Christ interprets the Bible as its members, ministers and elders feel God intended.”  —Michelle, Houston, TX

Editor’s note: According to both the American Family Foundation and the Maynard Bernstein Resource Center on Cults, there is a legitimate religion called the Church of Christ as well as a widely recognized cult whose name is the International Churches of Christ.

There are so many things that could be said about our Houston sister’s letter to the editor. But because of time and space we will restrict ourselves to just a couple of general thoughts.

First, it is truly sad that the Lord’s people, the church of Christ, have been confused over and over again with what is nothing more than a religious denomination and cult. Of course I’m referring to the International Churches of Christ which, at least in part, sprang out of the Boston Church of Christ. But it is commendable that our sister in Houston was “furious” over the matter and sought to correct the mislabeling. It is certain the work of Christ’s one body, the church (Eph. 4:4; Col. 1:18), in numerous places around the globe has been adversely affected by this cultic group with its unscriptural organization, false teaching on a host of matters, and deceptive “evangelistic” methods. Over 25 years ago while preaching in Columbia, South Carolina one of the first questions I and others would be asked when door-knocking was, “Are you a part of that Church of Christ cult that’s been operating on the college campus?” So before I could get the proverbial foot in the door I had to explain in some detail the difference between the two groups. This we were happy to do but naturally would have preferred to have it otherwise. But it was what it was.

Second, is it really the case that “there are just three differences” between the church of Christ and the Baptist Church? As I see it, our dear sister from Houston has not only oversimplified things, she has perhaps expressed some naiveness about the many real differences between the one true church of the New Testament and a human church; and this is sadly way too common. We do indeed differ on the issue of music in worship. The congregational verbal vocal music utilized by the church of Christ is authorized by the New Testament (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). Yet one will look in vain for New Testament authority for instrumental music as acceptable worship to God by the church. Also, and correctly so, the church of Christ eats the supper of our Lord every first day of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1-2). Any other schedule for observing it that is more or less frequent or on another day is lacking Biblical authority. Now our sisters comments about “doctrine” are not as clearly articulated. Yet we know and recognize that the Lord’s church follows only the apostles doctrine (Acts 2:42), which is the doctrine of Christ (2 John 9-10), and that we must speak only as the oracles of God (I Pet. 4:11). While the Baptist church and all other human churches to one degree or another follow human creeds and traditions (Matt. 15:7-9; 13).

And what about the fact that the Baptist Church believes in and teaches salvation at the point of faith [faith only salvation]? Whereas the New Testament teaches, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mk. 16:16). That seems like a pretty big difference to me! And more importantly, what about the fact that the Baptist Church has no right to exist—period! The church of Christ was established by Jesus Christ almost 2000 years ago. But the first Baptist Church was founded by John Smyth in Amsterdam, Holland in 1608/09. That’s over fifteen centuries too late to be the genuine article.

No, there are a lot more than three differences between the church of Christ and the humanly devised Baptist Church. And as kindly as possible I say, any Christian that doesn’t recognize these distinctive differences hasn’t been taught properly or grown adequately. Christianity is a taught religion (John 6:45) that demands growth (Heb. 5:12-14; 2 Pet. 1:5-12). But the crucial question for now is, “Have we raised a generation of Christians who believe the church of Christ is just another human denomination?” Let us pray this is not the case, but if it is let’s work to correct this problem.

—Shades Mountain Messenger.

May 5, 2024, Vol. 25, Issue 9.

THE MOUNTAINS OF EBAL AND GERIZIM III

BEN F. VICK, JR.

This article is a continuation of the lesson on Mount Gerizim. We noticed other events that took place on this mount: the reading of the blessings and Jotham’s telling of his fable after his half-brother, Abimelech, had all his brothers slain so he could reign. In the New Testament, there is a reference to Mount Gerizim, though it is not called by name. 

Jesus and his disciples were passing through Samaria, and because Jesus was tired, he sat down by a well as his disciples went to the village to buy food. While Jesus was sitting there, a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and a discussion ensued. During the conversation, the woman said unto him, “Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” (John 4:19–20.)

