Show Me Your Glory Lessons from the Life of Moses Inductive Discovery Lesson 21 M oses had one last mountain to climb. He went alone, knowing he would not return. From the summit of Pisgah, the crowning point of Mt. Nebo, God gave His servant a panoramic view of the Promised Land. Moses looked north to Gilead, with its wooded and rolling hills ideal for grazing flocks. With undimmed eyes, Moses gazed across the plains as far as the Mediterranean (western) Sea. How long did he linger there, drinking in the view? We can only say with certainty that Moses last moments were spent in intimate fellowship with the Lord. Pisgah ( cleft ) reminds us of Moses prayer forty years earlier on Mt. Sinai. I pray You, show me Your glory! Though it was not possible to see His face, God told Moses I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. But here, in the cleft on Mt. Nebo, God did not cover Moses and pass by. For all the beauty of Canaan s land, it was not the last thing Moses saw. It was seeing God at last, in all His glory, which took Moses breath away! Background Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the sons of Israel before His death. - Deuteronomy 33:1 It was customary for a father to impart a blessing just before his death. Moses, leader of the Exodus and the mediator of the Sinaitic Covenant, was in a sense Israel s father. -The Bible Knowledge Commentary, pg. 321 Deuteronomy 34 Read the entire passage in one sitting. If possible, read it again from a different Bible translation. Briefly describe in your own words what is happening. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1
Write down your OBSERVATIONS Read the section and record what you see. Use the first column to keep track of what you find in the Bible passage. (Who? What? When? Where?) Look for clues that tell you when and where the story is taking place. What events are recorded? Who is mentioned and what role do they play? What choices do they make? Do they succeed or fail? How do they respond to circumstances? What attitudes or motives do they display? Use the second column to record information you gather from other sources. Are more details of the story recorded somewhere else in the Bible? What else can you discover about the people and places mentioned? You may want to look up names and places in a Bible dictionary, map or encyclopedia. You can also use this section to jot down your own thoughts and impressions about people and events. Imagine the people, places and events you read about. Don t use your imagination to produce facts, but use it to bring those biblical facts to life. Deuteronomy 34:1-8 Facts from the passage: My Research and Personal Observations: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2
Deuteronomy 34:9-12 Facts from the passage: My Research and Personal Observations: 3
Moses Character Profile This section is provided so that you can get to know Moses, the man. Use the suggested areas on the chart below to track what you have observed about Moses this week. Characteristics/Personality Traits: Training/Growth: Obstacles/Challenges: Accomplishments/Failures: Attitudes/Motives: Relationship with God/With Others: 4
INTERPRETATION What does it mean? Look for a spiritual lesson. Be careful not to read into the Bible an idea that is not there. Examine each verse in light of the verses around it. To help you find a spiritual lesson, ask questions such as, Is there a command to obey? A promise to claim? A condition to that promise? Is there a warning to heed? An example to follow or avoid? Looking at a character, ask questions such as, How did God deal with this person? How did they respond to their circumstances? What strengths or talents are revealed? What faults are exposed? Did they learn from their failures? Who did they depend on? How did they influence others? What did they accomplish? State the lesson in one simple sentence. APPLICATION How does it apply to me? We don t study the Bible just to gather information we want to spiritually grow. Our heart needs to be open to change. The only way to move truth off the pages of your Bible and into your life is to put it into action. To apply a spiritual lesson, we must examine ourselves and take deliberate steps to do something with what we have learned. Ask yourself: Is this a new lesson, or does it reinforce what I already know? What does it challenge me to do? Does it point out error in my attitude or actions? What changes does it require? Think of how the lesson relates to you and what specific course of action you will take. Write your application in the form of a question to make it personal. Deuteronomy 34:1-8 Lesson: Application: Deuteronomy 34:9-12 Lesson: Application: Summary Write a simple sentence that summarizes what the passage is about. Give a title to the chapter that will help you personally to remember it. 5
God s Word Bearing Fruit For you, personally, what has been the most important lesson from this study? How will you put what you have discovered into practice? Take a Look Back Go back and review your weekly lessons. Write the title you gave your lesson and briefly what you recorded in the section called God s Word Bearing Fruit. Lesson 1 Exodus Ch. 1-2 Lesson 2 Exodus Ch. 3-4 Lesson 3 Exodus Ch. 5-6 Lesson 4 Exodus Ch. 7-8 6
Lesson 5 Exodus Ch. 9-10 Lesson 6 Exodus Ch. 11-12 Lesson 7 Exodus Ch. 13-14 Lesson 8 Exodus Ch. 15-16 Lesson 9 Exodus Ch. 17-18 Lesson 10 Exodus Ch. 19-20 7
Lesson 11 Exodus Ch. 32 Lesson 12 Exodus Ch. 33 Lesson 13 Exodus Ch. 34 Lesson 14 Numbers 11-12 Lesson 15 Numbers 13-14 Lesson 16 Numbers 20 8
Lesson 17 Deuteronomy 6-7 Lesson 18 Deuteronomy 11 Lesson 19 Deuteronomy 30 Lesson 20 Deuteronomy 31 Lesson 21 Deuteronomy 34 9
Something to Think About... What glimpses we get of the inner life of this noble man! All that he wrought on earth was the outcome of the secret abiding of his soul in God. God was his home, his help, his stay. He was nothing; God was all. And all that he accomplished on earth was due to that Mighty One indwelling, fulfilling, and working out through him 1 - F. B. Meyer - 1 F.B. Meyer, Moses (Christian Literature Crusade, 1978), pg. 183 10
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