Finish the Charge! | Numbers part 35
Scripture Reading: Galatians 6:6-10
I would like to begin today with a question: “How are you doing?”
Chances are, you are in one of three categories. 1) You are in a season of struggle. This season could be brought on by any number of problems this world likes to give us—job loss, family tragedy, grocery prices, or it could be something simple like you missed breakfast. 2) You are in a season of ‘ok’. You aren’t facing any real tragedy or hardship, but life isn’t as glamorous as you had hoped. Again, this could be for a number of reasons, and you may not even be able to put your finger on the problem. You’re just…’eh’.
Last, you could be doing fantastic! The Lord has answered prayers in the positive. The family is well. The job is satisfying. You know heaven is on the way, and you’re doing great on Earth, too.
Here's what I want to say to all three groups before we open Numbers 32: God has something for you this morning. But I want to be honest with you — I think this particular chapter has a very specific word for that third group. For the ones who are doing well. For the ones who are blessed.
Because here's a thing I've noticed about seasons of blessing: they're actually one of the more spiritually dangerous places you can be. Not because blessing is bad. Blessing is good. God is good. But comfort has a way of quietly convincing us that we've arrived. And Numbers 32 is a chapter about two tribes who were blessed, who were comfortable, and who almost made a catastrophic mistake because of it.
So, as a church — as people of God walking through this life together — how do we keep moving forward in a mixed season of both blessings and delayed blessings? How do we finish the charge when some of us are already home and some of us are still on the road?
That's what Numbers 32 is about. Let's go there.
At the Edge of Promise | Numbers 32:1-5
Now the people of Reuben and the people of Gad had a very great number of livestock. And they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a place for livestock. So the people of Gad and the people of Reuben came and said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the chiefs of the congregation, “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, the land that the LORD struck down before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” And they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession. Do not take us across the Jordan.”
Numbers 32:1-5
I have mixed feelings about Reuben and Gad. Theologians through the centuries have also pondered what to do about these two tribes. On the one hand, they decide to not cross the river with their people. They have decided to settle just shy of the goal of their people. On the other hand, the land they desire has already been given to Israel. The cities are conquered, and the land is readily available. On top of that, it’s a great land! The land is suitable for raising livestock, and these two tribes are blessed with a lot of livestock. Their decision makes perfect sense. They don’t need the land west of the river because the land east of the river will be their Promised Land.
From an earthly perspective, we can fully understand their feelings. If we find ourselves in a position of wealth (even if it isn’t great wealth), then we also find ourselves usually fairly content. Yes, greed could be a problem, but greed is a universal problem of humanity. Greediness can afflict the poor just as easily as the super-wealthy. The issue is: why do I need to look forward to another location when I am happy where I am, now?
In Matthew, Jesus says,
Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 19:23
And we read that and we think, well, that's about wealthy people. That's not really about me. But Reuben and Gad are the illustration of why Jesus said it. It's not that wealth is evil. It's that wealth is satisfying. And when we're satisfied, we stop looking forward. We stop longing for the next thing. We stop pressing toward the promise.
Now, here's where I want to push a little further, because I don't think this is only about material wealth. Some of you aren't wealthy by any conventional measure, but you might be in a season of spiritual blessing. You know you're forgiven. You know heaven is coming. You have real joy, real contentment, real peace in Christ. And that is wonderful — that is exactly what God intends for His people. But here's the danger: contentment and complacency look almost identical from the outside.
Contentment is godly. Complacency will slowly drain the life out of your faith.
The difference between the two is whether your comfort is causing you to stop moving toward what God has next. Contentment says, "I am at peace with where God has me." Complacency says, "I'm good here, and I'd rather not be disturbed." One is a fruit of the Spirit. The other is a slow drift away from the call.
Contentment is godly, but complacency inhibits us from growing in our faith.
Again, I am not convinced they are trying to be complacent. Even still, their good intentions are about to wreak havoc in the camp.
Choices and Consequences | Numbers 32:6-15
But Moses said to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here? Why will you discourage the heart of the people of Israel from going over into the land that the LORD has given them? Your fathers did this, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the people of Israel from going into the land that the LORD had given them. And the LORD’s anger was kindled on that day, and he swore, saying, ‘Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed me, none except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the LORD.’ 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 gone. And behold, you have risen in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the LORD against Israel! For if you turn away from following him, he will again abandon them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all this people.”
Numbers 32:1-15
Moses is livid!
For him, it is the same story from 40 years ago when spies were sent into the land. He reminds the tribal leaders what happened when they refused to enter the Promised Land. God pronounced judgement on that generation, and no one would enter the Land except Caleb and Joshua. Now, Reuben and Gad are setting Israel up for failure again. If they don’t enter the land, it will discourage the other 10, and Israel will once again be in a situation of judgement and destruction.
