What will they say of me?

Steve Martin

When I die,
now don’t think I’m a nut,
don’t want no fancy funeral;
just one like old King Tut

W

hen I die and those I leave behind try to figure out what the inscription on my tombstone should say, I hope they don’t have to lie. For example: An inscription reading, A wealthy man who contributed mightily to Mayan historical understanding, would be a lie. I hope that for lack of anything good to say they don’t have to turn to humor. A humorous inscription would be something like Don’t look back; someone might be gaining on you.

No, I hope that when I die I may have honestly earned what was said of Moses: All that the Lord commanded him, so he did.

As I was reading through Exodus recently I noticed that toward the end of that book variations of this phrase are repeated many times. Most times the narrative simply tells what action Moses took and then tagged onto the end of it is: as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Exodus 40:29

And he set the altar of burnt offering at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

I am now reading through Leviticus and after reading much of the law given to Moses the story turns to Moses bringing all the people together and then doing to Aaron and his sons exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses. This was obviously a man who took the commandments of God seriously and followed them.

That’s the man I want to be known as after I die. I want my gravestone to be inscribed with the words, He did what the Lord commanded.

But at the very end of Exodus there is an icing on the cake of Moses’ epitaph. Moses is constructing the tabernacle exactly as God has described it. Each step of the way Moses follows the blueprints—down to the minutest detail. And as each step is completed the bible says, as the Lord had commanded Moses. But there is an additional comment at the very end of it.

So Moses finished the work

Exodus 40:30–33

He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing, with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet. When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, as the Lord commanded Moses. And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.

Not only did Moses do what the Lord had commanded. He finished the job. So I want my tombstone to say: He did what the Lord commanded and he finished the work.

But now, in order to make sure those I leave behind do not have to lie or stoop to humor, I must actually live this way. I must do what the Lord commands and I must finish the work.

May God grant me the grace to run (and finish) just such a race.