“This mountain” was a reference to Mount Gerizim. To the Samaritans, Mount Gerizim was the site of the Samaritan temple, the place to worship God. Josephus, the first-century Jewish historian, reported that this temple was built in the fourth century B.C. During the Hasmonean period, John Hyrcanus reportedly destroyed the Samaritan temple at Mount Gerizim, but Herod the Great later rebuilt it. 

Jesus responded, “Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in Truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:21–24.)

Jerusalem had been the authorized place for the Jews to worship. The temple was there. All males were to go three times a year to observe the three feasts at Jerusalem. These feasts were Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. However, the time would come, as Jesus said, that neither in this mount (Gerizim) nor at Jerusalem would men worship the Father.  Jesus said, “Ye worship ye know not what: we [Jews] know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.” In other words, salvation would come from the Jews because Jesus was a Jew. He would bring salvation (Matt. 1:21; 11:28-30).  

It is of note that Jesus said the Father seeks true worshipers. Have you ever thought about the fact that there is something that the God of heaven seeks from us? He seeks true worshipers. If there can be true worship, the implication is that there is false worship. Mount Gerizim was not the place of true worship. It was the unauthorized place where the Samaritans worshiped before and during Jesus’ sojourn here. Some worship in vain because they honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from him (Matt. 15:9). Many worship in ignorance (Acts 17:22-23). When one obeys the gospel, Paul says that one is not subject to the commandments and doctrines of men, which are to perish. They certainly have the appearance of wisdom in “will worship,” which can mean “self-chosen worship” or “would be worship.” (Rienecker and Rogers, Linguistic Key To The Greek New Testament, p.577.) We are not to worship the devil (Matt. 4:9,10). We are not to worship men (Rev.19:10). We are not to worship angels (Rev. 22:8-9).

When the devil called upon Jesus to worship him, Jesus quoted Scripture (Deut.6:13). Matthew records, “Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” (Matt 4:10.) The Greek word here for worship (προσκυνέω) means “to express in attitude or gesture one’s complete dependence on or submission to a high authority figure, (fall down and) worship, do obeisance to, welcome respectfully” (BDAG). The marginal note in the American Standard Version of 1901 on Matthew 2:2 reads:  “The Greek word [προσκυνέω] denotes an act of reverence whether paid to a creature (see ch. 4.9;18.26), or to the Creator (see ch. 4:10.) This very word indicates that not all one does in life is worship. Worship is more than a mental activity. It involves more than the mind.

Jesus said to the woman at the well, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24.)  Observe three essential elements of God-approved worship:  (1) The object:  God; (2) The right mindset or attitude:  in spirit; (3) The right way: in Truth.

We are to worship the right object, God. Jesus Christ, while on earth, allowed men to worship him. John saw the four beasts and the twenty-four elders gathered around the throne, worshiping the Lamb (Rev. 5:5-14). Our worship is to be directed to the Sacred Three: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

We are to worship with the right mindset or attitude. We must clear our minds from all the distractions of the world. To have the right mindset or attitude, we must prepare for worship. If you were to appear before some earthly king or some dignitary, would you not make preparation? Staying up late on Saturday night will not help one be mentally or physically refreshed to worship on the Lord’s Day. Some must work the graveyard shift, and it is understandable why they would be sleepy or someone who could not sleep and had “a rough night in Jericho” would be tired. Brother Max Jones often worked the late shift at AT&T, and though up all night at work, he came for services on the Lord’s Day. Indeed, one cannot fly with the owls at night and run with the greyhounds during the day. Sister Blanch Clark, even in her 80s and 90s, was faithful to the services of the church. She made it a point not to participate in get-togethers, even with her family, on Saturday night so she would be prepared for worship on the Lord’s Day. Parents need to get their children in bed at a decent hour on Saturday night so they will be alert on Sunday.

To be God-approved, we must worship in the right way: In Truth. John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:17.) The five acts of worship on the Lord’s day are authorized by the Lord (Col 3:17). What is not divinely authorized is to be dispensed, discarded, or set aside. Some do not like the expression “acts of worship.” Singing, praying, giving, observing the Lord’s supper, and preaching are acts. I am open to a better expression if one has a better way to express them. However, these are acts, and they are all worship. Therefore, they are acts of worship.

