And the Lord said to Moses: “You are going to rest with your ancestors, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them.

Deuteronomy 31:16 (NIV)

Imagine spending a third of your life serving and teaching people about the Lord. Indeed, not only did you teach the people about the Lord, but you consistently intervened for them to God. Then, right before you die, you find out that those same people will turn away from the Lord. That’s what happened to Moses.

I wonder how Moses felt when God told him that he’d forsake the Israelites and that they would be destroyed. Did Moses regret his life choices? Had he to do it all over again, would he not intervene for them after descending from Mount Sinai and seeing the golden calf the people had made?

“I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”

Exodus 32:9-10 (NIV)

After all, God could have started over with Moses, and maybe everything could have been better. Still, I don’t think Moses would have done anything differently. Well, except for disobeying the Lord at Meribah Kadesh (Numbers 20:10-12). We have our answer about how Moses felt by what he said to the Israelites after discovering they would turn away from the Lord.

For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you have been rebellious against the Lord while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after I die!…For I know that after my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt and to turn from the way I have commanded you. In days to come, disaster will fall on you because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord and arouse his anger by what your hands have made.”

Deuteronomy 31:27,29 (NIV)

It mattered to Moses that the Israelites would turn away from God, but it didn’t surprise him. What matters the most, however, is that Moses did his job despite what he knew about the Israelites. This is how we need to live and serve the Lord.

No matter what God has called us to do, we must faithfully do it. If we’re parents, we raise our kids to know the Lord. As Christians, we tell people about the Lord. Most of all, we pray. We don’t stop interceding for people. Even if we think they are rebellious and stiff-necked. While we may die, our prayers do not.

Recently, my pastor died. A month or two before he died, he talked about his grandson, who he had been praying for to be saved, My pastor spent a lot of time talking to his grandson, but he didn’t seem to get through to him, which bothered him. However, at his funeral celebration, my pastor’s grandson was saved, and this tells me we should never give up praying for people as long as we have breath in our bodies.

Do you know God? God knows you, and he loves you. He sees you as significant because you are. No one is insignificant to Him. He’s with you today, and he wants you to know him. Jesus died for your sins and mine so we could be free of guilt, freed from death, and live eternally with him. Eternal salvation is just a prayer away.

Pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation:

Lord Jesus, forgive me for all my sins. I repent from my ways. Wash me in your blood and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I believe that you died on the cross, were buried, and on the third day, God the Father raised you from the dead. Right now, Lord Jesus, I open the door to my heart and receive you into my heart as my Lord and personal Savior. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment, and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.