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Moses is one of the genuinely towering figures of the biblical story. Protected by God at his birth, chosen by God as a man, led by God throughout his career, buried by God at his death -- as the scripture says, "Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses ... unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to perform ... for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power ..." Hollywood needs a handsome, powerful Charleton Heston with flowing hair and full beard to begin to portray this "lion" of a man.

We find him here at the end of his life. Moses is on the mountaintop across the Jordan River from Jericho. Before him is a vast panorama. To the north is the Sea of Galilee, to the west is the Mediterranean, to the south is the vast Negev and the Jordan valley down to Zoar at the edge of the Dead Sea. For forty years he has led his people through one adventure after another to get to this place. Now he finally gets to see their new home, if only from a distance.

What was running through his mind at that moment, as he stared at the scene? As Moses looked back, it must have struck him how unlikely this all had been, and the only explanation could be that it was all in God's hands all along. Perhaps Yahweh might even be called "The God of the Unlikely":

• It was unlikely that he should have survived infancy, but God protected him ... the God of the unlikely.
• It was unlikely that a Hebrew child would be made a member of the Egyptian royal family, but God arranged it ... the God of the unlikely.
• It was unlikely that a prince would become a shepherd, learning what it took to care for an unruly flock (whether it be sheep or people), but God provided ... the God of the unlikely.
• It was unlikely that a tongue-tied, stammering eighty-year-old would inspire a nation of slaves or overwhelm a reluctant ruler, but God was behind it ... the God of the unlikely.
• It was unlikely that a people could survive as witless wilderness wanderers for forty years, but God protected ... the God of the unlikely.

As we move through scripture, the message is hammered home again and again. "Many who are first will be last, and the last will be first" (Matthew 19:30). Unlikely. "The greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves" (Luke 22:26). Unlikely. The Savior of the world comes as a humble infant. Unlikely.

History is equally clear. Unlikely heroes arise. A poor boy raised in a log cabin and educated by the light of his fire becomes president and saves his nation from splintering. Lincoln. Unlikely. He was the inventor of the light bulb and the electrical system, which made it generally available, plus a practical telephone, the phonograph, the dictaphone, motion pictures, the storage battery, along with improvements in numerous other materials and processes, the holder of almost 1,100 patents. He only had three months of formal education before his teacher decided he was retarded and could not manage schooling. Thomas Edison. Unlikely. A black preacher's son who became a preacher himself changed the racial face of this nation -- not a military leader or powerful politician, a preacher. Martin Luther King Jr. Unlikely.

It is interesting that just before his murder, Martin Luther King Jr. harked back to the story of Moses. It was the spring of 1968, and Dr. King was heavily involved with organizing what was known as the Poor People's Campaign, but in the midst of that he took time off to travel to Memphis, Tennessee, to lead a demonstration in support of higher wages for the garbage collectors of that city. At a rally on April 3, the day before he was gunned down on that motel balcony, he said,

I don't know what will happen now. We have got difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me, because I've been to the mountaintop. Like anyone else, I want to live a long life. But I'm not concerned with that. I just want to do God's will and He has allowed me to go up the mountain. I see the promised land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land. I am happy tonight that I am not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."

No, Dr. King did not make it. He died outside the promised land of racial justice. He could see the land, but he never got there himself. It was the same with Moses. The Broadway or Hollywood ending to his life would have him marching triumphantly ahead of his grateful people as they enter Canaan, accompanied by a full-throated score played by soaring strings, crashing cymbals, and the rumble of drums. But no, for reasons that scripture never makes entirely clear, Moses would not cross over. After 120 years, Moses died there on the mountaintop, and was buried in some secret place known only to God. One more unlikely turn.

Moses, the liberator. Moses, the lawgiver. Moses, the leader. And as the scripture plainly acknowledges, Moses, "the servant of the Lord." But we would have to add unlikely in every case.

The message in all this is very simple: God chooses and God uses people and events that are often utterly beyond comprehension. Perhaps even me and you. We have all seen it, so be open to it, look forward to it, and even celebrate it. After all, you and I are servants of the God of the Unlikely.