“SURPRISED BY JOY”
Scripture Emphasis: Deuteronomy 34:3-4
“Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho.4 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 into it.”
John 14:1 – 31
The title ” Surprised By Joy.” derives from a sonnet of that name by poet William Wordsworth. The poem honours the memory of Wordsworth’s daughter, Catherine, who died at three. His grief was so profound he concluded that never again could he experience joy. Then, years later, the unexpected happened. The sights and sounds of nature overwhelmed his spirit. In that exhilarating moment, his beloved child was sharing his unspeakable joy.
A stirring drama unfolds in the Book of Deuteronomy. Moses. God’s fearless longtime warrior, now with his hair as white as snow and his cloak billowing in the wind like a ship in full sail, mounts one more mountain at God’s command.
Of all the mountains, physical, psychological, and spiritual, that Moses has scaled, none will ever be more critical than this one.
Here, on Pisgah’s summit, he will stand with God to review his readiness to undertake the next leg of the journey.
Many people have sought and found exhilarating mountaintop experiences. When life was weary and days grew grey with monotony, mountain peaks often inspired renewed strength and a more splendid view of what might be. So, many dreams come to fruition for people who have dared to view their disappointments from some virtual mountaintops.
But it is different to review life from a virtual mountaintop at God’s insistence. To observe the earth in God’s presence is to realize our view of things is but a mere shadow of their more perfect form found in God alone.
Every day for forty years, Moses’ reason d’ ^etre was to feast his eyes upon ” the Promise Land,” the future appointed location of their earthly home.
“Moses, the man of God,” according to the Deuteronomic historian, finally climbs Mount Pisgah’s lofty summit to keep God’s appointment. Tense with anticipated excitement, Moses lifts his eyes to celebrate the marvels before him. But gripped, as he is by the intensity of the moment, Moses is barely conscious of the words God is speaking.
“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 into it.”
Virtual sighs are still heard today when reading this account of Moses’s experience of Pisgah’s height; there are also questions concerning God’s benevolence in His treatment of Moses. For doubtless, were we to hear such a response to our endeavours to advance some living hope, the entire mountain would vibrate with the thunderous chorus,” that is unfair.”
But never a word and not the slightest sigh from Moses is recorded!
And herein, the one most essential truth related to our appointed destiny is concealed.
Essentially, Moses’ presence here on Mount Pisgah hides his secret anticipation of seeing his life’s dream fulfilled. He is conditioned for a more earthly experience than anything spiritual. After all, he lives daily with the promise of a homeland that ‘flows with milk and honey. But taking stock of life in the Presence of God, as Moses does, adds a new and vital perspective. Here on earth, humans see all things only in part. “We see in part, and we understand in part. We see as through a glass, darkly” But now, in the Divine Presence, that which is whole
replaces what only is in part. Were he alone, Moses would see in part and understand in part! But, in the presence of God, that which is in part disappears, and he comes to know even as he is known. ( see 1 Corinthians 13).
Moses from Mount Pisgah should engage the vox Humana in celebrating the beautiful sight of ‘The Promise Land ‘ in the distance.
But his more breathless experience is his Spirit’s triumph in seeing beyond ” the land flowing with milk and honey to the city not built with human hands, eternal in the heavens. (2 Corinthians 5:1)
Does not this Old Testament narrative reach its summit in the New Testament? The heartbroken disciples struggle to understand the news that Jesus, their beloved friend, will soon leave them. In preparing for that event, Jesus shows them the all-innclusive mystery of what it means to be His disciple. He informs them that each one of them must seek God to fill each of them with His Spirit so that the work God sent Him to do may continue through succeeding generations to recreate this world.” Thus fulfilling the promise, ” I will remain with you to the end of time.”
Finally, Jesus permits them to see the picture complete. He envisions with them the unspeakable joy that awaits everyone who faithfully discharges a disciples commission, ‘ In my Father’s House there are many mansions! I go and prepare a place for you so that where I am, there you will also be.” I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (John 15: 11)
A Prayer To Follow This Meditation
Father,
We praise You as the author and the finisher of faith.
” I see Thy light; I feel Thy wind; The world, it is Thy word. Whatever wakes my heart and soul, Thy Spirit is my Lord.” (2)
At night to a child of the earth, a mountain appears foreboding. It stands stark and black against the azure sky, exuding an eerie loneliness. And yet, caught in the golden rays of Your morning sun, the mountain peaks inspire new hopes and the promises of conquests for another day. Consequently, we celebrate this truth; along with the earthly suggestions concerning reality, the alternative reality and the divine enlightenment of Your presence always arrive.
May the sun shine warm upon your face. May the wind always be at your back. May your living always reflect the glory of God, Who dwells within your soul, now and evermore. Amen.
Additional Notes
- Biblical quotes are from the NIV translation.
- Quote from a poem by poet George MacDonald.