Today’s Reading: Numbers 32-36; Psalm 85

The tribes of Reuben and Gad owned vast numbers of livestock. So when they saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were ideally suited for their flocks and herds, they came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the other leaders of the community. They said, “Notice the towns of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sibmah, Nebo, and Beon. The Lord has conquered this whole area for the community of Israel, and it is ideally suited for all our livestock. If we have found favor with you, please let us have this land as our property instead of giving us land across the Jordan River.” – Numbers 32:1-5

After all the years of traveling and all the years of wandering, Israel was on the verge of receiving all that the Lord God had promised to them. With the help of their God, they had defeated their enemies on this side of the Jordan River. They had an abundance of flocks and herds because God had allowed them to keep the plunder from the victories He had won for them.

The tribes of Reuben and Gad were surrounded by the evidence of God’s blessings, yet unwilling to step into the greater blessing of their promised inheritance. The fulfillment of the Lord’s promises was on the other side of the river, but they defined their current situation as ideal instead of trusting in what the Lord had for them. You could even say they chose to stay in their comfort zone instead of crossing into the unknown.

THEIR EYES WERE FIXED ON WHAT COULD BE SEEN RATHER THAN HAVING FAITH IN THE UNSEEN.

“We would rather live here on the east side and accept this as our grant of land.” – Numbers 32:19b

The leaders of these two tribes explained their plan to Moses. They would build pens for their animals and fortified cities for their wives and children. They would create protection around their possessions and their families, and then they would cross the Jordan River to help the other tribes defeat the Canaanites and secure places for their women, children and livestock. First they would tend to their own needs and wants, and then they would help the rest of the Israelites win the battles ahead.

THEY WERE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT THEY WANTED THAN ABOUT WHAT GOD WANTED FOR THEM.

So Moses assigned land to the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph. He gave them the territory of King Sihon of the Amorites and the land of King Og of Bashan—the whole land with its cities and surrounding lands. – Numbers 32:33

Because they settled for less than all that God had planned for them, these two and half tribes missed out on the abundance of God’s blessings. They were too impatient to wait for God’s timing and too selfish to consider the needs of the other tribes. Their priority was to take care of their own first, focused on what they could build for themselves rather than the life God could build for them.

HOW OFTEN DO WE PASS UP WHAT GOD WANTS US TO DO SO THAT WE CAN DO WHAT WE WANT TO DO? HOW OFTEN DO WE GIVE TO GOD OUT OF OUR EXCESS RATHER THAN OUR FIRSTFRUITS?

As the rest of the people camped along the Jordan River across from the city of Jericho, the Lord gave Moses these instructions. Drive out all of the people who live in Canaan, and destroy their idols and pagan shrines. Divide the land into portions based on the sacred lot of the tribes as well as their size. The Lord chose Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun to divide the land among the remaining nine and a half tribes (34:17). Each tribe was to give a portion of their land to the Levites, as well as create cities of refuge for those whose actions unintentionally end the life of another person.

We serve a patient God, a just God and a merciful God. The Lord both provides for and protects His people. But He is also a God of instruction and He expects us to do what He has told us to do. He knows what is best for us; He wants us to choose the life He has planned for us. This requires our obedience and devotion — our full surrender to the God of unfailing love and generous abundance.

“But if you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live. And I will do to you what I had planned to do to them.” – Numbers 32:55-56

Lord, reveal in us the ways in which we have settled for what the world has to offer us instead of craving all that you have planned for us. Forgive us for our selfishness and greed, for the times when we have put our own needs ahead of the needs of others. Lord, create in us a clean heart and fill us with your Spirit. May we be sold out to all that you desire in our lives, and may we recognize the evidence of your blessings. Amen.

Show us your unfailing love, O Lord,
and grant us your salvation.
I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying,
for he speaks peace to his faithful people.
But let them not return to their foolish ways.
Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,
so our land will be filled with his glory.
Unfailing love and truth have met together.
Righteousness and peace have kissed!
Truth springs up from the earth,
and righteousness smiles down from heaven.
Yes, the Lord pours down his blessings.
Our land will yield its bountiful harvest.
Righteousness goes as a herald before him,
preparing the way for his steps. – Psalm 85:7-13