Have you ever had a visitor that you knew was coming for a while, and as the day got closer the excitement grew greater and greater by the day…and then the hour…and then the minute!? By the time  they FINALLY arrived, you were probably pacing by the door, peeking out the window every other second, and by the time they reached the door you hardly let them knock before you flung the door open and greeted them!

Our reading today pictures two different outcomes for the eager expectation of the fulfillment of God’s promises. The first is in Deuteronomy 32. Moses, having led the people through the wilderness for 40 years, stands on the verge of the promised land. He has seen God work time and time again: leading by a cloud and a pillar of fire, turning bitter water into sweet, feeding them with manna and quail, and even so far as to bring water from a rock. But there is a problem: Moses didn’t put his trust in God alone to provide, he also trusted in his “own understanding.”

If you recall Numbers 20, God is about to bring water from a rock for the second time. The first time, He told Moses to strike the rock with his rod. This time, He prescribes a different method: speaking. Moses, frustrated with the people, did two things wrong. First, he took the credit for what was about to happen. “Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?” (emphasis mine) By taking that credit, he was stealing glory from God. But not only did he steal God’s glory, he disobeyed God’s command. “And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice:”

Because of this, we read both in Numbers 20:12 and in Deuteronomy 32:51 that Moses would not be allowed to enjoy the fulfillment of the promise. God did, however, allow him to SEE the fulfillment of the promise in Deuteronomy 32:52. Imagine looking forward to something that long and being that close to it without being able to enjoy it all because of one choice.

But Luke 12 gives us the other side of the story: that of someone who makes the right choice in eagerly awaiting the fulfillment of a promise. In verse 37, Jesus says, “Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.”

What choice did they make differently? They believed the lord when he said he would come again, and as a result were eagerly waiting for the fulfillment of that promise. They didn’t care WHAT time he came, as evidenced in v. 38 “And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.” If he comes in the middle of the night, they would still be waiting and ready.

So how can you ensure that you are not left standing so close to the fulfillment of the promise, seeing it, but not getting to enjoy it? The Lord Jesus promised that he would return (John 14). He has given the prescription for how we can have eternal life (Mark 1:15, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Romans 10:13, Ephesians 2:8-9). Some people, like Moses, think that God’s solution is too easy, or not enough to get the job done and try to add to it, but like Ephesians 2:9 points out, by doing so, they rob God of glory. You can NOT be saved if you are trying to add what YOU think works to God’s solution.

But for those who are fully trusting in God alone to fulfill His promise, when He comes, He will find them eagerly, and excitedly waiting! When Christ gathers His people together, will you be found snoozing or watching?