Preparing to Possess the Land
During the final days of his life,
Moses is active as commander-
in-chief of Israel’s army, routing
Midian for its idolatrous influence;
deal with the request by the tribes
of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh to
settle east of the Jordan; & review
the travel route fr Egypt to Moab.
The book of Numbers closes with
a list of the boundaries of the
Promised Land and apportioning
the land to remaining 9 1/2 tribes.
Laws are established to provide for
justice in cases of manslaughter &
protect the inheritance of families
who have no surviving male heir.
Lord, just as you feed, guide and
protect Israel, we Thank You for
providing, leading & preserving us.
Help us Not to Jump to wrong
conclusions, assuming others
have wrong motives, but instead
take time to let the facts surface.
And help us to Uphold Justice &
Mercy; for we want to be holy as
You are. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Lord,we’ll Not Jump to conclusions
The tribes of Reuben & Gad owned
vast numbers of livestock. So when
they saw lands of Hazel and Gilead
were ideal suited for their flocks,
they came to Moses and… said:
Let us have this land instead of the
land across Jordan. “Do you intend
to stay here while your brothers go
across & do all the fighting? Moses
asked the men of Gad and Reuben.
Why do you want to discourage
the rest of the people of Israel from
going across to the land the Lord
has given them? (Num 32:1-7).
Lord, we note Moses jumped to the
wrong conclusion for the 3 tribes
fully intended to continue the fight
until all land conquered (v16-19).
Remind us not to assume others
have wrong motives, even if their
plans sound suspicious. Help us
take time to let the facts surface
before making up our mind. Amen.
Lord, U Provide, Guide & Protect:
This is the route the Israelites
followed as they marched out of
Egypt under the leadership of
Moses and Aaron. At the Lord’s
direction, Moses kept a written
record of their progress. These are
the stages of the march, identified
by the different places where they
stopped along the way (N33:1-2).
Lord, as we think back through
the days and months and years
of our lives, we thank You for
the many points when You worked
in unmistakable ways on our behalf
We are grateful for Your divine
forgetfulness of our sins, that You
remove them as far as east from
west. And we thank You for all the
ordinary days when You fed, led
and preserved us as a family. Amen
Lord,we’ll consider justice & Mercy:
When u cross Jordan into Canaan,
designate cities of refuge to which
people can flee if they have killed
someone accidentally…The slayer
must not be put to death before
being tried by the community…
But if someone strikes and kills
another person with a piece of iron,
it is murder, and the murderer
must be executed (Num 35:10-15).
Holy Spirit, help us consider both
justice and mercy for it is unjust
both to overlook wrongdoing and
to jump to conclusions about guilt.
Help us Holy Spirit to stand for
justice, protect those not yet
proven guilty and listen carefully
to all sides of the story. Amen.