June 6, 2023

Whom are you fighting for?

Numbers 32

Tanner Wells
Tuesday's Devo

June 6, 2023

Tuesday's Devo

June 6, 2023

Tuesday's Devo

June 6, 2023

Tuesday's Devo

June 6, 2023

Big Idea

God's instruction can always be trusted.

Key Verse | Numbers 32:23

But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out.

Numbers 32

Reuben and Gad Settle in Gilead

1 Now the people of Reuben and the people of Gad had a very great number of livestock. And they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a place for livestock. 2 So the people of Gad and the people of Reuben came and said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the chiefs of the congregation, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, 4 the land that the LORD struck down before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” 5 And they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession. Do not take us across the Jordan.”

6 But Moses said to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here? 7 Why will you discourage the heart of the people of Israel from going over into the land that the LORD has given them? 8 Your fathers did this, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. 9 For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the people of Israel from going into the land that the LORD had given them. 10 And the LORD's anger was kindled on that day, and he swore, saying, 11 ‘Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed me, 12 none except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the LORD.’ 13 And the LORD's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD was gone. 14 And behold, you have risen in your fathers' place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the LORD against Israel! 15 For if you turn away from following him, he will again abandon them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all this people.”

16 Then they came near to him and said, “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones, 17 but we will take up arms, ready to go before the people of Israel, until we have brought them to their place. And our little ones shall live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until each of the people of Israel has gained his inheritance. 19 For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan to the east.” 20 So Moses said to them, “If you will do this, if you will take up arms to go before the LORD for the war, 21 and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the LORD, until he has driven out his enemies from before him 22 and the land is subdued before the LORD; then after that you shall return and be free of obligation to the LORD and to Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the LORD. 23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out. 24 Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what you have promised.” 25 And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben said to Moses, “Your servants will do as my lord commands. 26 Our little ones, our wives, our livestock, and all our cattle shall remain there in the cities of Gilead, 27 but your servants will pass over, every man who is armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord orders.”

28 So Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the people of Israel. 29 And Moses said to them, “If the people of Gad and the people of Reuben, every man who is armed to battle before the LORD, will pass with you over the Jordan and the land shall be subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession. 30 However, if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.” 31 And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben answered, “What the LORD has said to your servants, we will do. 32 We will pass over armed before the LORD into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan.”

33 And Moses gave to them, to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben and to the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land and its cities with their territories, the cities of the land throughout the country. 34 And the people of Gad built Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35 Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 Beth-nimrah and Beth-haran, fortified cities, and folds for sheep. 37 And the people of Reuben built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38 Nebo, and Baal-meon (their names were changed), and Sibmah. And they gave other names to the cities that they built. 39 And the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and captured it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it. 40 And Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he settled in it. 41 And Jair the son of Manasseh went and captured their villages, and called them Havvoth-jair. 1 32:41 Havvoth-jair means the villages of Jair 42 And Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages, and called it Nobah, after his own name.

Footnotes

[1] 32:41 Havvoth-jair means the villages of Jair

S2:107 Numbers 32

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Dive Deeper | Numbers 32

Throughout Scripture we see that our sin has consequences. In some instances, there are tangible repercussions. However, the greatest ramification is always separation from God. We see this in Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve disobey God's command concerning what they could and could not eat in the garden.

Later, we see Cain's sin toward Abel creating division between him and God (Genesis 4:14). Only a few verses before, God had warned Cain that "sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it." (Genesis 4:7)

Moses and the Israelites experienced the tangible repercussions of sin. The 40 years of wandering in the desert was a direct result of the sin of unbelief (Numbers 14:11), the same sin that plagued Adam, Eve, and all of creation.

Now, when the tribes of Reuben and Gad seek to take their inherited land on the east side of the Jordan, Moses fears that the new generation of Israelites will turn to the same sin of their fathers and invoke the "fierce anger of the Lord against Israel" (Numbers 32:14). But the tribes of Reuben and Gad assure Moses they have no intention of backing away from their commitment to the rest of Israel and, ultimately, to God (Numbers 32:18). Even with their reassurance, Moses still feels the need to give them a stark warning against sin and its damaging effects on their relationship with God: "your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23), ultimately foreshadowing Paul's warning in Galatians 6:7 that "God is not mocked."

