God’s No

Scripture: Deuteronomy 3:21-29

Video Link: https://youtu.be/Ytjj0JHzE1A

Audio Link: https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/sermon-26-jun-2022-gods-no

Structure:

• Introduction
• Moses prays
• God answers
• Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

In 1969 the Rolling Stones released a song: You can’t always get what you want. I don’t know what Mick Jagger and Keith Richards meant by the lyrics but, given it was the end of the 60’s, one might guess the song reflected a certain felt disappointment that the social change promised by the prophets of that decade had not been delivered.

In these days, of hyper-individualism, the song has become a kind of personal lament, when things don’t go our way.   

This morning we continue our series in the book of Deuteronomy by focusing on the closing verses of chapter 3, in which Moses does not get what he wants. From verse 21 of Deuteronomy 3 we read…

²¹ At that time I commanded Joshua: “You have seen with your own eyes all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings. The Lord will do the same to all the kingdoms over there where you are going. ²² Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you.”

²³ At that time I pleaded with the Lord: ²⁴ “Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do? ²⁵ Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan—that fine hill country and Lebanon.”

²⁶ But because of you the Lord was angry with me and would not listen to me. “That is enough,” the Lord said. “Do not speak to me anymore about this matter. ²⁷ Go up to the top of Pisgah and look west and north and south and east. Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to cross this Jordan. ²⁸ But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.” ²⁹ So we stayed in the valley near Beth Peor.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

In this reading, Moses prayers and God answers Moses’ prayer, although not exactly in the way Moses might have wanted.

But before we get into Moses’ prayer let me recap where the Israelites have got to. You may remember from last week how the Lord instructed Israel to approach the Promised Land from the East being careful not to pick a fight with Edom, Moab or Ammon, and Israel obeyed.

Well, after that, there were two small kingdoms (Heshbon and Bashan), on the east side of the Jordan, which Israel had to pass through to get to the Jordan river. Israel tried to pass through these lands peacefully but king Sihon and king Og would not allow it, so Israel were forced to go to war against them and the Lord gave the new generation of Israelites victory.

Now the path was cleared for the people of Israel to cross the Jordan and take possession of the land of Canaan. Moses wanted to cross over with the Israelites too and so he prayed to ask God’s permission.

Moses prays:

Have you ever played the spinning broom game? This is when you hold a broom close to your body, looking up at the end of the handle, while spinning around a few times. After you have spun you then have to step over the broom.

To the casual observer it seems quite easy but for the person doing the spinning it is a lot harder than it looks. Trying to keep your balance after having spun several times is really difficult. You have to pause and be still for a wee bit to get your bearings and reorient yourself.

Life can be a bit like the spinning broom game at times. We can find ourselves going around and around in circles focusing on the same things and it throws us off balance. Prayer is one thing we can do to reorient ourselves.

With prayer we make time and space to be still and to shift our focus off the broom handle of life’s chores and onto the God of eternity. One of the main purposes of prayer is to connect with God, to realign ourselves with his will. We find our true north when we focus on God in worship. 

When Moses approaches God in prayer, he doesn’t start by telling God what he wants. Moses begins by focusing on God and what the Lord has done. In verse 24 Moses says…

²⁴ “Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do?

Verse 24 is an example of adoration of God. By focusing on God in adoration, Moses stops spinning and reorients himself.  Moses isn’t trying to butter God up in order get what he wants. Moses is getting his head straight; he is realigning his perspective by speaking the truth about God.

When we listen to the Lord’s Prayer we notice the first half of it is all about God. Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.   

Jesus taught us to pray in this way because it reorients us toward God, it shows us the true north of heaven.  There is no me, my or I in the first half of Moses’ prayer or Jesus’ prayer.

So, next time you are in a spin. Next time life is going too fast and you feel like you are losing your balance, so you don’t know which way is up, take some time to stop and be still and focus on God. Tell him and yourself some things you know to be true about the Lord. Simply adore him and let your perspective return.

Only after Moses has focused on God in adoration does he then attempt to step over the broom handle and ask for what he wants, saying in verse 25…

²⁵ Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan—that fine hill country and Lebanon.”

This is quite remarkable really. Moses is the better part of 120 years old by this stage and he isn’t yet tired of this life. Moses has had a taste of what God can do and he wants more. After 40 years of frustration, doing the hard yards and wandering in the wilderness, Moses wants to see the fruits of his labours. And who could blame him.

Moses describes the land beyond the Jordan as fine. Elsewhere it is spoken of as fertile, a land flowing with milk and honey. I’ve never been to Palestine but I’ve seen images and not many people would describe it as fine these days.

