Middle School Option HOPE FOR Deuteronomy 13EACH DAY 32:48-52; 34:4-7 EXPLORATION Deuteronomy 32:48-52; 34:4-7 32:48 On that same day the LORD spoke to Moses, 49 “Go up Mount Nebo in the Abarim range in the land of Moab, across from Jericho, and view the land of Canaan I am giving the Central Israelites as a possession. 50 Then you will die on the TRUTH mountain that you go up, and you will be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people. 51 For both of you broke faith with G o d’s pr o m is e s me among the Israelites at the Waters of Meribath-kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin by failing to treat me as holy in and presence their presence. 52 Although from a distance you will view give us the the land that I am giving the Israelites, you will not go hope we need t here.” to face any 34:4 The LORD then said to him, “This is the land I situation. promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it.” 5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the LORD’s w or d. 6 He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab facing Beth-peor, and no one to this day knows where his grave is. 7 Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his eyes were not weak, and his vitality had not left him. Prepare for your group meeting by reading the passage two times. 124 // Explore the Bible: Students Talk it Out Explore .01 WHAT IS THE SCARIEST THING OPTIONS YOU HAVE EVER DONE? WHAT MADE IT SO SCARY? .01 Wishful Thinking .02 HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO GET Divide students into small groups and explain THROUGH THAT SITUATION? that each group has three wishes that they must choose together (and no, they cannot wish for more wishes). Give groups time to decide on what their wishes would be. Ask groups to share the wishes they decided on and then discuss these questions together. How much of your wishes were centered around material things rather than spiritual things? Were your wishes selfish or This week’s others-centered? Is there a difference between a wish and hope? Explain that hope is much better FOCUS than a wish because a wish is just a thought. Hope, however, is always centered on a person. Our hope as believers is in God and we can have that hope Perhaps you’ve been bungee jumping because of God’s character. Today we’ll look at how or gone on a tall zipline, or maybe God’s promises and presence give us the hope we the scariest thing you’ve ever done need to face any situation. was learning to ski. Or maybe it was something that’s frightening on a more .02 Who’s There? personal level, like standing up to a bully, telling someone you like you how feel, Search online for cheesy knock-knock jokes. Here’s or confronting a friend you’re concerned an example: “Knock knock. Who’s there? Cow about. Even if you haven’t faced these says. Cow says who? No, a cow says moooooo.” Or kinds of situations or challenges yet, another example: “Knock knock. Who’s there?” you likely will. Since we live in a broken Spell. Spell who? Okay, okay: W.H.O.” Share several world, life is full of situations and knock-knock jokes with your students and ask challenges that frighten us. There are them to share some that they know. You might few things more frightening than the consider even giving a small prize for the cheesiest reality of death. This is the reality Moses knock-knock joke. Knock-knock jokes are definitely is facing in the passages we are studying cheesy but they are known for always containing today. As we see Moses approach death a key phrase: “Who’s there?” This phrase makes in Deuteronomy, we will see that God’s us think of someone being at the door, waiting to promises and presence give us the hope come in. We serve a God who is always there. He we need to face any situation. is always present. No matter what we face, God is ready to help us face it with His help. Today we’ll discover how God’s promises and presence give us the hope we need to face any situation. Session 13 // 125 CONVERSATION 13Read Deuteronomy 32:48-52 and 34:4. .03 WHAT DID GOD COMMAND MOSES TO DO? HOW DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD HAVE RESPONDED TO SUCH A COMMAND? .04 WHY DID GOD INFORM MOSES THAT HE WAS GOING TO DIE SOON? WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS? Having just written a song of praise to God (Deut. 32:1-43), recited it to the people of Israel (Deut. 32:44), and challenged the Israelites to faithfully keep the law (Deut. 32:46-47), Moses was now commanded by God to climb Mount Nebo where he would die. God would allow Moses to see the promised land but not to enter it. God also informed Moses that he would die on Mount Nebo. In other words, God told Moses to go to the place where he would die. We would all like to think that we would go anywhere God commanded, but when it means death, that’s easier said than done. Moses was able to obey this command, in part, because he knew God was with him. God’s presence can empower us to face any situation. How do you think you would respond to knowing you were about to die? What would you want to do or see before you died? For Moses, it was the promised land. He wanted to see the good land that God had promised to establish the Israelites in. .05 WHY WASN’T MOSES ALLOWED TO ENTER THE PROMISED LAND? WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS? Ironically, immediately after challenging the Israelites to diligently and faithfully obey all of God’s law (v. 46), God reminded Moses of his own past sin which would keep him from entering the promised land (see Num. 20:1-13). When the Israelites were without water in the Wilderness of Zin, they went to Moses and Aaron and basically said that they wished they were back in Egypt. Despite the Israelites’ sinful attitudes, God intended to save them yet again by providing water for them. God instructed Moses to speak to a rock which would pour forth water. In his anger, Moses struck the rock with his staff rather than speaking to it. Theological Context: For more on what it means to “fail to treat God as holy,” see the Theological Context note in the Commentary. Leader Pack / ITEM 5: Review Deuteronomy 31:6 and remind students how God’s presence with us, His children, empowers us with the strength we need to face all kinds of situations, even difficulty and suffering. 126 // Explore the Bible: Students COMMENTARY Deuteronomy 32:48-52 48-49. After Moses left Israel with a song of remembrance, teaching them what happens when people leave God out of their lives, God directed Moses to ascend a mountain once again. Mount Nebo, one of the highest peaks of the ten-mile Abarim range in the land of Moab, is located at the northeastern end of the Dead Sea, just east of Jericho. Instead of meeting with God on the mountain as he had done in the past, Moses would view the promised land. In preparation for Moses’ death, God gave Moses the privilege of seeing the culmination of his forty- year journey as the leader of the Israelites by allowing him to peer into the land of Canaan. Promised to Abraham years earlier, God was on the brink of giving His people a land of their own. 50-52. Having just admonished the Israelites to obey God’s Word, Moses was reminded that he and Aaron broke faith with God. They had dishonored Him by their disobedience. At the waters of Meribath-Kadesh, tired of the people’s incessant complaining, Moses lashed out at the people by calling them rebels. He angrily struck the rock (Num. 20), ignoring God’s command that he speak to the rock. Moses and Aaron acted as if they produced the water. Their disobedience destroyed the picture that God wanted to be painted that day, robbing God of displaying His power through the spoken word. As the leaders of the covenant community, they treated God and His command with disrespect in front of the people. Even if Moses felt his anger was justified, or if it was a case of temporary lapse brought on by stress, what Moses did was inexcusable. Because of their sin, neither Moses nor Aaron were allowed into the promised land. In His mercy, the Lord let Moses view the land from the mountaintop before his death. While God’s action may seem harsh, it’s a reminder that all sin is offensive to the Lord. Moreover, God reserves a stricter judgment for spiritual leaders (James 3:1). Death reminds us of our sin. But God gave His Son as the payment for sin, making forgiveness and reconciliation with Him possible through Jesus Christ.