Mount Gerizim has excellent lessons for us. 

THE MOUNTAINS OF EBAL AND GERIZIM II

BEN F. VICK, JR.

          This article continues last week's, but our interest in this number is Mount Gerizim, the mount of blessing.  

 After the death of Gideon, the men of Shechem agreed to make Abimelech, the son of Gideon, their ruler since he was their brother. They gave him 70 pieces of silver, which he used to hire worthless fellows to slay all seventy of his half-brothers. However, Jotham, one of his half-brothers, escaped the mass execution. Jotham went to the top of Gerizim and told a fable for all the men of Shechem to hear (Judges 9: 7-21).

D. R. Dungan said, "…a fable is an illustration made by attributing human qualities to animate and inanimate beings. The truth or moral to be enforced may be of a very high order, but the actors are selected from those beings which are incompetent to do such things. Like a parable it is put into a form of a story; but unlike the parable, its actors are unreal which the parable is made from the actual occurrences of life, and no one is made to act a fictitious part." Further, Dungan wrote, "The fable is better suited to indicate some blunder made by men, and to serve the purpose of amusing criticism, than to illustrate any high moral truth. Hence, it is little used in the Scriptures" (Hermeneutics, pp. 244-245).

And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem. And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon. Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands; (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian: And ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;) If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you: But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech. And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother  (Judges 9:6–21).

McGarvey visited Mount Gerizim and other sites in the Bible lands in 1879. He was fifty years old. Concerning Mount Gerizim, he wrote:  

Next to Jacob's well and Joseph's Tomb, the object of greatest historical interest about Shechem is the summit of Mount Gerizim. It is ascended on horseback by a very steep and toilsome ride, starting from the camping-place just west of the city….As we climbed the steep, with our faces nearly due east, we see just over the town, on the brow of the mountain, a projecting ledge entitled Jotham's Rock. We at once accept it; from its perfect fitness, as the spot on which Jotham stood when, by his forcible and original fable, he rebuked the She'chemites in the valley below, for their cruelty and ingratitude toward his father Gideon. He must have stood on a spot where he could be heard and seen from the valley below, and yet be out of reach of an arrow-shot; and at the same time, he must have had a safe way of retreat when his speech was ended. The rock in question meets all of these conditions; for it stood high above the people, yet near to them, and the steep face of the mountain prevented a rapid pursuit of Jotham, while his retreat was unobstructed. (Lands of the Bible, pp. 289-290.)

After Abimelech ruled for three years, Jotham's curse on Shechem and Abimelech came to pass. Abimelech slew the people of Shechem, and a woman of Thebez from a tower threw a millstone upon his head, and according to his request, his armorbearer slew him with his sword.

There are at least six lessons from this fable: (1) The men of Shechem were ungrateful for what Gideon had done; (2) To be a leader involves a man in a great deal of toil and care; (3) To be invested with power for the public good means to lose one's privileges; (4) Men are sometimes blind to their interests in the choice of their guides; (5) Those capable of leading sometimes fail to use their talents; (6) Those least competent and worthy are most ready to assume responsibilities and take command. The weak, worthless, and wicked will ever be foremost to thrust themselves into power.

                      GOD GIVE US MEN

God give us men. The time demands strong minds,

Great hearts, true faith, and willing hands;

Men whom the lust of office does not kill;

Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy;

Men who possess opinions and a will;

Men who have honor; men who will not lie;

Men who can stand before a demagogue

And condemn his treacherous flatteries without winking.

Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog

In public duty and in private thinking;

For while the rabble with their thumb-worn creeds,

Their large professions and their little deeds

Mingle in selfish strife; lo, Freedom weeps!

Wrong rules the land, and waiting Justice sleeps.

                                                  --Babcock

THE MOUNTAINS OF EBAL AND GERIZIM

BEN F. VICK, JR.

“Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known. And it shall come to pass, when the Lord thy God hath brought thee in unto the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal. Are they not on the other side Jordan, by the way where the sun goeth down, in the land of the Canaanites, which dwell in the champaign over against Gilgal, beside the plains of Moreh? For ye shall pass over Jordan to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God giveth you, and ye shall possess it, and dwell therein. And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments which I set before you this day” (Deut.11:26-32).

