NUMBERS

Numbers Chapter 32

• Numbers 32:1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle; 
• 2 The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying, 
• 3 Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon, 
• 4 Even the country which the LORD smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle: 
• 5 Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan. 

I don't know whether they were anxious, tired or they really saw that this land was good for cattle but it seems that they decided to ask for the land on this side of Jordan instead of going over to the land that God originally promised to give them. The people here were the Amorites which were cursed of God and disposed from the land in fulfillment of Deuteronomy 25.19.

• Deuteronomy 25:19 Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.

Amalek was a descendant of Esau. He came out against Israel when they first journeyed out toward the land of promise. This account is in Exodus 17 verse 8. In Exodus 17: 14, Moses said to write it down for a memorial for the name of Amalek will be put out of remembrance. 

We must be very careful to take note of God's people. They may be those that have been grafted into the vine of Israel who is Jesus. Jesus said, "I am the vine." This can be studied in John chapter 15. By faith in Jesus Christ any Gentile or non Jew can be grafted into that vine. Whether they are people of the original vine of Israel that we call Jews today or those grafted in, they belong to God. They are God's children.

Even though Israel as a nation has not yet recognized their Messiah as Jesus, they are still children of the promise and will eventually come to faith in Christ. They still are the apple of God's eye and the church never once replaced their purpose and position. They are still children of Abraham.

Believers who have received Christ as individuals may replace unbelieving Jews as individuals but as a whole, the church has never replaced Israel's calling and divine place in the prophetic events that are coming upon the world. The church does not replace the promises that God made to the nation of Israel. Yes individual Jews have to believe in Christ to be saved just as Gentiles but as a nation they have their purpose and promise given to them through Abraham and that has not changed 

We must be very careful not to treat the Jewish people unfairly and never are we to take away their land promised to them by the Lord. While it is true that the Lord uses evil nations to bring judgment upon Israel for her sins, we must make sure that we are not part of those that go up against Israel. For the evil nations that God allows temporarily to bring judgment are then judged severely by God. They are usually wiped out completely while a remnant of Israel is always saved and always will be.

Israel will survive and will be standing in the latter days to rule and reign with Jesus Christ when He returns. The believing Gentiles will also partake of their inheritance. 

The faithful believing church that is walking in the spirit and walking in love at the time Jesus returns has a special place in the kingdom to come. They will return with Christ when He sets up His kingdom having previously been raptured or taken out of the world just before the wrath of God is ready to fall. They are special because they believed when the nation of Israel rejected the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

I repeat; the church of Jesus Christ never once replaced Israel and become a spiritual Israel. They  are adopted by faith in Christ Jesus instead. Israel is still Israel and the church is the church or congregation of believers in Christ. The word church is usually thought of as a building instead of the people. Congregation sounds more like the people themselves.

Any church or true believer in Christ will never and I repeat never persecute Israel. In fact any true believer or church will never persecute anyone. If any of those who called themselves a church or used the name Christian and helped Hitler in the Holocaust; they were not the true church that Jesus said He would build. They could not have been. 

The true church is to love Israel not hate them. We are never to lift up our hand against the Lord's people even if they are cut off for a season until the fullness of the Gentiles is completed. The first believers were Jews and the last believers will be Jews. Praise be to the Lord for we already see many Jews coming to Christ. 

• Numbers 32:6 And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here? 
• 7 And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them? 

Moses really got a little angry here and perhaps he saw that these people were tired and wanted to finally quit fighting and settle down in their land and have peace. The work though was not yet done and their brethren still needed their help. 

Through the prophecy of Jacob recorded in the last part of Genesis, Rueben lost the right of the firstborn and it was given to Judah. Perhaps they really didn't care as much for going over Jordan as the other tribes. The birthright of the land of Israel may not have been as important to them just like it was in the case of Esau. It is strange too that the land of Esau is the land they chose to dwell in. One who despised his birthright settled here years before and Reuben who lost his birthright settled here also. 

It could be that they were hoping to opt out of further war and wanted to settle down now. They may have been anxious and desired not to go the distance and fight to the finish. Another thought too is that like in the case of Lot years before when Abraham allowed him to choose the land they he desired, Lot looked at the land that was well watered and chose that land. It turned out to be a place where evil dwelt and eventually he and his family had to flee that land. As far as I can tell Israel does not dwell in this land where Reuben dwelt to this day. 

• Numbers 32:8 Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadeshbarnea to see the land. 
• 9 For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the LORD had given them. 

Twelve spies 40 years previously were sent out to take note of how the land lay, what were the weaknesses and strengths of the enemy and to study the habits, the strongholds and how to best defeat the enemy. Instead of planning, 10 of the spies grew fearful and went back to the wilderness and discouraged others with their unbelief. This angered God and He pronounced judgment saying that all those over 20 except for Joshua and Caleb, would have to dwell in the wilderness 40 more years until the older ones died off and the younger ones could take the land. 

