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The
View from Mount Nebo
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| “On
that same say the LORD told Moses, ‘Go up into the Abarim
Range to Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, and view
Canaan, the land I am giving the Israelites, as their own
possession.” (Deuteronomy 32:48-49). |
On
a trip to the Middle East in 1988 I had the privilege
of visiting Israel, Jordan and Egypt. One of the
highlights of this experience was a visit to the
top of Mount Nebo which is located in the land of
Jordan. As you can see from this picture from the
summit of Nebo one can view the River Jordan Valley
from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea. In the
distance you can also see the mountains between
that valley and the city of Jerusalem on to the
Great Sea.
The
Biblical record lets us know about this particular
mountain and its significance to the Children of
Israel centuries ago.
Unfortunately
because of the disobedience that Moses had displayed
he was not permitted to enter into the Land that
God had promised His ancient Covenant People, the
Jews.
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Monument
to Moses
on Mount Nebo
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| Upon
climbing Mount Nebo Moses was able to view the grandeur
of the Land of Canaan in panoramic; its length and breath.
I am one of those Christians who believe that the Land promised
by God to His ancient Covenant people is rightfully theirs.
This, however, is another subject that I address in other
material. |
Map
of the lands Moses saw
from Mt. Nebo |
“Then
Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to
the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the
LORD showed him the whole land – from Gilead
to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim
and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as for as the
Mediterranean Sea, the Negev and the whole region
from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as
far as Zoar. Then the LORD said to him, ‘This
is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob when I said, I will give it to your descendants.
I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will
not cross over it.” |
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“And
Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the
LORD had said. He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite
Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave
is.” (Deuteronomy 34:1-6).
Where
now?
I’m
sure that the Jews were at a quandary as to what lie ahead.
Moses who had led them out of slavery, who had gone to another
mountain in the wilderness and communed directly with GOD
receiving the Ten Commandments, who led them for forty years
in the desert and who had instructed them in worship as
the Tabernacle was instituted. Moses was now dead. See -
Deut. 34:8. |
Moses
was indeed unique. He was a special servant of YHWH
(Yehovah/Jehovah). We read of his uniqueness thusly,
“Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel
like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, who did
all those signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do
in Egypt – to Pharaoh and to all his officials
and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the
mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses
did in the sight of all Israel.” (Deut.
34:10-12)
But the LORD GOD did not leave His Covenant People
to flounder. Rather than wondering: What were they
to do now that Moses was dead? Where were they to
go? The Biblical record tells us that Moses had prepared
for leadership, “Now
Joshua (Yeshua) son of Nun was filled with the spirit
of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him.
So the Israelites listened to him and did what the
LORD had commanded Moses.” (Deut. 34:9) |
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Coming
down from the mountain the Children of Israel had to face
reality. To enter the Land of Canaan that God declared to
them was their Promised Land they faced certain obstacles.
One of the very first obstacles they faced was the River
Jordan itself. It had to be crossed in order for them to
enter the Land God had promised to them. To cross the river
into the Land that flowed with milk and honey the people
had to fully accept the leadership of Joshua. It would take:
OBEDIENCE, FAITH & EFFORT! |
Crossing
the Jordan |
Joshua
Commissioned by GOD:
It
should be noted that the name rendered “Joshua”
in the Hebrew Scriptures is the same name rendered,
“Jesus” in Greek in the New Testament.
The name means: savior. Joshua is a type of Yeshua
[Jesus]. The commissioning of Joshua is very powerful.
Note
the record of this commissioning, “After
the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the
LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide:
‘Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and
all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan
River into the land I am about to give to them –
to the Israelites.
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I
will give you every place where you set your foot, as I
promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert
to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates –
all the Hittite country – to the Mediterranean Sea
in the west. No one will be able to stand against you all
the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be
with you: I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong
and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit
the land I swore to their ancestors to give them."
“Be
strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law
my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right
or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you
go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate
on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything
written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not
be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God
will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:1-9)
Note the promises given to Joshua in the above Scripture.
We, too, as followers of the LORD GOD can in like manner
step out and claim these promises for ourselves, for our
loved ones and for our churches.
God is still raising up men and women to lead His people.
Even as Joshua was obedient to God’s call and anointing
upon his life, in like manner is God calling and anointing
you to some aspect of servant ministry? If He is, be obedient. |
Facing
the River:
“So
Joshua ordered the officers of the people: ‘Go
through the camp and tell the people: ‘Get
your provisions ready. Three days from now you will
cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession
of the land the LORD your God is giving you for
you own.’” (Joshua 1:10-11)
In the third chapter of the book of Joshua we have
the account of the river being crossed. If the river
had not been crossed who knows what the outcome
would have been.
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View
of the Jordan Valley
from Mt. Nebo
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Ark
of the Covenant |
“Early
in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out
from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped
before crossing over. After three days the officers
went throughout the camp, giving orders to the people:
‘When you see the ark of the covenant of the
LORD your God, and the Levitical priests, carrying
it, you are to move out from your positions and follow
it.’
“Joshua
told the people,‘Consecrate yourselves,
for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among
you.’
“Joshua
said to the priests, ‘Take up the ark
of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.’
So they took it up and went ahead of them. |
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| “And
the LORD said to Joshua, ‘Today I will begin to exalt
you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am
with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests who carry
the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge
of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river."
