Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord,  and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day.

~Deuteronomy 34: 1, 5-6 ESV

I once spoke in a church in an evening service. The sanctuary was large, but only fifteen to twenty people attended. They were not a particularly happy-looking group, and after the service, I learned why. Their previous pastor was a dynamic leader and had built a thriving church, but God called him to another church. Perhaps they needed to learn about glancing at others but gazing at Jesus.

Moses was a great man. God classified him as the meekest man on earth at the time (Numbers 12:3 ESV). But he was not perfect. The only perfect person to walk the face of the earth was the Jewish carpenter, Jesus of Nazareth. Any time we look to a person for our security more than God, that person has become an idol. And idols always disappoint those who worship them.

No one knows exactly where Moses is buried. God wanted it that way. But why? God likely knew His people’s propensity for idolatry, as seen in the golden calf they made during Moses’s absence on the mountain.

We may not make golden idols, but we should remember that our hearts are as susceptible to worshiping false gods as ancient Israel. The false gods of fame and fortune can entice us away from the worship of the one true God.

The great Methodist missionary statesman to India, E. Stanley Jones, once said, “I have learned to glance at man but gaze at Jesus.”

Glancing at others is often acceptable, but gazing at Jesus is imperative.

Father, may my gaze always be intently upon You. In Jesus’s name, amen.

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright 2026: Glancing at Others but Gazing at Jesus: Ken Barnes: All Rights Reserved.