When Moses led the
Israelites out of Egypt, they all knew God’s intention.
Moses would lead them
to a new land promised to their fathers. After crossing the Red Sea, everything
goes great for about a year. Cue the complaints.
There wasn’t enough food, not
enough water. The final straw? They’d have to fight the giants in Canaan. Shaking
in their shoes, the Israel nation decided that God could not help them.
Their lack of faith resulted
in the decree that “all your number, numbered from 20 years old and up ward,
who have murmured against me, not one shall come into the land where I swore
that I would make you dwell…” (Numbers 14:29-30)
Now forty years is a long
time, and I’m sure that some of the people forgot why they were marching
around the desert in an aimless loop. Besides, God wouldn’t really forsake
them, would he?
“Hey Moses!” the old
Israelite cries. “How come we’re not at the Promised Land yet? I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this sand dune
before. The family’s getting worried. What’s the deal?”
Moses stands there, calmly
stroking his beard. “Well, I’ve got some Good News and some Bad News. First, the
Good News: Your family will enter the Promised Land.”
Smiling with joy, the
Israelite exclaims, “That’s great! Exactly what I needed to hear. I’ve got to go
and tell the family! But wait…there’s some Bad News?”
“You have to die first.”
“Oh, is that all? Ok, I’ve
got to run… Wait. WHAT DID YOU SAY? I think I heard you wrong.”
Moses calls over his brother.
“Aaron! Come over here. Time to play ‘Good Cop, Bad Cop’ again.” Aaron comes,
but he’s not happy about it. Moses always gets to play the ‘Good Cop’ and Aaron
doesn’t think that’s fair. You know how brothers are.
The old Israelite repeats his
question: “Are we going to get to the Promised Land?”
Good Cop says, “Your family
will enter the Promised Land.” The elderly Israelite feels vindicated. “Finally,
a straight answer!”
“Quiet now.” Moses says. ”Aaron
has something to say.”
Aaron looks at his Israelite
brother with love and says: “You’ll have to die first.”
It’s a universal truth. No
matter how many times or ways we ask the question, the answer is yes,
we’ll reach the Promised Land. But we have to die first. It’s going to cost
something to live with the Lord.
Now we will have to physically die at some point to reach heaven. But what about today?
Each day, as alarms go off,
and feet hit the floor, every person in the world has the opportunity to reach
the Promised Land in their own life. Today. It’s going to require dying to self.
It’s that death that allows the new life.
So tomorrow, as teeth are
brushed and the coffeemaker heats, we can decide to live in heaven for the day.
Yes, we can make it to the Promised Land.
Labels: faith, promise land, self
