There are times in our lives when we need the gentle nudge of a friend to get us to participate in something beneficial to us. That was the case for me and my first trip to the Holy Land, except I didn’t require a nudge; I required a push.
About 10 years ago, Washington Conference sponsored a spiritual enrichment series of Holy Land trips for pastors. My ministerial director was relentlessly encouraging me to go, and I was resisting him.
Finally, he told me that this was the last trip and if I didn’t go, I’d lose the opportunity. He strongly emphasized how important it was for me to go. I signed up. It was fall 2019.
Then came the pandemic, which postponed our trip for a year. Then another year. Finally, in 2022, I found myself on a plane with a group of colleagues traveling to Jordan and Israel.
Prior to going on the Holy Land trip, the only site I had more than a superficial interest in visiting was Mount Nebo, the place where Moses died. I was intrigued to see Mount Nebo because one of my seminary professors mentioned that before Moses died, God showed him in vision far more than can be seen from the mountaintop — see Deut. 34:1–5.
From the top of Mount Nebo, you can see the Jordan River Valley and the Jordan River itself, where it flows into the Dead Sea. You can see the northern half of the Dead Sea and the Judean hills that line the western side of the valley. You can see Jericho and Qumran — where the Dead Sea Scrolls were composed and preserved for nearly 2000 years. And on a clear day, you can see Jerusalem in the distance.
Deut. 34:2 mentions several regions that cannot be seen from Mount Nebo. For instance, it says that God showed Moses the land Naphtali, north and west of Mount Nebo; Ephraim, west beyond the hills opposite Mount Nebo; Manasseh, north of Mount Nebo; and Judah, west of Mount Nebo, as far as the western sea, which is understood to be the Mediterranean Sea. Moses saw the Promised Land, even though he could not experience it.
Moses labored 40 years as the leader of the Israelites. He was provoked many times by the people. During one such trial, he disobeyed the command of God and was disqualified from entering the Promised Land.
Moses was allowed to lead the Israelites to the border of the Promised Land, but he was not allowed to enter. God did, however, give Moses a glimpse of the place that he had labored so long to enter. Ellen G. White adds in Patriarchs and Prophets pages 472–477 that Moses was allowed to peek into the ages to come and see the Israelites in possession of the land, the Savior himself and finally the earth restored.
And then Moses died.
We know that God resurrected Moses and took him to heaven (Matt. 17:1–8). Moses entered the true Promised Land, which surpasses the earthly Promised Land in every way.
After a very long flight and a short night’s sleep, I found myself standing on Mount Nebo looking out over the Jordan River Valley. As I considered what I was able to see, what I could not see that God had shown Moses and the reward Moses received after his death, I began to cry. I realized in that moment that this was not just a trip; this was a pilgrimage.
I was standing very near the place where God had given Moses that incredible vision. The whole story seemed so much more real and much more powerful. God was calling me into a deeper comprehension of His heart. God was whispering to my heart how He longs to be reunited with us.
I clearly saw in that moment that God does not simply desire to give us an earthly inheritance, but to bring us home. My vision had been too short-sighted. I needed to look beyond the horizon to what is not seen. I needed God to enhance my vision to see how His heart yearns for us, just as a father should care for his children. I needed to set my hopes beyond the things of this earth and onto God himself.
Friend, how’s your vision? Are you stuck on the immediate things you see? As you consider the story of Moses’ final moments and how God honored and rewarded his life of faithful service, what is God telling you about Himself? What is His invitation to greater vision? What is your response?
