“Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land…” (Deuteronomy 34:1 ESV).
In this last chapter of the Torah, Moses, the servant of the LORD, made his final ascent up Mount Nebo, a mountain overlooking the Jordan Valley. From this vantage point, the LORD showed him the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The geography was not symbolic or imagined, but real. I have personally stood on Mount Nebo and seen with my own eyes the very places described.
Yet Moses, who represented the Law, only saw the promise from a distance. He did not enter it. His life ended within sight of fulfillment. In contrast, the apostle John later wrote that while the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ, and through Him God is fully made known (cf. John 1:17-18). Moses brought the people near, but only Jesus brings us into true relationship with God Himself.
Reading Scripture, we are reminded that our faith is not built on myth, but on real people and places and real acts of God in history. Just as we can stand on Mount Nebo and see what Moses saw, we can trust that God keeps His promises. Yet we also recognize that the Law, like Moses, can only bring us so far. It shows us the promise but cannot bring us in. Only Jesus does that.
The modern sculpture of the bronze serpent that stands on Mount Nebo today points us forward to Christ, who was lifted up for us. He knew no sin, yet became sin so that we might become His righteousness (1 Cor. 5:21). As we reflect on a view from Mount Nebo, we are called to move beyond seeing to believing, and beyond believing to entering fully into life with God through Christ Jesus.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we thank You that Your Word is rooted in real history and faithful promise. Help us to trust what You have revealed and to see beyond the Law to the grace found in Your Son. Thank You for sending Jesus to bring us fully into relationship with You. Strengthen our faith as we remember that what You promise, You fulfill. Give us eyes to see and hearts to believe as we stand in view of Your faithfulness. In Jesus’ name, amen.
