We must always apply to ourselves what we are reading. It does no good to think to yourself as you read books like Numbers that those ancient Israelites were a pretty hopeless bunch. We need to think instead about just how hopeless we are as well.
Much is said in Scripture about the promised land – land of Canaan. Pretty much the entire biblical story line focuses on it one way or another. In the first book of the Bible it is promised to Abram, but hiccups along the way – including a 400-year stay in Egypt – delay the fulfilment of the promises.
The Pentateuch tells us all about it, Joshua tells us about its occupation, Judges about problems living there, and the other historical books speak about the Monarchy, the golden years, decline, and exile. It’s quite a story. Here I want to look at just one small part of the story – and lessons for Christians today.
The book of Numbers especially focuses on the 40 years of wilderness wanderings, just prior to Israel entering Canaan. It is from this morning’s daily reading of the closing chapters from the book that the inspiration for this article has come – specifically chapters 32 and 33.
In ch. 32 we read about how two and a half of the twelve tribes wanted to stay behind, and not enter into Canaan. A key passage there is 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?’”
After this strong word of rebuke, they agree to help take Canaan, and then they can be allowed to return to the other side of the Jordan. I discussed this matter last year when I had read that portion of Scripture. In the piece I offered some contemporary application.
But here I want to speak more to it. Much can be said about it, and many experts could be quoted concerning it. Here I want to draw upon just one resource: the 2006 expository commentary on the book by Iain Duguid. I was impressed by what he had to say, so it is worth sharing some of his comments about these two chapters.
As to Ch. 32, he reminds us of the sins of the two and a half tribes: their desire for affluence and comfort, and so on, and notes how believers today can be just the same:
The key word in the first verse is the verb, “They saw.” Seeing in the Bible is definitely not believing. On the contrary, sight is often the exact opposite of faith. Seeing is frequently the prelude to bad decisions because our eyes tend to make superficial judgments. Eve “saw” that the fruit of the tree of knowledge was good….
The temptation to choose with our eyes rather than by faith is one that we also face. We are tempted to choose spouses based on looks rather than Christian character, or careers based on their income potential rather than the opportunity to use our gifts to serve our community. We are tempted to spend vast amounts of money on clothing, cars, and the accessories of an affluent lifestyle instead of investing our treasure in heavenly causes. Our affluence constantly poses a temptation to us to settle down here and invest ourselves in this world instead of setting our hearts on the things that are above.
Speaking more to the sin of choosing affluence over what is right, he says this:
Moses pointed out the likely impact of their desire to settle down outside the land on the rest of the Israelites. He reminded the Reubenites and the Gadites that their decision might well turn the hearts of the remainder of the Israelites away from the Promised Land (v. 7)….
It is the same way with our self-centered affluence. The decision to settle down comfortably to enjoy what we have, without any thought of God’s call on our lives, never simply affects ourselves. It affects our brothers and sisters in the church as well. Each of us has a part to play in setting the spiritual temperature of our own congregation. If I am cool toward God, comfortably satisfied with what I already have, then that coolness will dampen my neighbor’s enthusiasm for God. Equally, if I am on fire for the Lord, passionately pursuing a life of holiness and service, then something of that heat will radiate out to those around me. We never live our lives in a vacuum. Our commitment, or lack of commitment, affects the body as a whole.
