Deuteronomy 34:5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.
It is tragic, isn’t it, to see someone die in the full bloom and vigor of their life? Maybe they had something great to offer the world. We recently were near the winter home of Ernest Hemingway, a brilliant man and a good writer, but a man who took his own life. Why would a person extinguish their own life in the midst of its full vigor? At other times, people don’t intend to lose their lives but they die when it seems that there is so much they could offer. Other people live a very long life. But what defines “a full life”?
When we come to Deuteronomy 34, we read of the end of Moses’ life. You learn that fullness of life is living what God intended. Moses finished his course according to verse 5 “according to the word of the LORD.” That is important because it means that Moses’ life was full because he lived fully the life that God intended.
Notice in contrast, Moses’ life did not end because his natural force was abated. Verse 7 says, “And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.” In other words, it wasn’t as if Moses had nothing more to give. No, he lived his life according to God’s intentions. So, when Moses’ life was over, it was because he had lived fully what God had intended, not because his natural force was abated.
Moses was not finished with his ministry because he had an equal. It wasn’t as if anyone was going to be Moses again. Verse 10 says, “And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.” Now we learn much from Joshua in subsequent days, but Joshua could never be Moses. Moses was an incredible man, and the point is that Moses’ ministry was not finished simply because there was someone else taking his place who was his equal. There wasn’t going to be someone else who was just like Moses.
Moses’ ministry was not complete because God was done with His plan for Israel. Verse 11 says, “In all the signs and the wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, and all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.” These are the things that God had done through Moses. It wasn’t as if God was done with Israel or with His promise or His plan. You see, any life worth living is a life that extends beyond our years on this earth because it involved a larger plan and a larger intellect. It involves the plan and mind of God through the power of God.
So, what is fullness of life? It is not merely living a certain number of years. Wherever you are and whatever your condition, remember that fullness of life is living what God intended. I don’t always know what God intends, but I can always be willing, obedient, and trusting.