Num 32:1-5 | KingComments | STEP | To understand the lesson of this chapter we need to know what the land represents and what the wilderness side of the Jordan represents. The land of Canaan is the land in which the people may enjoy the blessing of God. For the Christian, Canaan is a picture of the heavenly places, in which God blessed him “with every spiritual blessing … in Christ” ( ). To enter the land, you have to cross the Jordan. That river is a picture of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Only he who believes in Him is seated in Christ in the heavenly places. Heavenly blessings are the specific blessings of the believer. Only those who are aware of this will enjoy them. The wilderness side of the Jordan is the land on the east side of the Jordan. The wilderness side of the Jordan speaks of the earthly blessings. With earthly blessings we can think of things like health, clothing, shelter, work and family. For these blessings you don’t have to cross the Jordan. Earthly blessings can also be enjoyed by non-Christians. The difference in enjoying the earthly blessings between the believer and the unbeliever is that the believer will thank the Lord for those blessings ( ), while the unbeliever appropriates those blessings as a right acquired by himself. So earthly blessings are not specific to the Christian. The Christian who is satisfied with only the earthly blessings, ignores what God has given him on top of that to enjoy together with Him. The wilderness side of the Jordan first belonged to the Ammonites and was then conquered by the Amorite kings Sihon and Og. Therefore, the Israelites have received permission to conquer it ( ). Sihon has ruled in the south (Gilead) and Og in the north (Basan). It is God’s purpose that His people will inherit a part of the wilderness side of the Jordan. In the kingdom of peace, all tribes are assigned a part in the land and each tribe also receives a part in the wilderness side of the Jordan. However, it is not God’s purpose that His people will settle there completely. He does not want His people to be content with it alone, without interest in the land of which He says: “The land is Mine” ( ). It is His land. Reuben and Gad are stationed under the same standard. They will have considered the situation together and have come to the conclusion that there is much to be gained if they can stay where they are now: the plains of Moab. They have an exceedingly large number of livestock. And the area in which they are currently located provides what their livestock need according to their perception. They are guided by their eyes: the land is pleasing to their eyes and good for their livestock (cf. ). Therefore they ask Moses, Eleazar and the leaders to give them this land as their possession. In doing so, they ask to not have to go across the Jordan. They are asking, as it were, for a favor not to have to move into the land. That must have hurt Moses, who so desperately wanted to enter the land, but was not allowed to. And how this would have hurt the heart of the LORD. He has chosen this land for His people, and these tribes say they do not want to enter it. The Gadites and Reubenites have experienced all the trials of the wilderness, they have been spared, and just before the Jordan they refuse to cross over. This is tragic. They use their large livestock as an excuse not to have to enter the land. Their property is their everything. If we use our earthly blessings for ourselves, they become an excuse not to occupy ourselves with the heavenly blessings. There is also some impatience in the attitude of both tribes. Why wait for blessings of which you have to wait and see if and how they please you, if you can already enjoy them here and now? One bird in the hand is always better than ten in the air. This attitude can be found with us when we live for what we possess on earth, what we can touch and taste with our natural senses.

‏ Numbers 32:1-5

Introduction

To understand the lesson of this chapter we need to know what the land represents and what the wilderness side of the Jordan represents. The land of Canaan is the land in which the people may enjoy the blessing of God. For the Christian, Canaan is a picture of the heavenly places, in which God blessed him “with every spiritual blessing … in Christ” (Eph 1:3).

To enter the land, you have to cross the Jordan. That river is a picture of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Only he who believes in Him is seated in Christ in the heavenly places. Heavenly blessings are the specific blessings of the believer. Only those who are aware of this will enjoy them.

The wilderness side of the Jordan is the land on the east side of the Jordan. The wilderness side of the Jordan speaks of the earthly blessings. With earthly blessings we can think of things like health, clothing, shelter, work and family. For these blessings you don’t have to cross the Jordan. Earthly blessings can also be enjoyed by non-Christians.

The difference in enjoying the earthly blessings between the believer and the unbeliever is that the believer will thank the Lord for those blessings (1Tim 4:3), while the unbeliever appropriates those blessings as a right acquired by himself. So earthly blessings are not specific to the Christian. The Christian who is satisfied with only the earthly blessings, ignores what God has given him on top of that to enjoy together with Him.

The wilderness side of the Jordan first belonged to the Ammonites and was then conquered by the Amorite kings Sihon and Og. Therefore, the Israelites have received permission to conquer it (Num 21:21-35). Sihon has ruled in the south (Gilead) and Og in the north (Basan). It is God’s purpose that His people will inherit a part of the wilderness side of the Jordan. In the kingdom of peace, all tribes are assigned a part in the land and each tribe also receives a part in the wilderness side of the Jordan. However, it is not God’s purpose that His people will settle there completely. He does not want His people to be content with it alone, without interest in the land of which He says: “The land is Mine” (Lev 25:23). It is His land.

The Wilderness Side of the Jordan as a Possession

Reuben and Gad are stationed under the same standard. They will have considered the situation together and have come to the conclusion that there is much to be gained if they can stay where they are now: the plains of Moab. They have an exceedingly large number of livestock. And the area in which they are currently located provides what their livestock need according to their perception. They are guided by their eyes: the land is pleasing to their eyes and good for their livestock (cf. Gen 13:10-11).

Therefore they ask Moses, Eleazar and the leaders to give them this land as their possession. In doing so, they ask to not have to go across the Jordan. They are asking, as it were, for a favor not to have to move into the land. That must have hurt Moses, who so desperately wanted to enter the land, but was not allowed to. And how this would have hurt the heart of the LORD. He has chosen this land for His people, and these tribes say they do not want to enter it.

The Gadites and Reubenites have experienced all the trials of the wilderness, they have been spared, and just before the Jordan they refuse to cross over. This is tragic. They use their large livestock as an excuse not to have to enter the land. Their property is their everything. If we use our earthly blessings for ourselves, they become an excuse not to occupy ourselves with the heavenly blessings.

There is also some impatience in the attitude of both tribes. Why wait for blessings of which you have to wait and see if and how they please you, if you can already enjoy them here and now? One bird in the hand is always better than ten in the air. This attitude can be found with us when we live for what we possess on earth, what we can touch and taste with our natural senses.