Deuteronomy 34:1-12 (NKJV)
Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan, 2 all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, 3 the South, and the plain of the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. 4 Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.”
5 So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. 6 And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows his grave to this day. 7 Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished. 8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. So the days of weeping and mourning for Moses ended.
9 Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.
10 But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, 11 in all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land, 12 and by all that mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
God showed Moses the entirety of the Promised Land – the land that, for 40 years, the Israelites had been wandering toward. God was gracious to Moses to let him see this land. God was gracious to Moses in that He gave him clear eyesight and a strong body right up until Moses’ last day, even though he was 120 years old. God preserved Moses as if he was a young man; his body didn’t slowly weaken like all other humans. God preserved Moses just like He preserved the Israelites’ sandals and clothing throughout their journey.
But Moses wasn’t allowed to go into Canaan with his people because he had disobeyed God when he struck the rock from which water came out instead of speaking to it as God had instructed him (Num 20:1-12). Nonetheless, God loved Moses, had spoken directly to him, and the Israelites mourned his death for 30 days before they entered Canaan. Then God Himself buried Moses’ body so that no one would know where his grave was.
Don’t feel bad for Moses missing out on the Promised Land, for he didn’t miss a thing. Recall how he appeared with Elijah at the Transfiguration of our Lord, where the two of them appeared with Jesus and the three disciples, and they were talking together about Jesus’ death. Moses was in glory already, for he had believed in God’s promises by faith.
You, dear saint, will also see Moses, Elijah, and all other saints who have gone before you in the one true faith. You will see them all with Jesus in glory, which is the ultimate Promised Land, and you will be with Jesus and all the others in heaven for eternity with a sinless, glorified, powerful, and spiritual body never again ravaged by the effects of sin. You will be there because you also believe, by God’s gift of faith, in Christ’s atoning death for your sins, and you continue to be nourished and strengthened with God’s Word and Sacraments until He calls you Home. Let us pray: Thank You, Lord Jesus, for calling me to faith in You. Keep me also in this one true faith until I die and go to live with You and all the other saints in glory. Amen.