Settling for LESS than God’s BEST
February 19
Bible Reading: Numbers Chapters 31-33
Settling for LESS than God’s BEST
In Numbers 32, we read about the
tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh wanting to settle down in
the land of Jazer and Gilead, which is east of the Jordan River, as they had a
great multitude of livestock and this region was a place of livestock. (Num
32:1). They came to Moses and expressed their desire: "If we have found favor in
your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not
take us over the Jordan" (Num 32:5). This proposal showed
disregard to the land of Canaan, distrust of the Lord's promise, and
unwillingness to encounter the difficulties and dangers of conquering and
driving out the inhabitants of that land. Moses warns them of their foolish
desire in Num 32:6-15.
Two things
common in the world might lead these tribes to make this choice: the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. They considered their
own convenience more than the plan of God for their future, which was to settle
down in the Promised Land. Even today, many seek their own convenience more than
God’s ultimate plan for them. They are led by worldly interests and temporal advantages
that fall short of the heavenly Canaan that God is preparing for them. The
Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh, who chose their inheritance
just outside the Promised Land, are types of world-bordering carnal Christians.
These tribes
propose that their men of war will go armed before the children of Israel into
the land of Canaan, and that they will not return until the conquest of Canaan
was ended (Num 32:16-32). Moses then grants their request, which clearly was
less than what God had intended for them. “So
Moses gave to the children of Gad, to the children of Reuben, and to half the
tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites
and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land with its cities within the
borders, the cities of the surrounding country” (Num 32:33) . This was clearly a wrong choice and history tells us that this compromise led to their captivity by Assyria much sooner than
all the other tribes of Israel. “And they were unfaithful to the God of their
fathers, and played the harlot 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, that is, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He carried the Reubenites, the Gadites, and
the half-tribe of Manasseh into captivity. He took them to Halah, Habor,
Hara, and the river of Gozan to this day” (1 Chron 5:25-26)
We should never settle for anything less than God’s best for us. We should never compromise our convictions (1 Kings 11:4) as compromise can keep us from doing what is right and weaken our faith (2 Corinthians 6:14-18), which will ultimately lead to our downfall.
