Deuteronomy 34:1 – 8 “Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho. And the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead as far as Dan, all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negev, and the region from the Valley of Jericho (the City of Palms) all the way to Zoar. And the LORD said to him, “This is the land that I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it.”
So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, as the LORD had said. And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab facing Beth-peor, and no one to this day knows the location of his grave. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak, and his vitality had not diminished. The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end.”
This map shows Mount Nebo, just barely northeast of the Dead Sea. Even though the Promised Land was actually quite small, only God could have shown Moses everything described in these verses. On the map, the locations in these verses are indicated in the order in which they are mentioned. Gilead is designated as number 1, while Dan is designated as number 2, etc.
God had already told Moses that Moses would not enter the Promised Land because Moses had failed to honor God at the waters of Meribah – kadesh. But God did allow Moses to see all of the Promised Land from Mount Pisgah, part of the Mount Nebo monolith.
Moses died in the land of Moab and God buried him in a secret valley. Why didn’t God allow the Israelites to bury Moses? God knew His Israelites! Remember, these people spent 400 years in Egypt in a death – centered culture. Had God allowed the Israelites to handle Moses’ body, there’s no telling what they might have done. They might have turned Moses’ body into a mummy. They might have made an elaborate tomb for Moses that they would then have turned into a shrine so that they could worship Moses. Remember these are the same people who were still hiding Egyptian idols in their tents. It was entirely possible for them to develop a Moses cult with little statues of Moses. No, God knew what He was doing.
“Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak, and his vitality had not diminished.” God preserved Moses for his entire life so that Moses was able to carry out all the ministry that God had assigned. God loved Moses and probably grieved with Moses that he was not going to be able to enter the Promised Land. God could not violate His own Word; however, God could handle Moses’ body tenderly. Even when Moses was in his mother’s womb, God had already designated Moses as the leader for the Exodus. Having created Moses’ body, having preserved Moses’ body all these years, now God lovingly selected a safe place in which to bury Moses so that nobody could disturb the body later.
APPLICATION: “I will not laugh! I will not laugh! I WILL NOT LAUGH!!!” It was August 2011 and we were attending the funeral for Sandee, my late sister – in – law and a fervent Christian. The day after Sandee died, her husband found himself struggling to decide where she should be buried. This struggle became a nightmare and nearly overshadowed all the other challenges presented by the funeral. Now we were in church and the pastor was announcing a piece of music that Sandee had requested to be played at her funeral. The song was “All My Tears” sung by the group “Selah.” It was the refrain of that song that was causing me to bury my face in a handkerchief so people wouldn’t realize that I was laughing. The words of the refrain: “It don’t matter where you bury me! I’ll be home and I’ll be free. It don’t matter where I lay. All my tears be washed away.”
God chose Moses’ final resting place and kept it a secret forever. But the most important thing about Moses was not the location of his burial but the fact that Moses knew God and spoke with Him face to face. When Moses died, all his tears were washed away. All the suffering Moses endured during that one hundred and twenty years was gone in an instant. Now Moses was with God forever and all his wounds were healed. Moses was with the One who knew him better and who loved him more than anybody else could.
We too can know God; in fact, God wants to be friends with us. But we must be true – hearted as was Moses. May God help us to pursue friendship with Him, so that when we die, we shall be with Him.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Give us the desire to know You and help us to open our hearts to You so that You may change us into Your likeness and so that we may truly have friendship with You. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
All My Tears (Be Washed Away)
When I go, don’t cry for me
In my father’s arms I’ll be
The wounds this world left on my sou
L will all be healed, and I’ll be whole
Sun and moon will be replaced with the light of Jesus’ face
And I will not be ashamed, for my savior knows my name
It don’t matter where you bury me
I’ll be home and I’ll be free
It don’t matter where I lay
All my tears be washed away
Gold and silver blind the eye, temporary riches lie
So come and eat from Heaven’s store
Come and drink, and thirst no more
So weep not for me, my friend
When my time below does end
For my life belongs to him
Who will raise from the dead again
It don’t matter where you bury me
I’ll be home and I’ll be free
It don’t matter where I lay
All my tears be washed away
Burunche's Blog 
February 2, 2022 at 8:05 pm
Well said as always, thank you