God clearly wants us to understand the magnitude of our sins through this text. And although we see throughout Scripture that sin never goes unpunished in the long run, the good news is that our punishment has been paid in full (Romans 8:1), and our sins no longer separate us from God: "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39) Let us pray Psalm 139:23-24 and ask God to lead us "in the way everlasting!"

This month's memory verse

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

– 1 Corinthians 15:58

Discussion Questions

1. What do you feel God wants you to learn from this passage? How do you feel God is revealing Himself to you through this passage? How does God want you to respond to this passage?

2. Do you believe all sin has consequences? Do you believe that sin creates a division in our relationship with God?

3. Do you have any unconfessed sin(s) in your life? If so, how do you feel this is affecting your relationship with God?  

4. As we have been following the Israelites through the desert, we see that unbelief is their root sin against God. This is because they believed God could not follow through with His promise to bring them into the Promised Land. We often look at the Israelites with contempt, yet struggle to believe God can accomplish much smaller feats in our own lives. (Bring us a spouse, help our children, soften the heart of an unbelieving parent, etc.) Are there areas of your life where you are not believing in God's promises? Do you feel that He can be trusted with your doubts? Have you discussed these doubts or unbelief with your community? (Proverbs 15:22)

Bonus Question! Do you believe it was God's intention for Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh to settle east of the Jordan and not enter the Promised Land? As you continue to read, keep an eye on how this decision affects future generations as Israel begins to face invasion from other nations.

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

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Hugh Stephenson

Good morning, Tanner. Love your point about the key being to understand the magnitude of my sin. This truth opened huge blessings for me once I claimed it. Q1a He has a plan. Q1b. It’s better than mine. Q1c. Trust, surrender, obey. Q2. Yes. Yes. I also know that when the Holy Spirit convicts me that I’ll recover and move back towards unity, (John 14:20). Even so, there will be a lingering cost for my rebellion. Q3. The Lazy Susan in my head spins around at a jillion MPH - so it generates all kinds of thoughts and words and deeds that wind up in the wrong form. It’s almost as if I’m a perpetual confession machine. Q4. I believe all 7,487 of His promises. My only doubts are whether I understand the plan. A consistent obstacle is my busyness. The notes indicate that their call was to obey the original plan. More flexibility could be had later. But for this disobedience to come so quickly after a massively one-sided supernatural victory is disturbing.
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Hugh Stephenson

So…God has a plan. Just and fair distribution of the land.  According to His promises, wisdom, and sovereignty.    I’m taught that in this culture the two big points of focus are kids and crops.  You need land to grow food and feed animals.  And you need kids to help work it.    In knowing this God would fairly apportion the land.     But Gad…   ;)   Had other ideas. As did Reuben.  And Manasseh seemed to go along for the ride.    I wonder what the other tribes thought.  Sooner or later they had to know that Gad and Reuben wanted the land that appeared good to them WITHOUT having to fight for it.  But even then, they’re wrong because God said go “possess” it; in effect, “I’m giving to you as I promised”,  Genesis 28:4, Genesis 35:12.    God calls for unity and they were going their own way.  Just like Lot a few centuries prior.    Did they miss that this land was vulnerable on three sides?  Their descendants will experience this vulnerability in a tragic way.     As with many other incidents we will see in 2 Kings how this move was shown to be a bad one.    Though they negotiate and get most of what they want their heart is now known.    I have always like Numbers 32:23.  The notes link it to Galatians 6:7.    I think I see where they are coming from.    God has a plan.  He shows me it going to be hard. That’s because I am a sinner and want peace, comfort and security.  And I want all the rewards without all the risk and hard work.    But….He sees all of the future and all of the past.    He lets me have it my way. I may not ever see that what he had planned is way, way better than what I chose.    Once again, I’m reminded that His plan will be better than my plan.  Every single time.    Thinking back over my track record versus His makes it easier and easier to go with His plan. 
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Michael Sisson

