We are all familiar with the account of God denying Moses entry into the Promised Land. Though Moses himself was not permitted to enter, God allowed him to view it from a distance—a testament to His faithfulness in always fulfilling His promises to His people. Yet at times, it is we who forfeit the blessings God has prepared for us, choosing our own way over closeness with Him. Moses remained faithful throughout all of God’s house. Still, without fully understanding God’s reasoning, some believers grow fearful of Him and keep their distance to avoid a similar fate. In doing so, they often discourage others from drawing near to God, passing on their limited grasp of His justice in a way that breeds fear rather than faith.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go up this mountain in the Abarim Range and see the land I have given the Israelites. After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, for when the community rebelled at the waters in the Desert of Zin, both of you disobeyed my command to honor me as holy before their eyes.”
Numbers 27:12-14 (NIV)
God Denied Entry To Moses
To understand the heart of God, we should draw near to Him. Most believers stand afar off and judge God. By doing so, they stand with the devil, who fought with the archangel over the body of Moses to have him with him in hell. Jude clearly explains the shrewdness of the devil and, at the same time, how the devil makes them think irrationally.
But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct—as irrational animals do—will destroy them.
Jude 1:9-10 (NIV)
What we fail to understand is that God has a personal and unique relationship with each one of us, yet we tend to view His actions as uniform—applied to everyone as a blanket rule. Because of the intimacy God shared with Moses, He said something to him that we cannot simply transplant onto our own life situations. God loves everyone equally, but the depth of intimacy we share with Him is shaped by the measure and vigour of our response to His amazing love. Likewise, when we read about the martyrs in the Bible, we grow fearful of persecution and spread that fear among fellow believers. But persecution comes upon those who value their relationship with and love for God above the threats and persecution they face. As long as we fear persecution, it will not come upon us—for persecution calls for an intimacy with God so deep that it outweighs all other suffering and pain this world can bring.
Denial Explained
Sin is not limited to acts committed against God; it also includes neglecting the ways in which He chooses to reveal Himself and instruct His people. We often fall into this error by leaning on our own understanding rather than seeking to discern God’s will. Even Moses—faithful though he was in all of God’s house—fell into this same mistake. Instead of following God’s precise command, he performed a miracle in the manner he was accustomed to, failing to recognise that God was calling for a different approach. In that moment, he acted according to his own human impulse rather than yielding fully to the Spirit of God.
This was not the first time Moses had erred in this way. In his youth, driven by passionate zeal, he killed an Egyptian who had struck a Hebrew—acting out of human emotion rather than in alignment with God’s heart. It was a moment where his love for his people outran his trust in God’s timing and methods. Later, when God called him to deliver His people, Moses hesitated excessively, his earlier mistake having made him reluctant to accept God’s commission. The weight of that one impulsive act followed him into the wilderness, shaping a man who now doubted his own voice and calling.
Likewise, we too attack our brothers and sisters of other faiths verbally in order to gain favour within our Christian fellowship. By doing this unknowingly, we set ourselves against God, who cares for and gathers people from every nation and background. We forget that the very ones we tear down in conversation are often those He is drawing near to Himself. And when God calls us to lay down this prejudice and to gather rather than divide, we hesitate, just as Moses hesitated. At that point in his life, Moses had already wasted forty years running from what God had asked of him. How many years, then, have we wasted, held back by our own prejudiced perceptions of brothers and sisters of other faiths?
Despite the devil’s accusations, God did not deny Moses entry into His eternal Kingdom; He only withheld from him the earthly experience of entering the Promised Land. Scripture affirms that the death of the wicked brings God no joy. Though those oppressed by the wicked may find relief in their passing, God’s desire is for the wicked to repent and return to Him—and so He often grants them a long life as an opportunity for redemption.
The death of God’s saints—those who walk in righteousness—is precious to Him. Having shaped them through the righteousness of His Son, Jesus, He desires to bring them home. This is the hidden wisdom behind why the righteous often die young, while the wicked seem to flourish in longevity. Scripture declares that there is great rejoicing in heaven when a sinner repents and is made righteous, and blessed are those who die in the Lord (Revelation 14:13).
The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away, and no one understand that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.
Isaiah 57:1-2 (NIV)
What Did God Expect From Moses?
To understand this more fully, consider how a military commander trains a new recruit. During initial training, the instructor requires the trainee to repeat the given instructions to ensure they have been properly understood. Once the instructor is confident the trainee has grasped the orders, he then asks how the trainee intends to carry them out. This step-by-step guidance—almost like spoon-feeding—continues for months until the commander is assured that the recruit is ready to act independently and with sound judgement.
In a similar way, God guides us through His Word in every area of our lives, providing detailed instruction while we are still spiritually immature. He corrects and disciplines us, just as a father disciplines his son. Unfortunately, many misinterpret this process of training as punishment and resist God’s correction. But those who recognise it as divine instruction grow in wisdom and maturity day by day.
As the writer of Hebrews explains:
In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. – Hebrews 5:12-14 (NIV)
Once soldiers are seasoned and deployed into active combat, instructions come swiftly—through sharp commands, quick gestures, a nod of the head, a raised eyebrow, or even a subtle movement of the lips. At that point, the commander trusts the soldiers’ ability to recognise and respond to commands with precision and discernment.
Likewise, in the early days of Moses’ mission to deliver Israel from Egypt, God gave him detailed, step-by-step instructions, which Moses and Aaron were expected to follow closely. But over time, Moses matured through experience and hardship, becoming a faithful and trusted servant. God, in turn, expected Moses to act not merely by instruction, but by aligning his heart with God’s desires and discerning His will instinctively.
It was at this mature stage, however, that Moses faltered—not through disobedience born of immaturity, but by failing to fully act according to the heart of God. Instead, he acted out of the desire of his own heart, missing the subtle yet significant shift in how God was now leading him.
Be Matured To Resist The Devil
In light of this understanding, should we choose to distance ourselves from God—or rather, draw closer to Him, walking in step with His will and wholeheartedly participating in His mission? If we heed the devil’s voice, urging caution and distance from God, it may seem to prolong our time on earth. Yet in doing so, we risk forfeiting the eternal life God has prepared for us.
When we walk closely with God, our mistakes—though they may at times shorten our earthly lives—can serve as a safeguard, preventing greater harm to our eternal salvation. Walking with God may come with challenges, but it ultimately leads to the security of eternal life.
In accomplishing His will in our lives, and as God’s servants seeking to accomplish His will in the lives of others, we should cultivate an intimacy with God that enables us to act upon His instructions—which may vary from person to person and from time to time. It is our lethargy that prevents us from having an intimate relationship with God, and it is our ego that leads us to follow the same old patterns of serving Him simply because He once revealed Himself through those patterns. This is one of the most common mistakes we make—relying on our past experiences and on God’s past miracles. God warns us not to depend on old patterns, merely recounting His miraculous deeds to tell others of His love, but instead to be transformed people, changed by His wondrous grace, eager to understand our new assignments and to fulfil them as He expects.
Therefore, let us not be swayed by the winds of this world, but instead find our safety and refuge in our Heavenly Father. Jesus clearly warned us of the nature of this life, contrasting the thief’s intentions with His own purpose:
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10 (NIV)
Let us continue to grow in the love of God, day by day, maturing in faith until we can discern His will precisely—for each person, in each moment. Rooted firmly in the life that Christ offers, may we read His Word without ceasing and listen for His voice without fail, until our lives echo the very heartbeat of God.
The Jordan Valley 
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