"Joshua
said to the Israelites, 'Come here and listen to
the words of the LORD your God. This is how you will know
that the living God is among you and that he will certainly
drive out before you the Canaanites . . .See, the ark of
the covenant of the LORD of all the earth will go into the
Jordan ahead of you. Now then, choose twelve men from the
tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. And as soon as the
priests who carry the ark of the LORD – the LORD of
all the earth – set foot in the Jordan. Its waters
flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.'"
(Joshua 3:1-13)
The Biblical account continues revealing the miracle that
God performed by holding back the flow of the Jordan allowing
the children of Israel to cross to the other side. I am
one of those people who literally believe that the LORD
GOD is able to do far more than we imagine and think. God
is the God of the impossible!! Do you believe this? |
What
a mighty God we serve!
We
noted earlier in the passage quoted above that the children
of Israel were told to “Consecrate yourselves.”
The act of consecrating oneself unto God and God’s
service is not for a bygone day. It is just as applicable
for us as it was for the Jews of old. To consecrate simply
means to be set aside and apart unto God. See – Romans
12:1-2. |
Just
as we read upon consecrating themselves unto God,
the LORD God would do amazing things among the people.
I am convinced that this premise continues to be true.
Those of us living under the New Covenant must consecrate
ourselves unto God if we expect God’s Spirit
to continue to do mighty things amongst us.
In the Scripture passage above we also note the importance
that was placed upon the ark of the covenant. The
symbolism was in realizing and accepting the presence
of God in their midst. There is no flood, no river,
no obstacle that can stop the Spirit-filled child
of God. This holds true also for the company of believers,
the church/ekklesia, who mean business with God where
God’s presence is manifested in their midst. |
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Matza,
(unleavened bread) used in celebration of the Passover
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In
God’s Presence:
Once
the Jews were in the land it was the time of Passover
and Unleavened Bread which they observed. [1] The
significance of these festivals remains not only for
the Jews but for the spiritual children of Abraham
as well. . .that’s us!
We
are also told that up until this time God had continued
to feed the people with manna. However, now that they
were in the Land of Promise the produce of the land
was available to them hence the manna no longer came
from heaven.[2] |
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Another
Obstacle:
The
river had been crossed but a new obstacle loomed ahead of
the Israelites. It was the city of Jericho. This city is
one of the oldest inhabited cities anywhere on earth. Today
it is occupied by Muslim Arabs and is largely closed to
Jews. However, as Joshua led his people we read, “Now
when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man
standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand.
Joshua went up to him and asked, ‘Are you for us or
for our enemies?’
“’Neither,’
he replied, ‘but as commander of the army of the LORD
I have now come.’ Then Joshua fell facedown to the
ground in reverence, and asked him, ‘What message
does my Lord have for his servant?’
“The
commander of the LORD’S army replied, ‘Take
off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is
holy.’ And Joshua did so.” (Joshua 5:13-15)
The
Biblical account continues the story by telling us of the
fall of the city of Jericho into the hands of the Jews.
This wonderful record is found in Joshua chapter 6.
As we mentioned earlier in this booklet it also took obedience,
faith and effort to overcome the second obstacle. What appears
to be obstacles for believers are really challenges. The
battle of Jericho portrays the ongoing spiritual battle
(warfare) that we believers are engaged in. Our enemy is
very, very real. He is the devil and his host. He is not
simply a figment of the imagination. However, we must never
forget that God is the Victor. Satan is the enemy of every
authentic follower of Christ. He is the enemy of the Body
of Christ, the believing Church as well as the enemy of
the Jews. |
Our
Mt. Nebos:
Even
as Moses was not able to see all that would be entailed
for the children of Israel to enter the Promised Land,
we, too, as disciples of our Lord do not always know
all that we may face. As a Christian you and I have
our own rivers to cross and our own Jericho’s
to face.
In many respects Moses had prepared Joshua to do battle
with the enemy. God’s Spirit is preparing the
Church to do battle with the enemy. Weapons have been
provided. We need to take them. We need to properly
equip ourselves for the spiritual battle that we engage
in every day as individuals and as churches of God.
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View
from Mt. Nebo |
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The
apostle Paul wrote of the armor that is available unto us
to do spiritual warfare, “Finally,
be strong in the LORD and in his mighty power. Put on the
full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against
the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against
flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the
day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground,
and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm
then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with
the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your
feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel
of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of
faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows
of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword
of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the
Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for
all the Lord’s people.” (Ephesians 6:1018.
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What
about you?
Though
Moses had lifted up the image of a serpent in the
wilderness, not on Mt. Nebo, but in the wanderings
of the Children of Israel in the desert (Numbers 21:4-9)
a monument to this event was erected on the mount
a number of years ago. This monument is based on another
biblical account. It was created by Italian artist
Giovanni Fantoni. It is symbolic of the bronze serpent
and the cross of crucifixion. Our Lord Jesus made
the following declaration to a religious man who had
up unto that point not personally believed in Him
as Savior and Lord. Note how it is recorded in John’s
Gospel, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be
lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not
perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the
world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life. |
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For
God did not send His Son into the world to condemn
the world, but that the world through Him might
be saved. He [she] who believes in Him is not condemned;
but he [she] who does not believe is condemned already,
because he [she] has not believed in the name of
the only begotten Son of God.” (John
3:14-18 NKJV).
The
question at this point is once again: “What
about you?” Have
you personally, by faith, repented of your sin,
personally believed in and received Jesus Christ
into your heart and life as Savior and Lord? Why
not open your heart and life to Christ right now? |
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[1]
A study booklet titled, “The Feasts of the LORD”
is available from this ministry.
[2]
See – Joshua 5:12.
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