Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his eyes were not weak, and his vitality had not left him. The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end. Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites obeyed him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses. No prophet has arisen again in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. (34:7-10)
What a fitting text as we come to the end of a year of Rodgers’ Reflections. This passage is a reminder that everything has a time and everything comes to an end. As we look back on 2020 during this New Year’s Eve and look forward to another year to come, we are reminded of how time marches on. This year was difficult, and it was one that has been “historic” for many reasons, but it is also one that will end. Another year is coming which will have new blessings and new challenges. Sometimes we get so caught up in the present that we forget that we serve an “eternal God” whose mercies are new every morning.
Consider this text; Moses was one of the greatest prophets who ever lived and the writer says that there was no one like him. Yet, after his death, the people mourned for 30 days and then that time came to an end. Joshua became the new leader and the people of God moved on from that place with the body of Moses hidden by God somewhere in the nearby hills. He came onto the scene, he had an important role to play, he fulfilled the purpose for which he was created, and then another took his place. That is the way of things. Rather than lament the passing of a great man of God or continually dwell in the glory days of our past, there comes a time when we have to move on.
I am reminded of the words of Gandalf in The Fellowship of the Ring when Frodo lamented his burdens. “I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” This is the heart of these verses in Deuteronomy. Moses saw the promised land from a distance, and never entered in—someone else took Israel in and faced challenges of his own. We often focus too much on the characters of the Bible and too little on the God of the Bible. He is the center of it all. Rather than lament the time we are in or our role in the story of God, we should rather “decide what to do with the time that is given us” and fulfill the purpose for which we were created. I pray that you have accomplished all you were supposed to in 2020 and that you are stepping into 2021 with determination and vigor.
