April 6, 2022 –
I heard someone say, “Hanging a horseshoe facing upwards in a ‘U’ shape keeps evil out and brings good luck into your home.” This sort of information may be true or false, but after hearing it, I got to thinking about the game of horseshoes.
When I was young, I spent many hours playing Horseshoes. Though I wasn’t good at the game, I did score a ringer on occasions. For me, I wanted to get close to the peg because, in the scoring system, closeness counted. Therefore, the expression “Close only counts in horseshoes.”
Moses was close to going into the Promised Land, but he was not allowed to enter. Scripture records God’s reason for not letting Moses lead the Israelites into Canaan.
“Because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel. For you shall see the land before you, but you shall not go there, into the land that I am giving to the people of Israel.” (Deuteronomy 32:51–52, ESV)
From Mount Nebo, a mountain top opposite Jericho, God allowed Moses to survey the Promised Land; for his unfaithfulness to the Lord at Meribah, the Lord prevented him from leading the Israelites across the Jordan.
Sometimes close is not good enough. In your relationship with Jesus, close doesn’t count. Knowing Him as your Savior and Lord does.