Today, Buddy is at the pet groomer getting his much needed maintenance and when we came home, it seemed strange to come into the house without his enthusiastic greeting. So, I guess I had him on my mind when I came to this picture. One day last week I took Buddy for his usual dogie walk around the retention pond and snapped this picture of our old house. We bought it about the time of 911 and later sold it to our daughter and her husband. It is only about a mile and a half away, but it seems much farther away now. As I stood there in the noontime heat, I wondered what our lives would have been like if we had not sold it. And this reminded me of Moses on Mount Nebo and couldn't help but wonder what his thoughts might have been as he looked upon the promised land...
Deuteronomy, Chapter 32
48 Yahweh spoke to Moses that same day, saying, 49 “Go up into this mountain of Abarim, to Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is across from Jericho; and see the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel for a possession. 50 Die on the mountain where you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor, and was gathered to his people; 51 because you trespassed against me in the midst of the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah of Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because you didn’t uphold my holiness in the midst of the children of Israel. 52 For you shall see the land from a distance; but you shall not go there into the land which I give the children of Israel.”
Moses was told to speak to the rock in order to bring forth water. Instead, he struck the rock with his staff. His disobedience had a penalty and it must have pained him greatly to realize that all those years of wandering in the desert would NOT RESULT IN HIS ACTUALLY GOING INTO THE PROMISED LAND. Still, Moses was close to God, so he must have understood that he was soon to be with God in heaven and so his sorrow must have been accompanied by joy as well. This is a little like what I felt as viewed "our house" across that field, because although I think it would have been nice to live there- living here is great!!! The bottom line is found in this Scripture...
Romans, Chapter 8
28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.