It’s not rolling green pastures or thick native bush like we have in New Zealand. More the opposite really. Not sure why people make such a fuss and spill so much blood over it?

Well, most probably it was a fine and fertile land during the time of Moses, all those centuries ago. But now, due to the impact of man and erosion, the land is less appealing.

Perhaps though it wasn’t just the physical characteristics of the land that excited Moses. More likely it was the hope that the land embodied.     

As Moses himself indicates, he was keen to see more of the works of God. He saw how the new generation of Israelites obeyed God and he wants to see more of that obedience of faith. Not only that but Moses is keen to see more victories by the Lord’s hand, as when God defeated king Sihon and king Og.

God answers:

Unfortunately, you can’t always get what you want. The Lord responded to Moses saying…  

“That is enough. Do not speak to me anymore about this matter…”

Apparently, this was not the first time Moses had asked God if he could enter the land.

God’s answers to our prayers are like a traffic light. We usually get one of three responses from God. Green for yes, amber for wait and red for no. On this occasion Moses is not able to change God’s mind. It is a firm no.     

In verse 26, Moses says…  

²⁶ But because of you the Lord was angry with me and would not listen to me.

Moses is referring here to an incident that happened years earlier in the wilderness. At one point (in Numbers 20) when the people were complaining about not having any water to drink, Moses asked the Lord what to do.

The Lord told Moses and Aaron to speak to a particular rock in the sight of the Israelites and it will pour out its water. But Moses was in a spin. He had lost his balance. Moses was angry with the people and said to them, ‘Listen you rebels, must we bring water out of this rock for you?’ And then he struck the rock twice with his staff.

Water did come out of the rock and the people drank but God was not happy. So the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honour me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

According to this verse, Moses did two things to offend God here. Firstly, Moses did not trust God enough. He hit the rock twice, when God had told him to speak to the rock. And secondly Moses did not honour the Lord as holy in the sight of the Israelites.

To say that God is holy means that he is set apart, he is different from anyone or anything else. God is one of a kind. There is nothing else in all creation as good or pure or powerful or loving as God Almighty.

When Moses said, ‘must we bring water out of this rock for you?’ he by-passed the Lord. God and God alone is the only one who can bring water out of a rock. This was an opportunity for the people to see the holiness of God in action. Moses didn’t give God the credit or the honour. Moses treated something holy (a life giving miracle of God) as if it were common or profane.

This was out of character for Moses. This was not what we normally observe with the great man. His sister Miriam had just died, so Moses was grieving. More than that though, the people were being really difficult. They were always pushing back on something, so obstinate, so obtuse. Moses’ frustration was understandable.

When we consider Moses’ long and faithful service to the Lord and all the challenges he faced, we might think God was being a bit harsh in refusing Moses entry to the land. Surely God could wink at Moses’ indiscretion this once and make an allowance. But to go down that path in our mind is to misunderstand the holiness of God.

God was not being unfair to Moses by saying ‘no’. The Lord punished others in the wilderness for their mistakes. It wouldn’t then be right or fair for the Lord to give Moses a free pass. Even though Moses is the leader, he was still subject to the Law as much as the people were.

Faithful service to God does not make God obligated to us in any way. Faithful service to God is what we should be doing anyway. It’s like Jesus said to his disciples in Luke 17…

⁷ “Suppose one of you has a servant ploughing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? ⁸ Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? ⁹ Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? ¹⁰ So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

Sometimes we human beings forget our place. Sometimes, when we are busy spinning around that pole, we become disoriented and think that God is there to give us what we want. And while the Lord is gracious and he does help us in so many ways, we need to remember that God is the boss and we are the workers. God is free to say ‘no’ if he thinks that is best and we need to respect his ‘no’.  

Three times in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus said to God the Father, ‘Take this cup from me’, but God said ‘no’ and Jesus accepted God’s will for him.

Three times the apostle Paul prayed for God to remove his thorn in the flesh but God said, ‘No, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’.

Sometimes we need to persevere in prayer. Jesus taught that. But after having persevered, if the answer is still ‘no’, then we need to let it go and give our energy to those things God is saying ‘yes’ to.

What prayer do you keep repeating in the hope that God might change his mind? What personal request, in your life, has God answered with a ‘no’? I know for some people this will be a painful thought.

The temptation when God says ‘no’ is to throw our toys out of the cot and go ahead and do what we want anyway. We need to resist that temptation. We need to be still and reorient ourselves through worship and prayer. We need to let God be God and say with Jesus, ‘Not my will Lord, but your will be done.’