Notice again, Reuben and Gad are not necessarily trying to bring problems to Israel. It is not quite the same scenario as forty years ago, but their decision could have the same effect. This scenario plays out many times in our own day. When we have worked hard, sacrificed time, and done all that was required for a great life, it makes sense that we should be able to sit back and enjoy it. And yet, if we aren’t careful, our enjoyment can become someone else’s discouragement.
And this is where Numbers 32 meets American rugged individualism. Is it Reuben and Gad’s fault that the rest of Israel does not have the same blessings? Benjamin, Jordan, or any of the other tribes could just as easily said, “Hey, this spot looks pretty good, too.” No, other people’s choices are not your fault, but your response to the blessings you have is.
If our response to material blessing (or spiritual) is to draw away from those still pursuing their inheritance, then we fall into selfishness.
Moses reminds them of the past because he connects their current decision to the same fear as the previous generation. They may have different motivations, but the net result is the same. Not all of Israel will enter the Land together. God’s charge for Israel is that all 12 enter the Land.
But here's where the story gets genuinely good. Because this Reuben and Gad are not their forefathers. Watch what happens.
Until We All Reach the Goal | Numbers 32:16-27
Then they came near to him and said, “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones, but we will take up arms, ready to go before the people of Israel, until we have brought them to their place. And our little ones shall live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. We will not return to our homes until each of the people of Israel has gained his inheritance. For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan to the east.” So Moses said to them, “If you will do this, if you will take up arms to go before the LORD for the war, and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the LORD, until he has driven out his enemies from before him and the land is subdued before the LORD; then after that you shall return and be free of obligation to the LORD and to Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the LORD. But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out. Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what you have promised.” And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben said to Moses, “Your servants will do as my lord commands. Our little ones, our wives, our livestock, and all our cattle shall remain there in the cities of Gilead, but your servants will pass over, every man who is armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord orders.”
Numbers 32:16-27
Did you catch that? They said, "We will not return to our homes until each of the people of Israel has gained his inheritance.”
Every. Last. One.
Not until most of them are settled. Not until the majority are through. Not until it looks like the job is basically done and they can probably slip away without anyone noticing. Every single tribe. Every last inheritance. They will not go home until the whole thing is finished.
And Moses accepts the deal. He lays out the terms clearly: if you do this, if every armed man crosses the Jordan and fights until the land is subdued, then you will be free of obligation and the land of Gilead is yours. But if you don't, your sin will find you out.
Now, I want to stay here for a moment, because there's something in this exchange that I think we miss if we move through it too quickly.
Reuben and Gad have figured out something that is genuinely wise. They realize that their blessing — their wealth, their land, their established families — is not a reason to stop fighting. It's actually a resource for continuing the fight. Their men will cross the Jordan knowing their families are secure. They have homes to come back to. They're not fighting with the weight of uncertainty about whether their wives and children are safe. Their blessing has become a foundation for mission.
Reuben and Gad are able to use their blessing to further the other tribes into their own inheritance.
This story is illustrative of another parable of Jesus. In Matthew 25, Jesus gives three parables that are all connected to each other. The middle one, the Parable of the Talents, is connected to Israel’s situation. A master gives three servants three sets of talents (a measure of money). The first is given quite a bit, the second a little, and the third is given only one. While the master is away, the servants are to use their money to increase the master’s funds. The first two put their money to work and return on their investments. The third, out of fear, hides his portion to return it all when the master returns. When the master returns, the third servant is chastised for his lack of faith and lack of risk-taking. The thrust of the lesson is in verse 29:
For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
Matthew 25:29
To be clear, the problem isn’t that the third servant had so little. The master gave him charge of little. The problem is the third servant showed no faith, no risk-taking initiative, nor obedience in what he was given. So what does our master, Jesus Christ the Lord, desire from what he has given us? That answer comes in the third parable.
Jesus says when the Son of Man comes in His glory, He will gather all the nations and separate the people into those who will inherit eternal life and those who will inherit eternal punishment. How are they separated?
And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Matthew 25:33-39
The separation is based on how people used what they were given. How they responded to the needs around them. Whether their blessing became a foundation for mission or a reason for withdrawal.
It is not a coincidence that Jesus' parables about being ready for His return — about the end of this age — map so naturally onto the story of Reuben and Gad. Reuben and Gad are standing at the threshold of the Promised Land. They have their inheritance. But they cannot rest — they must not rest — until all of Israel is home.
And here is the principle that I want you to carry out of this building today:
Our mission on earth does not end with our inheritance. It ends when all of God’s People enter the Promised Land.
A Promised Land Secured | Numbers 32:28-42
So Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the people of Israel. And Moses said to them, “If the people of Gad and the people of Reuben, every man who is armed to battle before the LORD, will pass with you over the Jordan and the land shall be subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession. However, if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.” And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben answered, “What the LORD has said to your servants, we will do. We will pass over armed before the LORD into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan.”
