June 21, 2025

Deuteronomy 31, part 11

Most of us don’t know when we will die. I’m not sure I’d even want to know if I could. But let me tell you about a man who did know. If you’re under forty years of age, probably even under fifty, you don’t think much about dying. Why would you? Someone probably told you when you got married that you needed a will and some life insurance, but after handling the necessary paperwork, you quickly got back into the rhythm of school, work and family, and the thought of death was long gone.

But there stands Moses, fit as a fiddle, according to Deut. 34:7, announcing to his people that he would soon die. He’d never step one foot into Canaan. He would die on the threshold of triumph. I know for sure that Moses wasn’t eager to die because he actually begged the Lord on at least one occasion, “I pray, let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan” (Deut. 3:25).

I suppose we’ve all prayed like that a time or two or a hundred. “Lord, please let me … please give me … please heal me … please promise me,” and though we don’t always understand why God won’t let us, give us, heal us or promise us, Moses knew exactly why he’d never taste even one cluster of grapes from the vineyards atop Mount Carmel or sip one drop of cold water from the Gihon Spring in Jerusalem. He had disobeyed, and not just inconsequentially. He had been arrogant about it, so when he pleaded with the Lord to let him go in to see the land, the Lord was angry with him for asking and responded abruptly, “Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter” (Deut. 3:26).

Moses was perhaps discouraged at not being able to enter the land, but he would still finish strong. As instructed he would climb the mountain of Nebo obediently—to his death. Deut. 34:1 reads, “Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo [and] died there.” Moses didn’t go kicking and screaming. God didn’t have to drag him to his tomb. No, he walked to his grave with a hopeful sadness, assured that God would take care of his people.

Live strong and finish strong—like Moses. There is a way to climb your mountain calmly and peacefully when it’s time, and it’s quite simple, so simple that I’m almost embarrassed to have to say it.

Our strength comes from knowing God’s Word. Read your Bible. Read it to be changed by it, not merely to know it. 2 Timothy 3:17 teaches that you will be a “complete” man or a “complete” woman if you will learn the Bible, love it and live it. That’s the secret to finishing strong. Read it when you’re young and you’ll read it when you’re old. Read it all your days, and when it’s time to pass the baton to those behind you and to prepare to finish your race, you’ll be able to rejoice in your past without regrets. You’ll face the end with joy.

–Daniel McCabe

Trivia

Which of the following churches is NOT located in Jerusalem?

A. The Church of the Dormition

B. The Church of St. Anne

C. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher

D. The Church of the Nativity

Book Review: The Christian Traveler’s Guide to the Holy Land

by Charles Dyer

You don’t have to be planning a trip to Israel to appreciate this book. In fact any time you run across a place name in your personal or group Bible study about which you would like to know more, you can look it up in Dyer’s guide to find a summary of the key biblical and historical events associated with it. I counted one hundred place names outlined in the book, which Dyer groups by country—Israel, Egypt, Greece, Jordan and Turkey—and these summaries alone are worth the price of the book.

Charles Dyer is one of today’s foremost experts on the land of Bible, having served as a Bible teacher and tour guide for decades. His book includes pictures, maps and charts as well as a hearty section on preparing for one’s trip to Israel with helpful information regarding weather, packing, jet lag and required travel documentation. It even includes detailed Bible study plans and prayer tips that will help you get the most out of your upcoming trip.

I’ve really enjoyed this book, and I also listen regularly to his separate podcast, “The Land and the Book,” found across all major podcasting platforms. Try both the book and the podcast. You won’t be disappointed.

Daniel McCabe

Scripture Study: The Hall of Faith, part 1

The audience of the book of Hebrews is believing Jews who were perhaps tempted to go back to life under the Old Covenant and who failed to fully embrace Jesus as their Messiah and King. As we read every chapter of Hebrews, I think this intent of its author shines very clearly throughout the book. When we get to Chapter 11, known as the Hall of Faith because the writer gives us snapshots of the faith of so many heroes from Scripture, it’s important to understand the context there as well. As throughout the entirety of the book the author encourages his readers to look forward to something, to look forward to what embracing Jesus as Messiah would do for them. In particular, his Jewish readers would get to experience life in the Kingdom and enjoy the New Covenant. As he says in 10:39, “But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.”

Chapter 11 starts out with a famous expression, beautiful words of encouragement for believers (v. 1), “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” The author is encouraging his readers to have faith in the Messiah. He wants to highlight all that would come for his readers if they did receive Jesus. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, and they were hoping for life in the Kingdom and to enjoy the New Covenant and all the promises that they’d known their whole lives that were given to them throughout Scripture. It’s for the assurance of those things that they were hoping, things not yet realized in their lives. They did not yet have the Kingdom nor the fulfillment of their New Covenant, so the author was encouraging them to look forward to those things.

Next he’s going to use the example of the heroes of Scripture to show what faith did for them and how they always looked forward. So when we read Chapter 11, we need to realize that the writer by extension would be encouraging us too to look forward by faith. He says as much in verse 2, “For by it [faith] the people of old received their commendation,” that is, God looked favorably upon them because of the faith that they exercised.

He continues, “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” Now, it may at first seem funny that he starts with the creation of the universe, but he’s going to walk chronologically through Scripture and talk about how people looked forward. This will make more sense as he begins mentioning specific people, which we’ll explore next time

Adam Keim

Answer to the Trivia

D. The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem–built on the traditional site of the birth of Jesus