Scripture
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, 2they 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,Nebo, and Beon. 4The Lord has conquered this whole area for the community of Israel, and it is ideally suited for all our livestock. 5If 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 32:1-2
Observation
They chose the now over the next. They chose instant satisfaction over delayed gratification. They chose what what they knew God had done over the new He was about to do. 40 years earlier they had stood in this same place with their parents who forfeited the promise for fear of the future and died on the wrong side of the Jordan. Now these 2 1/2 tribes wanted to live on the wrong side of God’s plan (We see that Moses added the half tribe of Manasseh in verse 33). So Moses assigned land to the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh. God’s original plan was for the Israelites, all 12 tribes, to not only take the land, but to live in the land of Canaan together. The power of proximity was not just for their protection but also for their praise at the temple and purpose as a people. Sometimes, the worst thing that can happen to us is when God gives us what we’re asking for. They chose better over best and ended up with the worst and lost it all. 1 Chronicles 5:25-26 shows us years later the ultimate result of this choice… “But these tribes were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors. They worshiped the gods of the nations that God had destroyed. So the God of Israel caused King Pul of Assyria (also known as Tiglath-Pileser) to invade the land and take away the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh as captives. The Assyrians exiled them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the Gozan River, where they remain to this day.”
Application
Maureen Dowd once said, “The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for.” When we settle for less then God’s best we end up losing the rest. When we cling to it we lose it. When we settle for what we know instead of stepping into the unknown with God we end up regretting it. It feels like the safe thing to do right? Here’s the thing, the life of faith was never about playing it safe but going for broke for God, going all in on Him! Right now The Church is on various sides of the Jordan. Some are trying to get back to “the good ‘ol days.” Some are trying burn it all down. Some are just holing up in a holy huddle and praying for Jesus to come back soon. Jesus is coming back soon but He wants everyone we know to come with us. This is going to require that we cross the Jordan together. God moved in amazing ways before but He wants to do so much more. Will we contend for God’s promises and follow God’s plan even if it requires letting go of what we know? There’s a reason Jesus prayed that we, the Christ followers, would be one so that the world would know He was sent for them (John 17). The enemy can’t win when we take the land together. Yet, we keep falling for the allure of the now and the familiar. We keep creating our own camps, choosing our own paths, and waving our own banners instead of following The One as one. We don't have agree on everything, just the main things. Primarily, the fact that God's plan works best when we work together and to settle for anything less that is to live on the wrong side of The Jordan.
Prayer
I don’t want to miss out on the Promise Land this time. I don’t want live in the land of compromise, settling, and regret on the wrong side of Your plan. I don’t want to miss the lessons You are teaching me through The Great Unraveling of 2020. As things begin to open up again there’s such a pull to retreat into what I knew worked before. I can’t go backward and forward at the same time. I must choose. Otherwise, I’ll be making the same mistake the 2 1/2 tribes made. They were so close to stepping into all You had for them but they couldn’t see past the logic of their own plan and the wealth of their own provision. I won’t make the same mistake. Lord, I pray for unity in Your Church. That instead of fighting with each other we would fight for each other. This is the way forward. This is the path to revival.
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