Today I am thinking about the death of Moses, the friend of God, as described in Deuteronomy chapter 34. There the Lord speaks to Moses, shows him the promised land from the mountain and then Moses dies. The Bible says, “... and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab … but no man knows the place of his burial to this day.” Deut. 34:6 (RSV). No one knows the burial place because God did not want the people to turn that into a shrine where people might be tempted to worship Moses. Jewish Study Bible (note to Deut. 34:6).
Deut. 34:6 says that God himself buried Moses! I cannot compare myself to Moses, one of the great saints of all time. But for people who doubt whether a person can get close to God, this is a striking example showing the love of God, and that he does seek that personal relationship with us.
The word of God in the Old Testament is able to stand on its own. There is no need to look for NT hooks on which to hang every OT story. But as someone who reveres Moses, I am pleased to see that Jesus often mentions him. See, for example, Matthew 19:7-8, Matthew 22:24 , Mark 7:10, Mark 12:24, Luke 24:44 and John 5:46. And one of the great mysteries of our faith is Jesus' appearance with Moses (and Elijah) in glory on the mountain. Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:28-36, and see also 2 Peter 1:16-18.
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