WHY DID NOT MOSES ENTER THE PROMISED LAND? WHY WASN’T IT ALLOWED?
Being Moses the leader of the Exodus, why didn’t Moses enter the promised land?
Moses and the promised land
Moses appears in Hebrews 11 as an example of faith. In Deuteronomy 34 we read that God himself buried Moses. We are also told that, “since then no prophet has risen up in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. . . . For no one has ever displayed the great power or performed the wonders that Moses did in the sight of all Israel” (Deuteronomy 34:10, 12). However, Moses, despite all the blessings from him, was not allowed to enter the Promised Land.. Why didn’t Moses enter the Promised Land?
WHY DID NOT MOSES ENTER THE PROMISED LAND? (Answer in Numbers 20:12)
What does the Bible tell us about why Moses did not enter the promised land?
In Deuteronomy 20:12, God gives the reason why Moses did not enter the promised land: “And the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron, BECAUSE YE DID NOT BELIEVE IN ME, to sanctify me before the children of Israel, therefore do not You will bring this congregation into the land that I have given them.
Why didn’t Moses enter the promised land? Because you did not believe in me, you did not sanctify me.
Also Deuteronomy 32:51-52 says: “Because you sinned against me in the midst of the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah of Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because you did not sanctify me in the midst of the children of Israel. You see, Therefore, the land before you; but you shall not enter there, to the land that I give to the children of Israel.”
The incident at the waters of Meribah Kadesh is recorded in Numbers 20. Near the end of their forty years of wandering, the Israelites reached the Wilderness of Zin. There was no water and the community turned against Moses and Aaron.
Why didn’t Moses enter the promised land? He didn’t enter because he didn’t sanctify God or honor him by disobeying
Moses and Aaron went to the tent of meeting and prostrated themselves before God. God told Moses and Aaron to gather the assembly and speak to the rock. Water would come out. Moses took the rod and gathered the men together. Then, apparently angry, Moses said to them:
“And Moses and Aaron assembled the congregation before the rock, and said to them, Hear now, you rebels! Shall we bring water out of this rock? 11 Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice; And much water came out, and the congregation drank, and their beasts.” (Numbers 20:10-11).
The previous verse gives us the answer to the question about why Moses did not enter the promised land.
The water came out of the rock, as God had promised. But God immediately told Moses and Aaron that because they did not trust Him enough to honor Him as holy, they would not take the children of Israel to the Promised Land (verse 12).
WHY DID NOT MOSES ENTER THE PROMISED LAND? HERE SOME REASONS
Why didn’t Moses enter the promised land? Because he disobeyed a command from God by hitting the rock
The punishment may seem severe to us, but when we look closely at Moses’ actions, we see several errors. Obviously, Moses disobeyed a direct command from God. God had commanded Moses to speak to the rock. Instead, Moses struck the rock with his staff. Here we have the answer to why Moses did not enter the promised land.
Earlier, when God had drawn water from a rock, he commanded Moses to strike it with a rod as Exodus 17:6 tells us:
“Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you will strike the rock, and water will come out of it, and the people will drink.”
But God’s instructions were different in Numbers chapter 20:7-8: “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and speak to the rock in their sight; and she will give her water, and you will draw water for them from the rock, and you will give drink to the congregation and their beasts.”
As can be read in the previous verse, the order was to speak to the rock and Moses hit the rock, this is disobeying God’s order or command about how he should do things.
Why didn’t Moses enter the promised land? Moses did not enter the promised land because he did not believe God
God wanted Moses to trust Him, God wanted him to believe in Him, especially after being in such a close relationship for so many years.
Moses did not need to use force; he simply needed to obey God and know that God would be faithful to his promise, that is, believe in Him.
Why didn’t Moses enter the promised land? Because he took credit for drawing water from the rock
Moses claimed credit for drawing the water. He asks the people gathered by the rock: ”
Shall we bring water out of this rock?” (Numbers 20:10). Moses seemed to take credit for the miracle to himself (and Aaron), rather than to God. Moses did this publicly. God could not let him go unpunished and expect the Israelites to understand His holiness.
The water-bearing rock is used as a symbol of Christ in 1 Corinthians 10:4. The rock was struck down in Exodus 17:6, just as Christ was once crucified (Hebrews 7:27). The fact that Moses spoke to the rock in Numbers 20 could have been a picture of prayer.
Jesus was “smitten” once, and continues to provide living water to those who pray to him in faith. When Moses struck the rock in anger, he destroyed the biblical typology and, in effect, crucified Christ anew.
WHY DID NOT MOSES ENTER THE PROMISED LAND? IT WAS PART OF THE PUNISHMENT HE RECEIVED
The reason why Moses did not enter the promised land has to do with the punishment that God gave him
Why didn’t Moses enter the promised land? Because this was the punishment of Moses for disobedience, pride, not believing God and the misrepresentation of the sacrifice of Christ was elevated; he was forbidden to enter the Promised Land (Numbers 20:12). However, we do not see Moses complain about his punishment. Instead, he continues to faithfully lead the people and honor God.
In his holiness, God is also compassionate. He invited Moses to climb Mount Nebo, where he showed His beloved prophet the Promised Land before his death. Deuteronomy 34:4-6 records:
Moses could not enter the promised land
“And the LORD said to him, This is the land that I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, I will give it to your descendants. I have allowed you to see it with your eyes, but you will not go there. And Moses the servant of Jehovah died there, in the land of Moab, according to the word of Jehovah. And he buried him in the valley, in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; and no one knows his burial place to this day”.
What happened to Moses on the Rock or rock did not annul or break his relationship with God. God continued to use the prophet and continued to love him tenderly.
Now you have an answer to the question, why didn’t Moses enter the promised land? This also leaves us a lesson, I hope it’s a blessing.