Death of Moses
425
Jehovah sent him to do ... and in all that mighty hand, and in all the
great terror which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel.”
Had not the life of Moses been marred with that one sin, in failing
to give God the glory of bringing water from the rock at Kadesh, he
would have entered the Promised Land, and would have been translated
to heaven without seeing death. But he was not long to remain in the
tomb. Christ Himself, with the angels who had buried Moses, came
down from heaven to call forth the sleeping saint. Satan had exulted at
his success in causing Moses to sin against God, and thus come under
the dominion of death. The great adversary declared that the divine
sentence—“Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (
Genesis
3:19
)—gave him possession of the dead. The power of the grave had
never been broken, and all who were in the tomb he claimed as his
captives, never to be released from his dark prison house.
For the first time Christ was about to give life to the dead. As the
Prince of life and the shining ones approached the grave, Satan was
alarmed for his supremacy. With his evil angels he stood to dispute
an invasion of the territory that he claimed as his own. He boasted
that the servant of God had become his prisoner. He declared that
even Moses was not able to keep the law of God; that he had taken
to himself the glory due to Jehovah—the very sin which had caused
Satan’s banishment from heaven—and by transgression had come
under the dominion of Satan. The archtraitor reiterated the original
charges that he had made against the divine government, and repeated
his complaints of God’s injustice toward him.
Christ did not stoop to enter into controversy with Satan. He might
have brought against him the cruel work which his deceptions had
wrought in heaven, causing the ruin of a vast number of its inhabitants.
He might have pointed to the falsehoods told in Eden, that had led
[479]
to Adam’s sin and brought death upon the human race. He might
have reminded Satan that it was his own work in tempting Israel
to murmuring and rebellion, which had wearied the long-suffering
patience of their leader, and in an unguarded moment had surprised
him into the sin for which he had fallen under the power of death. But
Christ referred all to His Father, saying, “The Lord rebuke thee.”
Jude
9
. The Saviour entered into no dispute with His adversary, but He then
and there began His work of breaking the power of the fallen foe, and
bringing the dead to life. Here was an evidence that Satan could not