Why Moses Had To Die

before entering the Promised Land.  Was God really that impatient with a man who had given everything?

Most of you are familiar with the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt and then Joshua leading them into the Promised Land. (Exodus 3-12 and Joshua 1-4)

I think that most Christians would agree that they have left Egypt. They are free. But like the Israelites, I wonder how many Christians still live as slaves in what was intended to be a land of freedom?

How many Christians would you say are living in the Promised Land, enjoying the inheritance that Christ purchased for them?

Though the Israelites were led out of captivity, they quickly returned to what they knew. Exodus 32:1 (ESV) 1 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

As Christians, we often fall back on what we know.  We do that whenever we combine the covenants of Law and Grace. We live under the new covenant of  Grace but are still enslaved to the old covenant ways of law.

When Moses died, God said to Joshua, 'Get going'. Josh 1:2 Msg. The King James Version says, 'Go over....' signifying a transition.

God was saying,'time to make a transition' from old covenant/law thinking to new covenant/Grace thinking, a paradigm shift of epic proportion.

Does that mean they were freed from the law?  No, the law, the whole law, not just those written upon tablets of stone, was still in effect and would be until Jesus ratified the New Covenant at which time the law would be written upon their hearts.

Through relationship there would be no need for an external system of government. Only Grace can transform you from the inside.  Law simply modifies your behavior externally.

The night before they crossed the Jordan, Joshua spoke to them and said, Joshua 3:4 (GW) ”.......you have not gone this way before.” 

God was saying, 'This is a new way.  It is time to follow Jesus apart from the law'.

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NKJV) But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." ....... Grace is a brand new way of looking at things....... righteousness apart from the law had never been done before.


Joshua is a type of Christ and the very name means Yeshua. Jesus is the Greek transliteration of Yeshua.

We have to leave the pilgrimage of law (Moses), enter the water (a baptism signifying an identification with Christ, an identity exchange), via spiritual death, to be resurrected in the promised land under Grace with Jesus as our Guide.

Jesus (Yeshua) destroyed principalities and powers at the Cross.  In Joshua 3:10, God eliminates 7 tribes (7 signifying complete) 10 And Joshua said, 'Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Hivite, and the Perizzite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Jebusite.

Jesus stripped principalities and powers of their authority at the Cross, a complete victory.  

In the process of moving into the promised land, we are given cities we did not build. It is not a place of works, but of rest. Joshua 24:13 (ASV) And I gave you a land whereon thou hadst not labored, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell therein; of vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.

The original Hebrew word for cities is from a root word signifying an 'opening of the eyes, a becoming naked', referring to a return to innocence, rest and provision similar to Adam and Eve.

The Greek word for land is from a root word meaning 'Adam',  symbolic of shamelessly entering the new Eden.

Adam and Eve were not under law.  Until shame drove them from His presence, they were in right relationship with God apart from law. At the Cross, Christ bore our shame so that relationship with our God could be restored.

Moses, because he represents the law, had to die rather than cross the Jordan and enter the Promised Land. Law cannot take you into your inheritance, only Grace can do that.

This crossing marked the end of the pilgrimage of law and the beginning of Grace.

The name "Moses" is from the Hebrew word Mosheh meaning "drawing out of (the water)", that is "rescued". He was drawn from the water to be the deliverer of God's people.

The Jews call Moses “Moshe Rabbeinu”, Our Teacher/Rabbi. The numeric value of “Moshe Rabbeinu” is 613, the number of laws (the mitzvot) that Moses taught the children of Israel!

But just like the law only takes us to the teacher, Moses could only take us to the edge of our inheritance. Jesus must take us in.  See the teaching, 'Arrested Development' at http://ow.ly/2K48b

The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh were given land by Moses before his death before crossing the Jordan. They chose to stay.

I wonder if they don't represent the brothers-in-law? No doubt, our brothers in law will always be around.

We, however, have chosen to pilgrimage with Joshua and now live under the pilgrimage of Grace, not law-less but law-free, and are motivated by a personal relationship with Jesus rather than an impersonal relationship to the law.

Law cannot take you into your inheritance, only Grace can do that.