And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over. Deuteronomy 34:5-8
Monuments to the famous dead have been in the news recently. Most spectacularly, statues erected in honour of people once regarded as heroic, but now viewed as suspect in terms of racism and the slave trade, have been defaced or even toppled. Just this morning I read that the Church of England is planning a major look at the hundreds of memorials in its various churches: should some of them be removed?
Even though I grew up in London and have spent most of my life there, I must admit that statues, plaques and suchlike were not things I particularly noticed. They were just, well, there – little more than street furniture you walked past, to be honest. Yes, everybody knew about Nelson up his column, of course, but what he stood for… mmm, not so sure about that!
Recent events, though, make it clear that they can take on great importance for people who, rightly or wrongly, feel they have a cause to fight for.
Mulling over this turned my thoughts to the death and burial of Moses, described for us in Deuteronomy 34.
Moses has led the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt to the borders of Canaan, the “Promised Land”, which is to be their new home. But he personally will not cross the River Jordan into that land “flowing with milk and honey” because he has displeased God (even the very greatest of human beings are full of flaws!), and so, we are told, he “died there in Moab”. Rather sad, really.
The circumstances of his death are mysterious. For one thing, the writer (presumably not Moses himself, in spite of Deuteronomy being, according to tradition, one of “the five books of Moses”!) tells us that “he buried him there in Moab”.
But who is “he”? The natural meaning is God himself, though at a pinch the words could be more loosely translated “he was buried there”.
I doubt if we are to imagine that God appeared in some form or other (an angel, perhaps? complete with spade and shovel?) and did the job. More likely, I think, is that Moses went off one day, perhaps to be alone with God, and simply never returned. For the writer then goes on to tell us that “to this day no-one knows where his grave is”.
Now, why does the writer feel the need to tell us that? My guess is that he wanted to discourage those who, understandably, honoured Moses above all other human beings, from trying to locate his resting place, and thus turning it into some kind of shrine or place of pilgrimage.
This, of course, is the danger of such monuments, whether religious or not. I remember, before we left London, wandering around Highgate Cemetery, not all that far from where we lived. It is the home of that massive stone head marking the grave of Karl Marx which you’ve probably seen photos of. Still to this day (I think I’m right in saying) true communist believers gather at that spot annually to honour him. Again, rather sad, really.
Over the centuries many branches of the church have given in to this need to erect physical memorials to the dead. If you go to St Peter’s basilica in Rome you can see a statue of the apostle Peter, seated, where one of his feet has had the toes worn away by the kisses of millions of adoring pilgrims.
Of course, those who have died are to be respected, and there is something restful and sobering in a traditional graveyard. But how easily things can turn to superstition! Jesus himself warned his fellow-Jews about this; addressing the scribes and Pharisees as “hypocrites”, he says, “You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous…” (Matthew 23:29).
Even paintings and statues made with the sincere aim of stimulating thought and prayer can “go bad”, so to speak. It’s worth reflecting that the “bronze snake” Moses was commanded to make by God himself (Numbers 21:4-9) had later to be destroyed by the good king Hezekiah because people had got into the habit of “burning incense to it” (1 Kings 18:1-4).
Is there any good thing in your life or mine which we have in effect turned into an idol?
What really matters when we think about monuments to the dead is this: the only legacy any true Christian should want to leave is the legacy of Christlike character, holy memory and pure example.
Deuteronomy tells us that the people of Israel “grieved” for Moses with “weeping and mourning for thirty days”. Acts 8 tells us that after Stephen was stoned to death “godly men buried him and mourned deeply for him”. But statues? shrines? No!
It was said of Abel, the man who brought a good sacrifice to God, that “he still speaks, though he is dead” (Hebrews 11:4). Still more, we read in Revelation 14:13 of a heavenly voice speaking: “… ‘blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Yes’, says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labour, for their deeds follow them’.”
That, surely, is all that matters. I wonder if it will be said of us in decades to come that we “still speak” and that “our deeds follow us”…?
Dear Father, as I seek to live my earthly life for the glory of Jesus, so may my remembrance, when I am long gone, be also only for his glory. Amen.
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