“‘O Sovereign Lord, you have only begun to show your greatness and the strength of your hand to me, your servant. Is there any god in heaven or on earth who can perform such great and mighty deeds as you do? Please let me cross the Jordan to see the wonderful land on the other side, the beautiful hill country and the Lebanon mountains.’ “But the Lord was angry with me because of you, and he would not listen to me. ‘That’s enough!’ he declared. ‘Speak of it no more. But go up to Pisgah Peak, and look over the land in every direction. Take a good look, but you may not cross the Jordan River. Instead, commission Joshua and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead the people across the Jordan. He will give them all the land you now see before you as their possession.’ So we stayed in the valley near Beth-peor.”
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Deuteronomy‬ ‭3‬:‭24‬-‭29‬ ‭NLT

One of the most difficult things about Moses is his imperfection. He is a flawed man. This is not to say that he was not a great leader. It is also not to say that he wasn’t a man of God. Clearly he was. However, he had limitations and exasperations. For some followers of God, these might have been trivialized but it is important to draw attention to them. Moses was faithful, but he was also prone to bitterness. He was prone to resentment. He was prone to bouts of anger. These states would be humanly justifiable, given his monumental tasks and the stubbornness of Israel. However, part of that task was to demonstrate God’s character. It was to show the infinitude of God’s grace along with his law. He repeatedly failed at this. Even at death’s door, Moses continued to blame the people for his own behavior. It is a disingenuous statement to claim that God was angry with Moses, because of the Hebrew nation. God was angry with Moses because of Moses. Moses only told half the truth. God was kind to Moses despite his blame shifting, because Moses had done right in most ways, but old seeds had to die with him. He proved that, he too, carried a toxicity in his heart that must not enter the promised land. We must search our own hearts for thoughts that might keep us also from our promised lands.

Moses’s Imperfection: Moses, a great leader and man of God, had limitations, including bitterness, resentment, and anger.

Moses’s Failure to Demonstrate God’s Character: Moses failed to consistently demonstrate God’s grace and law, even at death’s door, blaming the people for his own behavior.

Moses’s Toxicity: Moses’s blame-shifting and bitterness, despite God’s kindness, revealed a toxicity that rightfully prevented him from entering the promised land.