Returning Deuteronomy 3; in verses 27 & 28 we see the grace in God’s no. In verse 27 we read what God said to Moses…

²⁷ Go up to the top of Pisgah and look west and north and south and east. Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to cross this Jordan.

God doesn’t let Moses cross the Jordan but he does allow Moses to see the land from a distance.

Moses standing on top of Mount Pisgah looking on the Promised Land, reminds me of the Mount of Transfiguration, when Moses and Elijah (representing the Law and the Prophets) stood with Jesus in all his glory.

Moses may not have entered the land of Canaan physically but God gave Moses something far greater. The Lord allowed Moses to stand in glory with Jesus. 

Jesus fulfilled the purpose of Moses life, just as he fulfils the purpose of our lives.  

If God says ‘no’ to your request, just wait. He might have something better in store for you later.  

From verse 28 the Lord continues his instruction to Moses, saying…

²⁸ But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.”

Joshua was Moses’ assistant. Moses was Joshua’s mentor. Even though Moses was not allowed to cross the Jordan to take the land, the Lord was saying the new generation of Israelites would. Moses could rest in the knowledge that his life’s work had not been in vain.

The name ‘Joshua’ means The Lord saves. The Greek form of the name Joshua translates to Jesus – so Joshua points to Jesus, the ultimate successor to Moses. It is Jesus who leads us to the Promised Land of God’s kingdom.

To his credit Moses does what God tells him to do. In verses 21 and 22 Moses encourages and strengthens Joshua, saying…

²¹ “You have seen with your own eyes all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings. The Lord will do the same to all the kingdoms over there where you are going. ²² Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you.”

On the face of it Moses appears to be telling Joshua to be brave and courageous in battle, because the Lord (Yahweh) will fight for them and give them victory over the Canaanites. But there is more going on here than a simple pep talk.

In verse 29, we read that the Israelites were staying in the valley near Beth Peor, at this stage.

Geographically, Beth Peor was the last stopping point on the east side of the Jordan. But Beth Peor also had theological significance. According to Numbers 25, Beth Peor was the place where the old generation of Israelites yoked themselves to Baal. So Beth Peor was where Israel had betrayed God. It was a place where pagans practiced their religion. 

Beth Peor then, represented Israel’s failure. It was a spiritually dangerous place. A place of religious temptation.  

Joshua needs all the assurance he can get, not just for military success but (more importantly) to remain faithful to God Almighty and resist the religious alternatives offered by the Canaanites. [1]

To paraphrase Walter Brueggemann: The community of faith is not defined by its past (which is strewn with bad choices) nor by its current context (which breeds despair). Rather, the community of faith is defined by its deep elemental connection to God who can be trusted in every risky circumstance. [2]

In other words, Joshua does not need to be afraid of the so called gods of his enemies. Nor does he need to rely on his own skill or courage. Joshua and Israel need to trust the Lord God Almighty. He will do right by them.  

What is your Beth Peor? What is your moment of failure, your spiritually dangerous place, where you are most vulnerable to temptation, most susceptible to spinning out of control and losing your balance?

Do not be afraid. All our Beth Peors were nailed to the cross with Jesus. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

Conclusion:

Let us pray…

Sovereign Lord, you have shown your greatness, your love, your grace, your truth, your power, your holiness in the person of Jesus Christ. There is no other god in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do. Help us to remember you are the master and we are your servants. Keep us faithful to your call, especially when your answer to our prayers is ‘no’. Through Jesus we pray. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

• Have you ever played the spinning broom game? What happened? What did it feel like? How do we reorient ourselves when we have lost our balance or perspective?

• Why do Moses and Jesus teach us to begin prayer with worship and adoration for who God is and what he has done?

• Why do you think Moses wants to cross the Jordan to see the Promised Land? Why does God say ‘no’ to Moses’ request?

• Have you ever prayed for something and had God say ‘no’? What happened? How did you feel? How did you respond? In hindsight, are you able to see God’s grace in his ‘no’?

• Discuss / reflect on Jesus’ parable in Luke 17:7-10.

• What is your Beth Peor? Ask Jesus’ forgiveness (if you haven’t already) and imagine your mistakes being nailed to the cross. Jesus does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Declare the truth that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Start each day this week by giving your mind to thanks and praise for what God has done in Christ.    

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[1] Refer Walter Brueggemann’s commentary on Deuteronomy, page 46.

[2] Ibid, page 50.