“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, ‘Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Beon – the land the Lord subdued before the people of Israel – are suitable for livestock, and your servants have livestock. If we have found favor in your eyes,’ they said, ‘let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.’ 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? This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look over the land.’ ” (v1-8)
Three of the twelve tribes (Manasseh too, though not mentioned above) decide they want to stay put and not bother with the promised land. After getting scolded by Moses, they compromise and agree to send their war-ready men with Israel to drive out the Canaanites, then return to the Eastern side of the Jordan (where they are leaving their wives/kids/cattle and settlements).
I don’t know about you, but I think I sometimes limit God’s blessings – God has prepared great wonders for me West of the Jordan, yet I’m content East of the Jordan, in the familiar place I know. I don’t like to step out of that comfort zone, even though there may be greater things into which God is calling me.
Sometimes I have the opposite problem – I’m so discontented with the blessings I have received, I want something “better” than what God has given (ie. “the grass is greener elsewhere…”). Note: I put “better” in quotes because only God knows what is truly best – what I think is better is probably not truly better.
My challenge for today is to listen to God’s voice in our lives, and seek to obey His calling. Is He asking us to step out of our comfort zone, or perhaps He is asking us to be content where we are? We’ll only know if we’re attentive to His leading and seeking His will over our own.
Father God, O Lord Almighty, we praise Your holy name. You created heaven and earth, and You are sovereign over them. Please help us to humbly seek your voice and guidance, our Lord and King. Please help us to die to our own stubborn wills, and please teach us obedience, so that we may follow Your will. We ask for Your continued grace when we fail, and patience with us as we learn and grow. In the name of Jesus our Savior, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training