Beginning of the End

Moses’ Last Blessing

For the last time Moses stood in the assembly of his people. Again the Spirit of God rested on him, and in grand and touching language he pronounced a blessing on each of the tribes, closing with a special blessing on them all: BOE 234.1

The eternal God is your refuge,
And underneath are the everlasting arms. ...
Then Israel shall dwell in safety,
The fountain of Jacob alone,
In a land of grain and new wine;
His heavens shall also drop dew.
Happy are you, O Israel!
Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord,
The shield of your help. Deuteronomy 33:27-29 BOE 234.2

Moses turned from the congregation, and in silence and alone made his way up “Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah.” He stood on that lonely mountain and gazed with clear eyes on the scene spread out before him. BOE 234.3

Far away to the west lay the blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea. In the north Mount Hermon stood out against the sky. To the east was the high plain of Moab. And beyond lay Bashan, the scene of Israel’s triumph. To the south stretched the desert, where they had wandered so long. BOE 234.4

Alone, Moses reviewed his life of hardships since he turned from courtly honors and from a prospective kingdom in Egypt to decide that his future would be with God’s chosen people. He called to mind those long years in the desert with Jethro’s flocks, the Angel’s appearance at the burning bush, and his call to deliver Israel. Again he could see the mighty miracles of God’s power displayed on behalf of the chosen people, and His long-suffering mercy during the years of their wandering and rebellion. Of all the adults in the vast army that left Egypt, only two had been found so faithful that they could enter the Promised Land. His life of trial and sacrifice seemed to have been almost to no purpose. BOE 234.5

Yet he knew that God had given him his mission and work. When he was first called to lead Israel from slavery, he pulled back from the responsibility, but he had not refused the burden. Even when the Lord had proposed to release him and destroy rebellious Israel, Moses could not accept. He had received special evidences of God’s favor, he had obtained a rich experience in the fellowship of God’s love during the stay in the wilderness. He felt he had made a wise decision in choosing to bear suffering with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a little while. BOE 234.6

As he looked back on his experience, one wrong act spoiled the record. If that transgression could be blotted out, he felt that he would be ready to die. He was assured that repentance and faith in the promised Sacrifice were all that God required, and again Moses confessed his sin and asked earnestly for pardon in the name of Jesus. BOE 234.7

Now a panoramic view of the Land of Promise was shown to him, not faint and uncertain in the dim distance but standing clear, distinct, and beautiful to his delighted vision. In this scene he saw it not as it then appeared but as it would become with God’s blessing. There were mountains covered with cedar trees, hills gray with olives and fragrant with the scent of the vine, wide green plains bright with flowers and rich in fruitfulness, palm trees, waving fields of wheat and barley, sunny valleys musical with the ripple of brooks and the song of birds, beautiful cities and lovely gardens, lakes rich in “the abundance of the seas,” grazing flocks on the hillsides, and even amid the rocks the wild bees’ hoarded treasures. It was truly such a land as Moses, inspired by the Spirit of God, had described to Israel. BOE 235.1