Friday, December 24
“When they angrily cried, “Must we fetch you water out of this rock?” they put themselves in God’s place, as though the power lay with themselves, men possessing human frailties and passions. Wearied with the continual murmuring and rebellion of the people, Moses had lost sight of his Almighty Helper, and without the divine strength he had been left to mar his record by an exhibition of human weakness. The man who might have stood pure, firm, and unselfish to the close of his work had been overcome at last. God had been dishonored before the congregation of Israel, when He should have been magnified and exalted.” Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 418
“Upon the mount of transfiguration Moses was present with Elijah, who had been translated. They were sent as bearers of light and glory from the Father to His Son. And thus the prayer of Moses, uttered so many centuries before, was at last fulfilled. He stood upon the ‘goodly mountain,’ within the heritage of his people, bearing witness to Him in whom all the promises to Israel centered. Such is the last scene revealed to mortal vision in the history of that man so highly honored of Heaven.” Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 479
Discussion Questions:
1. In one sense, yes, Moses was resurrected and brought to heaven shortly after his death. But at the same time, poor Moses (we assume) gets to witness the terrible mess of things down here. How fortunate that most of us will be resurrected after all the struggle on earth is over at the Second Coming. In what ways is this, then, a greater blessing than what Moses experienced?
2. How does the story of Moses’ death and later resurrection show us how the New Testament, though often based on the Old Testament, does take us further than the Old Testament and can indeed shed much new light upon it?
3. How is the story of Moses’ life, including his smiting the rock in a fit of anger, an example of what it means to live by faith and to be saved by faith, apart from the deeds of the law?
4. In class, talk about the promise of the resurrection at the end of time. Why is this so central to all our hopes? Also, if we can trust God on this, that is, on raising us from death, shouldn’t we be able to trust Him for everything else? After all, if He can do that for us, what can’t He do?
