Morning Light – Deuteronomy 34

[Deuteronomy 34] Your Physical Body and the Glory. Did you know that the devil himself covets access to your physical body even after death? In this chapter, we see that Satan himself contended for Moses’ physical body after death. This was because of the glory that rested on Moses and made his face to shine. Paul teaches in 2 Co. 3 that the glory in us is a greater glory than that of Moses. How much more would the enemy by his strategies seek to diminish the glory of God in us? We have no idea how potent God is in us and the potential benefits of being the dwelling place of God in our physical bodies. A powerful insight today on divine health, the glory of God, and impartation.

[Deu 34:1-12 KJV] 1 And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that [is] over against Jericho. And the LORD shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, 2 And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea, 3 And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar. 4 And the LORD said unto him, This [is] the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see [it] with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. 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, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. 7 And Moses [was] an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. 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 were ended. 9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses. 10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11 In all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, 12 And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.

This chapter in Deuteronomy contains probably one of the most well-known cautionary tales of all time. From his birth, Moses was raised up to deliver the children of Israel from Egypt’s bondage. Six hundred years before his birth, God showed Abraham the time of Egypt’s bondage and the coming of the Exodus by Moss. Perhaps no other man besides Jesus has so shaped history as this man named Moses. Yet, in an unguarded moment, his crowning achievement was lost in a fit of anger (see Numbers 20:10). James speaking by the Holy Spirit, said this:

[Jas 1:19-20 KJV] 19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

The word righteousness means “to stand upright” before God. By inference, it speaks of the entitlement we have as sons of God because of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done for us. The words “worketh not,” if you look them up, they basically mean that they “render (one) unfit” for the kingdom of God. What can we learn from this? Anger is an emotion. Anger – and Moses’ actions because of his emotional state caused him to make choices that caused his destiny to become an abortion. Your emotions, your feelings, are very powerful influencers of your choices. Whether an emotion of anger, or frustration, or any emotion for that matter, you must guard yourself from reacting emotionally to situations around you lest you exclude yourself from something God has in mind for your life. Your emotions and your will are a part of the soul. You are a spirit, soul, and body. Your intellect emotions and will reside in your soul. Paul prayed this in Eph. 3:17:

[Eph 3:17 KJV] 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

The word “heart” here speaks of your spirit. God dwells in your spirit, and that is where we are to be rooted and grounded. The love that the verse speaks of is more than an emotional state or affection. 1 John 1:8 tells us that God is love, and if we are rooted and grounded in love, we are rooted and grounded in his person. Eph. 5:1 says we are to be followers, imitators of God as dear children – doing what God would do, reacting as God would react to the circumstances of life. James said the key is to be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. This is more than just preserving our Christian character; we are preserving our destiny by doing so.

In v. 5-6, Moses dies and is buried. The death of Moses was a matter of national security for the children of Israel. God Himself buried Moses in the valley of Moab. Throughout his life, Moses’ body was profoundly affected by the glory of God’s presence (Ex. 34:29-35). Because of this, Moses’ body then became a highly coveted religious and spiritual artifact. Jude tells us that Satan himself personally disputed with the angel Michael over Moses body:

[Jde 1:9 KJV] 9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

Do you see the care and concern that God has for our physical bodies? They are such a powerful thing that Satan would love to get access to them even after our death when we are so affected by God’s glory. Moses only had the glory ON him. We have a greater glory than that of Moses dwelling IN us. The entire chapter of 2 Cor. 3 is devoted to the premise that the glory of God will affect our physical bodies in the same manner that Moses’ body was affected only in a greater measure.

In v. 7, we see that the glory of God that shone on Moses’ face extended his life and his vitality. The average person only lived 30-38 years in the time of Moses. Moses then lived three or four times longer than the average person. That would be like someone living 210 years today. God is interested in your health and your longevity. Satan himself is wary of your physical body and in fact covets your body for his nefarious purposes as he did Moses’ body. 1 Co. 6:19 tells us that your body is God’s temple. The message of divine healing and supernatural health is almost completely minimized in the current spiritual climate we live in. Our messages about healing and health are very tepid and few and far between. 1 Peter 2:24 says, “by his stripes we WERE healed.” Exodus 15:26 reveals that God is our healer and promises to allow none of the diseases upon us that people outside of Christ experience. Healing for the body was provided by the same stroke that makes our salvation available. God heals us on the same basis as He saves us – by the work of the Cross. If He doesn’t heal all the time, He doesn’t save all the time, and we have no ground for standing in faith for the new birth. It is time for a clarion call back to the message that Jesus SAVES, HEALS, and DELIVERS.

In v. 8, we observe that Joshua now becomes Moses’ successor because Moses laid his hands upon him. It doesn’t emphasize because Moses mentored and instructed Joshua – though perhaps he did but rather that he laid hands on Joshua. What transpired when this happened?

[Num 27:18, 20 KJV] 18 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom [is] the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him; … 20 And thou shalt put [some] of thine honour [majesty, glory, promotion] upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient.

Do you see that Moses’s laying on of hands on Joshua was more than a religious protocol? The glory of God rested upon Moses. When he laid hands on Joshua, a transference took place because of what was IN MOSES. Likewise, we are to lay hands on the sick not as religious protocol but because of what is in us – because of the INDWELLING of the glory of God. We are so unaware of this that very little actually happens when we pray for the sick in this way – we are neglectful of the reality of the glory of God that is in us.

When the bible speaks of grieving the Holy Ghost, we speak of something on the inside of us. Because of Christ in us (Col. 1:26,27), we will not allow our eyes to see those things that grieve His heart. We will not let our feet to go or our hands to do what displeases Him. What things? You will know it instantly and instinctively. You don’t need someone else to tell you, although they could. Determine in your heart you will not do, or see, or go or speak anything that detracts from the intimate regard taking place at all times within you between your spirit and the Spirit of God that lives in you. It is time for the glory of God to be manifest, but it will not flow when the Holy Spirit is grieved. We must make these adjustments.