The Book of Numbers – All In

Num 32:1-5 “The Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks, saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were suitable for livestock. So they came to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the community, and said, ….the land the Lord subdued before the people of Israel are suitable for livestock, and your servants have livestock. If we have found favour in your eyes,” they said, “let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.”

The Transjordan referred to the area east of the Jordan river. The people were poised to cross the Jordan and take over their inheritance as people of God. The abundance of fertile grazing land in the Transjordan prompted the leaders of the Reubenites and Gadites to approach Moses and the leaders of the community with the request to be allowed to settle there and not cross the Jordan. And as we read in verse 4, this land too the Lord subdued before the people of Israel.

Moses’s Response

Num 32:6-7 “Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites, “Should your fellow Israelites go to war while you sit here? Why do you discourage the Israelites from crossing over into the land the Lord has given them?”

Moses feared that their thinking would spread discouragement among the rest of the people to proceed, that it would cause an apathy and resistance to pressing on in entering the land the Lord had given them. Moses’s fear had a foundation. When we look back at Numbers 13-14, we understand why Moses felt this way. Moses at that time had sent spies into Canaan for forty days, on returning the spies had brought back a report of the abundance within the place but were also very vocal in sharing their fear after seeing the strength of the people that resided there and the impossibility, they felt of winning against them. Only Caleb and Joshua trusted in God’s promise and provision to take over the land. God’s anger burns against them and the Israelites are punished with wandering in the wilderness for 40 years because of their unbelief and that whole generation did not get to enter the promised land except for Caleb and Joshua. Moses fears the exact same thing would happen again.

Discouragement

Discouragement is a reality that we all face. When our plans don’t turn out how we hope, or when unexpected problems arise, or when others do or say things that steal our joy and cause us to question why we are pouring in so much effort toward something, discouragement can very easily set in. Discouragement fuels fear and both can easily take root in our heart of not checked.

Self-Reflection: Discouragement is a tool the enemy loves to use against us. The enemy is our accuser but the Lord is our defender. James 4:7 teaches us “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Surrender your thoughts and emotions to God when feeling discouraged and ask the Lord to meet you where you are at, pray for the Lord to fill your heart with his presence and bring his word and promises to your mind. Soak in his presence and place your hope in him. The Lord has promised never to leave or forsake us, and he is a faithful God who is alongside us in all moments of our lives. When discouragements hits and we feel like we are sinking in the waters, cry out ‘Lord, help me’ as Peter did when he walked on the water and began to sink. Just as the Lord grabbed Peter’s hand and pulled him up, he will do the same for you too.

Scripture teaches us to be conscious of what we say

“Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” (Ephesians 4:29)

“Encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”              (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

May we be aware of our words and our attitude, to always be one to uplift and encourage, building each other up. We are not to falsely flatter but be lovingly truthful but never cutting someone down.

All In

Moses’s words are considered by the Reubenites and Gadites. And they promise to join their fellow brethren in the fight to take over the land once they settle the women, children and livestock in the Transjordan. Moses agrees to this as long as they fight alongside until the conquest of Canaan was complete. And if they fail, they would be sinning against the Lord.

Why was it so important that these two tribes be alongside the rest in taking over the promised land. The conquest of Canaan was a commission to ALL Israel. And if they did not do so, they would be sinning against God. It would have been a sin of selfishness, sin of lack of care for their fellow brethren and disobedience to God.

What is the great commission we are given?

Mathew 28:19-20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

We are each given a commission to take the message of the gospel and share it with others. How we share may not look the same for each of us but we are meant to do so in whatever capacity God enables us to, with where he has placed us.

The Reubenites and Gadites reached their ‘promised land’ before the rest of the ten tribes. After spending their whole lives in the wilderness, it would have been so tempting to settle down and not look further. After all, the ten tribes still had each other and were quite a sizeable number to handle the fight in taking over Canaan. But as one people, as people of God they had a responsibility in obeying God and a responsibility towards each other.

Similarly, as God’s people, as brothers and sisters in Christ we are to obey what the Lord has commissioned us to do. We are not to think it is someone’s else’s primary responsibility to share Christ with those in your life. It is yours too.

Who has God placed you with and around? Has God been nudging you to pray for someone, to share the love of Jesus. It might be through words, a listening ear, a kind act or through a steadfast friendship. Be it sharing God’s love with someone who does not know Jesus or walking alongside another in their spiritual journey, both entails a battle with the enemy, a spiritual battle. And as the Lord promised in Mathew 28:20, he is always with us.

Prayer: May we always keep the Lord’s word to go and make disciples of every nation at the forefront of our minds, so as we go about our day, we never lose the awareness of whose we are, what we are called to do and in whose might, we can do it. Amen.

God Bless.