And Moses gave to them, to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben and to the half-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 and its cities with their territories, the cities of the land throughout the country. And the people of Gad built Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, Beth-nimrah and Beth-haran, fortified cities, and folds for sheep. And the people of Reuben built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, Nebo, and Baal-meon (their names were changed), and Sibmah. And they gave other names to the cities that they built. And the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and captured it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it. And Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he settled in it. And Jair the son of Manasseh went and captured their villages, and called them Havvoth-jair. And Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages, and called it Nobah, after his own name.
Numbers 32:28-42
The agreement is secured. It is worth noting that by agreeing to these terms, Israel has secured a larger Promised Land than Moses originally envisioned. The boundaries for the tribes will be marked in a subsequent chapter in Numbers. Until this point, Moses saw the Promised Land as the land between the river and the sea. God is giving them even more because of the fruitful stewardship of Reuben and Gad.
I want you to notice what that means. When Reuben and Gad decided to use their blessing to serve the mission rather than protect their comfort, God didn't just honor the deal — He expanded it. What started as a negotiation ended as a multiplication.
That is the pattern of the Kingdom. When we hold our blessings with an open hand, God tends to do more with them than we would have done if we'd kept them for ourselves.
As we reflect on the story for today, I want to return to my original question: How are you doing today?
You see, whether you find yourself in dire need, glorious abundance, or somewhere in between, I firmly believe God has more in store for you. I believe this because you are here—on the east side of the river. We have not entered the Promised Land, yet, but we are certainly on our way. Perhaps you are blessed and think, “I kind of like where I’m at. Do I need to go further?”
The answer is yes.
There is more awaiting you, if you will go.
God can take us farther and accomplish greater things than we could ever imagine when we are obedient to His call.
And I don’t mean material blessings. Whether or not you will be wealthy is between you and God. Even more, if your goal is material wealth, there’s a strong chance that goal is going to end in condemnation. Money may not be inherently evil, but the love of money absolutely is the root of all evil.
No, I am talking about something far greater. I want us to look into eternity—the eternal treasures that await those who serve the Lord. These are treasures you can’t put a price tag on.
So here's what I want to offer as we close. Three things. Not a checklist — a compass.
First, we must recognize the reality of our circumstances. The reality is, if we live in 21st century America, chances are we are far wealthier than we think. The poorest person in the US still has more opportunities and resources than some of the wealthiest people in other countries—and considerably more than people in the past. That is not meant to be a statement of guilt. It’s just the reality of our country. That also means that we do have talents from the Lord. Those talents are meant to help others.
Now, it may be that we actually are in great need. It may not be financial need. Perhaps we are in a season of illness or some other loss. That’s also important to note, because if we are in need, and we have asked God to help meet our need, then that means He will raise someone up to help us. It does us no good if we are too prideful to receive that help. Because after we are helped, and God has raised us up, then we will be in the position to help someone else.
Either way, we can’t be too prideful in either helping or being helped.
Second, we must keep our eyes open to opportunity. The faithful servants didn’t double their talents by accident. They were faithful stewards of what the master gave. When God provides the resources, that means He is about to provide an opportunity. And, if He is opening an opportunity, then He will provide the resources. He didn’t just tell Israel to take the Land. He also gave them the means to do it.
Third, we’ll know God is done using us when everyone is on the other side of the Jordan. When does the Church’s mission end? It ends when Jesus returns. When does your life’s mission end? It ends when Jesus takes you home. So, when does your discipleship end, or your evangelism, or our worship, or our ministry in the community? We’ll know we are done seeking the lost sheep because there won’t be any more sheep to find.
Churches and individual Christians begin their decline the moment they sit back and marvel at what they've accumulated. And I say that gently, because I think every one of us has a version of Reuben and Gad inside us — a voice that says, "We've done a lot. We've come a long way. Can't we just enjoy this for a while?" And the answer from Numbers 32 is: yes, enjoy it. Build the sheepfolds. Establish the cities. Secure the families. But don't stop crossing the river for the people who still need you on the other side.
I want to tell you one last story as we close. One of my favorite people in Missouri is a guy named Bruce. Bruce was literally on his deathbed as he witnessed to the doctors, nurses, and even a chaplain. I say ‘literally’ because there was a short period where his heart stopped, and the doctor said he was technically dead. The doctors were able to revive him, and as he laid in the hospital for months recovering, he continued to tell every person he could about Jesus. Now, there is a much longer version of that story, but the point is what Bruce told me. He said, “Jesus told me I wasn’t done yet, and more people needed to hear the Gospel. So, I’m telling people the Gospel.”
Church — even if you find yourself on your deathbed, God is not done with you until He says He's done.
Reuben and Gad could have sat down. They had everything they needed. Their inheritance was secured. Nobody would have blamed them for staying on the east side and watching the other tribes cross the river from a comfortable distance.
But they didn't. They said, "We will not return to our homes until each of the people of Israel has gained his inheritance."
That's the call. That's the charge. Finish it.