Unyielding

DEU 3:21-29 NLT

“At that time I gave Joshua this charge: ‘You have seen for yourself everything the Lord your God has done to these two kings. He will do the same to all the kingdoms on the west side of the Jordan. Do not be afraid of the nations there, for the Lord your God will fight for you.’ “At that time I pleaded with the Lord and said, ‘O Sovereign Lord, you have only begun to show your greatness and the strength of your hand to me, your servant. Is there any god in heaven or on earth who can perform such great and mighty deeds as you do? Please let me cross the Jordan to see the wonderful land on the other side, the beautiful hill country and the Lebanon mountains.’ “But the Lord was angry with me because of you, and he would not listen to me. ‘That’s enough!’ he declared. ‘Speak of it no more. But go up to Pisgah Peak, and look over the land in every direction. Take a good look, but you may not cross the Jordan River. Instead, commission Joshua and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead the people across the Jordan. He will give them all the land you now see before you as their possession.’ So we stayed in the valley near Beth-peor.
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I've been waiting for more than 13 years for something quite important to happen and 24 years for another thing to happen. Neither thing is trivial and both very much have seemed God's plan.

Moses had been waiting for about 80 years to see God's promise. And for the last 40 years Moses' whole goal was to lead these People into God's promised land.

Now he can't go. Furthermore, his new goal is to prepare his assistant, Joshua, for the job.

This is a hard pill to swallow and Moses begs God to reconsider. I'm not sure how many times Moses had mentioned it. It could be that it is only those few times recorded in Numbers and Deuteronomy or it could have become a repeated refrain of Moses' prayer life. However many times Moses had asked, God has had enough and tells Moses, "‘Speak of it no more."
What must Moses have felt? It seems to me there a only a few things that make this news bearable. And I'm still left with a few questions 

Moses was old and was going to die soon so he'd not have to face this disappointment for long and he'd then be in a much better place.

Moses was confident that God's plan was going forward under Joshua leadership so the people would realise the goal 

Moses at least knew the final word on the matter and could at least not be in any doubt as to God's feelings on the matter.

But why is it that Moses seems to be able to pass the blame for his not being able to enter the Promised Land on to the Children of Israel rather than on his and his brother's disobedience.

Numbers 20:12-13 NLT

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!” This place was known as the waters of Meribah (which means “arguing”) because there the people of Israel argued with the Lord , and there he demonstrated his holiness among them.

Sometimes we get all worked up and begin to identify with someone like Moses in the bible. But this is not Moses story. this is God's story. We are meant to be hearing and identifying with the one who deserves and demands our uncompromising love. This is a story about a compassionate, holy, promise keeping God. A story of hope and redemption a story that leads us to Jesus. Moses is not a saviour. Moses could not finish what he set out to do. Every attempt by man to live up to the standard will fall short. Only Jesus is righteous enough, ultimately only Jesus saves. In the end Joshua begins the next step but he too will be incomplete. But we are promised with Jesus he can finish the work! He can succeed where all other have failed.

Moses in the end is just like you. Just a person who will ultimately fail on their own and not make it to the goal. Only in Christ can you make it to the end!