This chapter recounts genealogies of three specific tribes – Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. These tribes all settled on the East side of the Jordan.
“But they broke faith with the God of their fathers, and whored after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them. So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, the spirit of Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and he took them into exile, namely, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river Gozan, to this day.” (v25-26)
This passage takes us all the way back to Num. 32, where the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh see the goodness of the land East of the Jordan River and decide to settle there, rather than settling in the promised land. This later proves to be a mistake, because these tribes fall away from following God and are taken into Assyrian exile.
Unfortunately, this is still an easy trap for us today. The world offers us so many ‘good things’ – money, property, fame, status, etc. We can certainly settle for those things if we wish. The problem is, God has a much better inheritance in store for us, and if we settle for what the world offers, we may miss out on a far greater reward.
These tribes missed out on the promised land, but more importantly they failed to keep God as their inheritance. By settling for what the world can offer (“whoring after the gods of the peoples of the land”), rather than pursuing the eternal riches available through Christ, we distance ourselves from God and increase our risk of losing Him as our inheritance.
I encourage us to double-check our priorities to ensure our eyes are fixed on God and eternity first, and all worldly pursuits come in a distant second. Let’s not settle for bread that does not satisfy, when God offers us the Bread of Life (Jesus) that lasts an eternity.
Father God, our Glorious and Eternal Lord, great and mighty is Your name. You have blessed us with the Bread of Life, Jesus, who offers an eternal reward in heaven with You. Please help us to embrace Jesus as our inheritance first and foremost, and focus on the tings of this world second. May we make our pursuit of You a number one priority, loving You and our neighbors more than the things of this world. We ask for Your forgiveness of any sin, and for Your guidance going forward. In the name of our Eternal King Jesus we praise You, forever and ever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training