Why didn't Moses enter the promised land?

Background to Moses

If you remember from yesterday… God’s plan is to rescue and bless his rebellious world through Abraham’s family.

Abraham - Isaac - Jacob - Jacob’s 12 sons who move to Egypt. God is conctinuing to be faithful to his promise despite people constantly messing up.

We get to Exodus, where Joseph and his brothers now live, and we meet the most evil power that has lived so far - Pharaoh. He didn’t like the Israelites… he was actually scared of them overpowering him (Ex 1v9-10) and so he made them his slaves and killed all the Israelite boys. We have a couple of hero midwives mentioned (Shiphrah and Puah) who feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.

In the middle of this hardship we meet Moses his name means ‘to draw out’ which was a key theme for his life. Moses who was a fine child (good… the same word God used in creation for saw it was very good) was born to a brave Levite woman and she hid him for 3 months… no idea how she did this! When she could hide him no longer she got a pyrus basket (the same word used in Gen 6v14 for ark) and he floated off down the Nile. He was found by Pharaoh’s daughter and then returned to his mum via Miriam and then he eventually grew up in the Egyptian palace.

Moses has 3 lots of 40 years - whenever we see 40 in the Bible, we know it stands for testing and trial. The first 40 years end with Moses killing an Egyptian and covering up his sin with sand and then when he is found out he ran away. Sin always asks us to cover it up and to run away but that solution might work on the outside but not on the inside. The Holy Spirit always asks us to confess our sin and run to the cross.

The second 40 years starts with Moses meeting God’s grace and provision - Midian and the Priest of Midian’s 7 daughters where Moses rescued the daughters. He married Zipporah and had 2 sons.

There are a few parallel stories going on at the same time -

The Story of God and his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and Jacob to rescue and bless his rebellious people through Abraham’s family.

The story of the Israelites who were groaning in their slavery and crying out to God in Egypt under a cruel Pharaoh who wanted to be ruler above God.

The story of Moses, an Israelite who was brought up as an Egyptian, a runaway murderer who God has a plan for.

All 3 of these stories are about to collide as God calls Moses from a burning bush and sends him back to lead God’s people out of slavery. Moses has 5 objections as to why he should go:

Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?

Suppose I go to the Israelites and say t othem, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you,” and they ask me, “What is his name?” Then what shall I tell them?

What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, “The LORD did not appear to you”?’

Pardon your servant, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.’

Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.’

On one of these the LORD said to Moses ‘What is in your hand?’ ‘A staff’ he replied.

Moses used his staff a lot to see God do some amazing things - each time he followed God’s instruction:

Ex 4: 2-4 turned his staff into a snake

Ex 9: 22-23 - used his staff to bring the 7th plague of hail

Ex 10: 12-13 used his rod to bring the 8th plague of locusts

Ex 14:16,21 - used his staff to part the Red Sea

Ex 17: 5-7 - used his staff to bring water from the rock in Horeb

Ex 17:8-15 used his staff to help the Isreaelites win the war against the Amalelites

Num 20:8-13 - Used his staff to bring water from the rock in Kadesh

I wonder what your staff is? What God has given you in your hand that he consistently asks you to use to bring about his kingdom?

Aaron’s rod

Ex 7: 10-12 - Turned his rod into a snake

Ex 7:19-21 - Used his rod to turn the water of the Nile to blood

Ex 8:5-7 - Used his rod to bring the 2nd plague of frogs

Ex 8:16-17 - Used his rod to bring the 3rd plague of lice

Num 17:8 - Caused his rod to bud with almonds

Moses faces Pharaoh and asks him to let his people go and sends plagues to egypt which each confront one of Pharaoh’s gods. But his heart grew hard. Eventually the plague of the firsborn came with passover and the Pharaoh let his people go. God did the most incredible miracle and made a way through the Red Sea where there was no way and the Egyptians died in their pursuit of them and the Israelites were free!

Moses was their leader and was leading them to the promised land - to Canaan. But it was hard work leading them and although Moses remained faithful to God, the Israelites kept moaning and complaining and longing to be back in Egypt under slavery again.

For example, after the miracle of walking through the red sea on dry ground:

Ex 15: 24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, ‘What are we to drink?’

God gave them water and also said:

Ex 15:26 “saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.””

But when they were hungry they grumbled again

Ex 16:2-3 “And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.””

Again when they were thirsty they quarrelled

Ex 17:2-6 “Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.”

Another time, Moses went up the mountain and took Joshua and spent 40 days in God’s presence where he gave Moses some stone tablets with the covenant law on. When they came down the mountain they found that Aaron had made the people a gold calf to worship as the gods of Israel who brought the people out of Egypt.

There was a time when the people could have entered the promise land but they gave into fear and doubted God and so he added 40 desert years when the people wandered through the wilderness.

On all of these occasions, and more, Moses was obedient to the commands of God and did what he asked of him. For 40 years, the Israelites walked around the dessert