In the central part of the land of Canaan proper are twin mountains, Mount Ebal to the north and Mount Gerizim to the south. The former is 3,075 feet above sea level, rising 1,402 feet above the valley floor, and the latter 2,850 above sea level. Their peaks are about 1.5 miles apart, but their bases are only 500 yards apart. The area forms a natural amphitheater.

  Moses gave instructions concerning these mounts before his death. When Israel crossed the Jordan River, they were to build an altar of whole stones upon Mount Ebal. They were to offer burnt and peace offerings there and eat there. They were to write all the words of the law very plainly upon the stones. Israel was to read the blessings upon Mount Gerizim and the curses upon Mount Ebal. Instructions were given as to where each tribe was to stand. “And Moses charged the people the same day, saying, These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are come over Jordan; Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin: And these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse; Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali” (Deut. 27:11-13). The Levites were commanded to “speak and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice” these curses and blessings of the law. Joshua did these things when Israel came into the land (Josh. 8: 30-35).

J. W. McGarvey wrote:

Our route took us back through the valley, and we resolved that while passing between the two mountains of Ebal and Gerizim, in the still morning air, we would try the experiment of reading the blessings and curses. It will be remembered by the reader that, in compliance with directions given before the death of Moses, Joshua assembled all the people on these two mountains, stationing six tribes on one, and six opposite to them on the other, and he stood between and read to them all the blessings and curses of the law. It has been urged by some skeptics that it was impossible for Joshua to read so as to be heard by six hundred thousand persons. It is a sufficient answer to this to show that while Joshua read, the Levites were directed to repeat the words ‘with a loud voice,’ and that it was an easy matter to station them at such points that their repetitions, like those of officers along the line of a marching army, would carry the words to the utmost limits of the multitude. But it is interesting to know that the spot chosen by God for this reading is a vast natural amphitheatre, in which the human voice can be heard to a surprising distance. About halfway between Shechem and the mouth of the valley in which it stands there is a deep, semicircular recess in the face of Mount Ebal, and a corresponding one precisely opposite to it in Mount Gerizim. No man with his eyes open can ride along the valley without being struck with this singular formation. As soon as I saw it I recognized it as the place of Joshua’s reading. It has been asserted repeatedly by travelers that, although two men stationed on the opposite slopes of these two mountains are a mile apart, they can read so as to the be heard by each other. We preferred to try the experiment in stricter accordance with Joshua’s example; so I took a position, Bible in hand, in the middle of the valley, while Brother Taylor and Frank, to represent six tribes, climbed halfway up the slope of Mount Gerizim; and Brother Earl, to represent the other six tribes, took a similar position on Mount Ebal. I read, and they were able to pronounce the amen after each curse or blessing. Brother Taylor heard me distinctly, and I could hear his response. But Brother Earl, though he could hear my voice, could not distinguish the words. This was owing to the fact that some terrace-walls on the side of the mountain prevented him from ascending high enough, and the trees between me and him interrupted the passage of the sound. The experiment makes it perfectly obvious that Joshua had a strong voice, - which I have not, - he could have been heard by his audience without the assistance of the Levites. As to the space included in the two amphitheatres, I think is ample to accommodate the six hundred thousand men, though of this I cannot be certain. If more space was required, the aid of the Levites was indispensable. (Lands of the Bible, 1881, pp. 507-508.)

The promise made to Abraham and repeated to his descendants that they would inherit the land was fulfilled (Josh. 21:43-45). When Israel entered the land, Moses’ instructions about what would occur on mounts Ebal and Gerizim were also fulfilled (Josh. 8:30-35).

The fact that God chose the perfect place for the reading of the law reminds us of the importance of hearing God’s word. We are told, “There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them” (Josh. 8:35). Even today, the little ones, children need to be listening to God’s word. Parents do their children an enormous disservice when they allow them to play games on their devices or read secular books during worship services. How long do you suppose it took Joshua to read “all that Moses commanded”? The wise man said, “Train up a child in the way he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). Teach your children to listen by setting the example yourself.

The reading of the curses and the blessings is also a reminder that we are free-will agents. We can choose to obey or disobey. Consequences follow with the choices we make.

