In Today's Email:
Numbers 32 Notes
In this chapter we see the request by two and half tribes to claim land on the east of Jordan for their territory.
vs. 1-5 – The tribes of Reuben and Gad request to have their allotment of land on the east side of Jordan in the territory Israel already controlled. It is motivated by the desire for pastureland for their cattle.
vs. 6-15 – Moses accuses them of not wanting to fight to claim the Promised Land, comparing them to the faithless people that refused to enter the land 40 years prior.
vs. 16-19 – Reuben and Gad swear that they will help in taking the Promised Land before settling in the territory they claimed.
vs. 20-33 – An agreement is made to seal this deal. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh would take their portion on the east of Jordan. They would make things secure and settle their families now, fight with their brethren to take the land on the west side of Jordan, then return home.
vs. 34-42 – A list of cities taken and settled by these tribes on the east of Jordan.
Numbers 33 Notes
In this chapter we have a survey of the stops made by Israel in their journey and instructions for settling the Promised Land.
vs. 1-49 – This is an itinerary of the travels of Israel from leaving Egypt to on the bring of entering the Promised Land. Some notes are added regarding events that occurred in certain locations, but it is nowhere near exhaustive in telling every event that happened to this point.
vs. 50-56 – God instructs Israel that they were to drive out the Canaanites and destroy their idols when they took the land.
Closing Thoughts
The tribes that settled east of the Jordan compromised for the sake of worldly gain. Instead of trusting in God’s promise that Israel would prosper in the land of Canaan, they took what they saw already and settled for it. They paid for this choice in the future, which we see in I Chronicles 5:25-26 and II Kings 15:29. Too often we settle for what we know and do not trust that God will provide is better.
Hymn for Today
Our hymn for today is probably familiar to many but not in its original form. Samuel Stennett wrote these words which first appeared in John Rippon’s 1787 hymnbook under the heading “The Promised Land”. Catchy refrains were added to some of the original verses in America, and were popularized in William Walker’s “Southern Harmony” song books. In our reading we are preparing for Israel to enter the Promised Land, and so we look longingly to our Heavenly home that awaits us.
On Jordan's stormy banks I stand,
And cast a wishful eye,
To Canaan's fair and happy land,
Where my possessions lie.
O the transporting, rapturous scene,
That rises to my sight!
Sweet fields array'd in living green,
And rivers of delight!
There fruits that never fail,
On trees immortal grow:
There rocks and hills, and brooks and vales,
With milk and honey flow.
All o'er those wide extended plains
Shines one eternal day;
There God, the sun for ever reigns,
And scatters night away.
No chilling winds, or poisonous breath
Can reach that healthful shore;
Sickness and sorrow, pain and death,
Are felt and fear'd no more.
When shall I reach that happy place,
And be for ever blest?
When shall I see my father's face,
And in his bosom rest?
Fill'd with delight, my raptur'd soul
Can here no longer stay:
Tho' Jordan's waves around me roll,
Fearless I'd launch away.