By Shirley Rosemarie Evans
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, 2 they came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the other leaders of the community. They said, 3 “Notice the towns of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sibmah,[a] Nebo, and Beon. 4 The Lord has conquered this whole area for the community of Israel, and it is ideally suited for all our livestock. 5 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.”
6 “Do you intend to stay here while your brothers go across and do all the fighting?” Moses asked the men of Gad and Reuben. 7 “Why do you want to discourage the rest of the people of Israel from going across to the land the Lord has given them? 8 Your ancestors did the same thing when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land. 9 After they went up to the valley of Eshcol and explored the land, they discouraged the people of Israel from entering the land the Lord was giving them. 10 Then the Lord was very angry with them, and he vowed, 11 ‘Of all those I rescued from Egypt, no one who is twenty years old or older will ever see the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they have not obeyed me wholeheartedly. 12 The only exceptions are Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they have wholeheartedly followed the Lord.’
13 “The Lord was angry with Israel and made them wander in the wilderness for forty years until the entire generation that sinned in the Lord’s sight had died. 14 But here you are, a brood of sinners, doing exactly the same thing! You are making the Lord even angrier with Israel. 15 If you turn away from him like this and he abandons them again in the wilderness, you will be responsible for destroying this entire nation!”
Numbers 32:1-15 (NLT)
Imagine the children of Israel. Forty years wandering around the desert – every day they hear the stories of the promised land. A land that God was giving to them, where He would rule over them and destroy all their enemies. Finally, after all the supernatural provision and protection – the day arrives. They are on the East Side of the Jordan, right in view of the promised land … and some of them decide to settle right there. They will not take those final steps into the Promised Land.
You can almost hear the incredulity in Moses' voice. “What you want to stop here, are you for real?” Moses has a sense of ‘Deja-vu.’ This is where the exile began the last time, when the spies brought back an evil report and the people instead of trusting God refused through fear to take possession of the land. This is where God sent them into the wilderness because of their unbelief. His punishment was one year for every day they had spent spying the land. So, forty years later, back at this point, you can almost hear Moses say, “Here we go again!”
Although, later on, the tribes of Reuben and Gad would reach an agreement with the people of Israel – let’s consider carefully the issue of trusting God for His promises. Moses’ concern was that the people were once again expressing a lack of faith in what God promised.
How many times do we settle for less than God’s best? How many times are we on the brink of receiving the thing we have been waiting so long for, and we give up, settling for less. Ministry, relationship, etc how many times do we fail to enter Canaan and settle on the east of the Jordan? How many times do we fall at the same point, failing to trust God completely and waiting patiently for His best? Instead, we come up with our own fixes. How often do these fixes work well or simply come unstuck and we find ourselves going round the same old mountain?
As people of God our walk is one of faith trusting God in the unknown and patiently waiting for His provision. His plans are always so much better than ours. If only we would be numbered in the exception – being the Joshuas and Calebs of our time. Legends in our own lifetimes living lives marked by audacious faith. It is interesting to note the patriarchs numbered in the roll call of faith of Hebrews 11 were not listed because of their great exploits but rather because they trusted in the promises of God and walked by faith.
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise … All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it.
Hebrews 11:8, 9, 13 (NLT)
Ask– Why would the tribes of Rueben & Gad settle for the land East of the Jordan and not desire to settle in their promised land with the other tribes?
Seek – What areas of your life are you settling for less, rather than trusting in God’s promise?
Knock – Ask God to help you to have a walk marked by audacious faith and surrender afresh all your plans, dreams & desires to Him, trusting in Him & His best for your life.
(Upper Photo by Yusuf Evli on Unsplash)
(Inner Photo by Tomas Eidsvold on Unsplash)
