Go all the way!

An interesting dilemma confronts Moses in the reading this morning. The tribes of Reuben and Gad ask a frightening question! The question raises flashbacks for Moses. It all looks eerily similar to a situation from forty years ago! Notice what they ask.

…they came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the other leaders of the community. They said, “Notice the towns of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sibmah, Nebo, and Beon. The Lord has conquered this whole area for the community of Israel, and it is ideally suited for all our livestock. If 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 32:2–5, NLT)

Moses is alarmed that this will fracture and discourage the camp from victory! Discouragement overtook Israel almost forty years ago! And the result? God overthrew them in the wilderness. Not again! Finally, these two tribes agree to cross Jordan, armed with the other tribes, and conquer the land. They promise not to discourage Israel. At the end of this agreement, the following verses stood out to me.

We will not return to our homes until all the people of Israel have received their portions of land. But we do not claim any of the land on the other side of the Jordan. We would rather live here on the east side and accept this as our grant of land.” (Numbers 32:18–19, NLT)

How do they know they “would rather” live on the east side of Jordan? How do they know they “would rather” stop short of the promised land than go in? How could their present situation be better than God’s promised situation? Short-sighted? Absolutely! Presumptious? Yes! After forty years of yearning for the promised land, they fell short! Wow!

How did this happen? They focused on the present, and it tarnished their view of the promise. They said to Moses in verse three, “Notice the towns of…it is ideally suited for…” The lesser of the two, the present, became the ideal.

Can this happen to us? Yes…and there couldn’t be a more significant gulf between our present and promised situations. Notice the encouragement from God’s Word.

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. (Colossians 3:1–2, NLT)

Believer, let’s not settle for “rather than'” or what might seem “ideally suited.” There is a far greater future ahead of us than the present! Take that step of faith and see what can’t be seen, and may that which is to come outshine that which is!

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Looking to use this content in a family devotional or small group setting? Below is an outline to help guide the conversation. Enjoy!

1. Introduction
   • Briefly introduce the topic of the reading, “Go all the way!”
   • Mention the interesting dilemma that confronts Moses
2. The tribes of Reuben and Gad
   • Identify the tribes of Reuben and Gad
   • Explain their request to Moses
   • Highlight the frightening question they ask
3. Moses’ flashbacks
   • Discuss Moses’ reaction to the tribes’ request
   • Explain the flashbacks that Moses experiences
   • Describe how the situation is eerily similar to a previous event
4. The question
   • Analyze the tribes’ question in detail
   • Discuss the implications of the question
5. Conclusion
   • Summarize the main points of the text
   • Restate the issue around the question raised by the tribes of Reuben and Gad
   • End with a thought-provoking statement that encourages further reflection on the topic.

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