--To be continued.

MOUNT NEBO

BEN F. VICK, JR.

“And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea, And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar. And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of t he Lord. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth-peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended” (Deut. 34:1-8).

Mount Nebo is located east of the northern end of the Dead Sea. It is about 18 miles south of modern-day Amman, the center and seat of the government of Jordan. It is 2,670 feet above sea level. From this height, Moses viewed the land. Keller says, “After a short climb over bare rocks, we reached a broad barren plateau.” (The Bible As History, p. 154, 2015.) From here, Moses viewed the promised land.

Before climbing to the top of Nebo to Pisgah’s height, Moses delivered four addresses found in the book of Deuteronomy: 

Moses’ First Address (1:1-4:43)

Moses’ Second Address (4:44-26:19)

Moses’ Third Address (27-30)

Moses’ Fourth Address (31:34) 

Deuteronomy 34:10-12 gives Inspiration’s assessment of Moses, which reads:  “And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, In all the signs and the wonders, which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel.”

  The Lord had said unto Moses, “Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel. And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered. For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin” (Num. 27:12-14). Deuteronomy 34:1 pinpoints the precise location of where Moses ascended: from “the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is over against Jericho.” 

With his eye undimmed and physical force unabated at 120 years young, Moses went up to Pisgah’s height. We are not told what Moses thought or if he said anything as he climbed. He was alone. His life may have flashed before him each step of the way. Perhaps he thought of the years in Egypt as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter and the suffering of God’s people, Israel. In the next chapter of his life in the wilderness of Midian, he was tending his father-in-law’s sheep and then the call from the burning bush. As he opened the final chapter of his life, the plagues in Egypt and deliverance from bondage, the receiving and deliverance of the law, the wilderness wandering, and the defeat of the Moabites and Amorites in the Eastern Tableland. Dwight Moody said that Moses spent the first forty years thinking he was somebody; he spent the second forty years learning he was nobody; he spent the third forty years discovering what God could do with a nobody.

In the fall of 1972, brother Neale Pryor delivered a lesson at the College Church of Christ in Searcy, Arkansas, entitled “Moses’ Disappointment.” No doubt Moses was disappointed in not being able to enter that land described as “flowing with milk and honey.”  The frustration of dealing with a constantly carping, criticizing people caused Moses to fail to sanctify God in the eyes of the people at Meribah, and he struck the rock twice instead of speaking to it (Num. 20). Because of this, neither Moses nor Aaron was allowed to enter the land of promise. Yet Moses, in the plains of Moab, pleaded with God to allow him to enter. But the Lord would not hear him and said, “Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter. Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan” (Deut. 3:26-27). We do not always get what we want. We do not always attain the goals for which we strive.

Though Moses sinned at Meribah, the apostle Paul said he was faithful in all his house (Heb. 3:5). There was a consequence for his disobedience. But evidently, Moses repented of having failed to sanctify God in their sight. Sin has consequences even though one can be forgiven of sin (Gal. 6:7-8; Acts 2:22-41; 1 John 1:7-10). Our goal should be faithfulness on the journey to the land of heavenly rest.

Prayers are not always answered as we wish. God knows best. Moses prayed to enter the promised land but was not allowed to do so. Paul and company desired to go into Bithynia to preach the gospel (a worthy goal), but the Holy Spirit forbade them. God had a bigger plan for Paul than he had for himself. Paul wanted to preach in a region, but God wanted him to preach on another continent – the European continent. Paul prayed that his thorn in the flesh would be removed, but it was not (2 Cor. 12:7-9). Jesus prayed that the cup of suffering might pass from him; however, it was necessary that he drink the cup of suffering for the salvation of humanity. He endured.

Moses was a type of Christ (Deut. 18:18-19; Acts 3:22-23). Moses spoke of Christ. Jesus told the Jews, “For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” (John 5:46-47.) Moses was not allowed to enter the promised land in his lifetime; however, we read of his appearance with Elijah and Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-5). John records that those who obtained a victory over the beast, over his image, over his mark, and over the number of his name have the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb (Rev. 15:2-3).

Paul exhorted, “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it” (Heb. 4:1).