For forty years I led you through the desert … yet your sandals did not wear out." Duet. 29:5
“Please let us have this land as our property, instead of giving us land across the Jordan River.”
The tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Mannaseh asked Moses to give them land on the east side of the Jordan.
Moses agreed, provided they first go and fight with the other tribes across the Jordan.
For the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Mannaseh, the east side of the Jordan would be their promised land.
A vow or a pledge was a solemn thing.
The God of the Bible was (and is) a God who has pledged Himself to his people.
“Moses laid his hands on him and commissioned him to lead the people, just as the Lord had commanded.”
Now the torch was being passed to Joshua, not because he was a brilliant military leader, but because he had been a faithful servant to the Lord and to Moses.
Our only ability in spiritual matters is avail-ability.
“…who bows down with eyes wide open.”
Baalam delivered the Lord’s message, not the message King Balak wanted to hear.
Baalam, as God’s servant, was only a mouthpiece. Yet he fulfilled his role as a prophet of God before a wicked enemy.
“God has blessed, and I cannot reverse it! No misfortune is in his plan for Jacob.”
It is not within mortal man’s power to reverse the divine plan of the Almighty. Who can curse what God has blessed?
There the Israelites sang this song:
?Spring up, O well!”
Overjoyed at the abundance of fresh water, they couldn’t help but sing.
Sing out, O people of God. Sing it out, and pray it too.
“The time has come for Aaron to join his ancestors in death.”
Life is not a gift, but rather a loan that must be paid back.
Eternal life is a gift.
“If you follow these instructions, the Lord’s anger will never again blaze against the people of Israel.”
The Lord is holy and merciful at the same time. He hates sin and rebellion, but He is compassionate toward the sinner who repents.
“But as surely as I live, and as surely as the earth is filled with the Lord’s glory, not one of these people will ever enter that land.”
The decision was final. When ten of the twelve spies went against the advice of Joshua and Caleb and incited the crowd to pick up stones to stone them, it was the last straw.
“Now you will see whether or not my word comes true!”
The Lord’s anger burned against his people. They were faithless. They whined about their circumstances and failed to appreciate God’s provision.