Joshua and Caleb were two of the spies that did not go into unbelief but believed that God's power could give them victory over the enemy. 

God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, of love and of a sound mind. 

• Numbers 32:10 And the LORD'S anger was kindled the same time, and he sware, saying, 
• 11 Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me: 
• 12 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the LORD. 

This could be a picture of who will make the rapture of the church and who will be left behind. Those that wholly follow the Lord will be ready when He returns. Those that abide in unbelief and fear will not be ready. That is my speculation and not necessarily scripture.

• Numbers 32:13 And the LORD'S anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed. 
• 14 And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers' stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the LORD toward Israel. 

Moses was afraid that if the other tribes perceived that Reuben, Manasseh and Gad wanted to quit and settle in this side of Jordan that they would lose heart and give up and not go into the promised land. It only takes a fear dissenters and fearful people ready to quit, to discourage the crowds. 

• Numbers 32:15 For if ye turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and ye shall destroy all this people. 
• 16 And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones: 
• 17 But we ourselves will go ready armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 
• 18 We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance. 
• 19 For we will not inherit with them on yonder side Jordan, or forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side Jordan eastward. 
• 20 And Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will go armed before the LORD to war, 
• 21 And will go all of you armed over Jordan before the LORD, until he hath driven out his enemies from before him, 
• 22 And the land be subdued before the LORD: then afterward ye shall return, and be guiltless before the LORD, and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the LORD. 
• 23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out. 
• 24 Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which hath proceeded out of your mouth. 
• 25 And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spake unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth. 
• 26 Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead: 
• 27 But thy servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord saith. 

They promised not to quit but to fight with their brethren until all the land is taken before returning to their own wives and children. This must have been hard to do because it would have taken a very long time for all the other tribes to receive their inheritance first. 

• Numbers 32:28 So concerning them Moses commanded Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel: 
• 29 And Moses said unto them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over Jordan, every man armed to battle, before the LORD, and the land shall be subdued before you; then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession: 
• 30 But if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan. 

Moses didn't take any chances probably because he knew that Israel was quick to make promises to the Lord but quick also to forget their promises and do their own thing. We see that Moses instructed Joshua not to give them any inheritance on that side of Jordan until they first kept their part of the bargain otherwise they would have to settle for land on the other side along with the other tribes of Israel. 

• Numbers 32:31 And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, As the LORD hath said unto thy servants, so will we do. 
• 32 We will pass over armed before the LORD into the land of Canaan, that the possession of our inheritance on this side Jordan may be ours. 
• 33 And Moses gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and unto 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 the cities thereof in the coasts, even the cities of the country round about. 
• 34 And the children of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer, 
• 35 And Atroth, Shophan, and Jaazer, and Jogbehah, 
• 36 And Bethnimrah, and Bethharan, fenced cities: and folds for sheep. 
• 37 And the children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kirjathaim, 
• 38 And Nebo, and Baalmeon, (their names being changed,) and Shibmah: and gave other names unto the cities which they builded. 
• 39 And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorite which was in it. 
• 40 And Moses gave Gilead unto Machir the son of Manasseh; and he dwelt therein. 
• 41 And Jair the son of Manasseh went and took the small towns thereof, and called them Havothjair. 
• 42 And Nobah went and took Kenath, and the villages thereof, and called it Nobah, after his own name. 

As in athletics, those who go the distance, persevere to the end and keep the faith are the ones that win the prize. The unbelieving, half-hearted and fearful lose out in the end. So I encourage us to stand fast in the faith and remain "In Christ" looking for and waiting for His coming.

Many say in the their hearts that the Lord delays His coming and they figure that maybe He is not really coming literally so that try to set up their own kingdoms on earth. This has happened during the Middle Ages and we see that it is happening once again. Beware of Kingdom Now, Replacement Theology and the Dominion teaching. What goes around comes around. This is nothing new. We must with much patience wait on our Lord to set up His own kingdom. Our only instructions is to go into all the world and preach the gospel. 

• Jude 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 
• 21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 

We are to occupy until the Lord returns, walk in love and spread the gospel of the kingdom, not set up the kingdom.

• Luke 12:43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 
• 44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. 
• 45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 
• 46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. 
• 47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 
• 48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. 

I notice many times that when we get spiritually lazy and are not walking in our first love for the Lord, we begin to find fault and start to argue with our fellow believers.

• 2Peter 3:1 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: 
• 2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: 
• 3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 
• 4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 
• 5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 
• 6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 
• 7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 
• 8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 
• 9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 
• 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 

We are to live each day like we expect the Lord to return immediately. Not nit pick on our fellow believers. This does not mean that we do not give godly correction if someone is in serious error.

• Hebrews 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. 

Those that look for Him are the ones that will be ready when He comes. Also a good sign of readiness is to love His appearing. In other words, desire the Lord to return. DC

• 2Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 
• 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.