Re: Num 32:4 Num 32:4 (NASB) >>>the land which the LORD conquered before the congregation of Israel,<<< is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” G-d conquered the land; not Israel. Re: Num 32:5 Num 32:5 (NASB) They said, “If we have found favor in your sight, >>>let this land be given to your servants as a possession; do not take us across the Jordan.”<<< Reuben and Gad’s (and Manasseh) eagerness to settle for land east of the Promised Land does cause one to wonder if they lacked faith in G-d’s provision to a degree perhaps best expressed by Elizabeth Barrett Browning: “Because God's gifts put man's best dreams to shame.” — Elizabeth Barrett Browning, SONNETS FROM THE PORTUGUESE #26 Re: Num 32:15 Num 32:15 (NASB) >>>“For if you turn away from following Him,<<< He will once more abandon them in the wilderness, and >>>you will destroy all these people.”<<< Reuben and Gad would be responsible for the destruction of a generation of Israelites; not G-d. Re: Num 32:21 Num 32:21 (NASB) and all of you armed men cross over the Jordan before the LORD >>>until He has driven His enemies out from before Him,<<< The L-RD will drive “His enemies” out before Him; not Israel. Obviously, G-d does not need Israel (or us) to conquer His enemies. (Ps 110:1; Mt 22:44; Mk 12:36; Lk 20:42-43; Acts 2:34-35; and Heb 1:13) Through faith in His Promise, He allows us to be conduits through which He accomplishes His purposes. Woe to those who neglect so great a calling! How might we make application of Reuben and Gad’s example in our age? Presently, we find ourselves in a month when the world is taking “pride” in that which G-d calls an “abomination.” (Lev 18:22) While we (the Church) are called to “resist the Devil” (Jas 4:7), to pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” (Mt 6:10) and to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” (Jude 1:3-4) against the enemies of G-d, like Reuben and Gad some who gather in Christ’s name would capitulate, refusing to contend for our faith against the evils of our age, even affirming sinful acts, and “…giving hearty approval to those who practice them.” (Rom 1:32) Yet, like Reuben and Gad, if they continue in their refusal to fight, they too should not expect to enter into the Promise of G-d, and they too will bear the bloodguilt for those they lead to destruction.
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Sue Bohlin

Thanks so much, Tanner, especially your last Discussion question. That's what struck me about today's chapter: hey, nobody's inquiring of the Lord about Reuben and Gad's plan for a land grab before they even saw what God had promised on the other side of the Jordan. How often do we do that--figure things out for ourselves without inviting the Lord into our decision process? As history unfolds, if we pay attention, we discover that what SEEMED like "such a good idea at the time" does not turn out well for the people who did not wait for what God had promised them. Not unrelatedly, I was glad to come across what has been one of my favorite verses in 50 years of walking with Jesus: "Be sure your sin will find you out." Sounds like a threat, but it's really a promise. And boy, have I seen how true that is . . .
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Michael Scaman

Lot also looked at fertile lands and made bad choices. De ja veus all over again. 2 1/2 tribes didn't go into the promised land. The Half tribe of Manasseh and Reuben decided to stay on the other side of Jordan. Was it the right choice? God didn't tell them to do it? Israel today doesn't even contain those lands which are the nation of Jordan. They did agree to fight with Joshua for the promised land. But the land of 'milk and honey' did that include over the Jordan? Some say it left them more isolated from the tabernacle/temple and from other protections . In 740 B.C. Tiglath-Pileser, king of empire, carried away the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half of Manasseh, placing them as captive slaves in cities of Assyria. Lot looked at the land and made a bad choice. These 2 1/2 tribes may also have made a bad choice.
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Amy Lowther

1. God gave you gifts of abilities and life. It is important to take care of them and use them wisely. Through this passage, God is helping me see how deep life can be and how much the world offers. if God read this passage with me, He would want me moving forward appreciating life and helping people do their best appropriate. 2. Yes, I believe sin has consequences because God is always watching and wants each of us doing our best. Yes, because you can feel guilty if you didn’t listen to God. 3. Life is pretty good. 4. No, Yes, Yes. Bonus: No, God allows people to choose for themselves. People can come up short if they are not “all in” with God.