by In Numbers 32, Jewish Tribes Reuben and Gad didn’t want to go into the Promised Land with Israel. Their reasoning was that they found the choicest grazing land for their “very great multitude of cattle” (32:1,4). They requested this land be given as their possession and not to be taken over the Jordan river with the rest of Israel (32:5). Moses responded in 32:6 with words that point us to the sin in 32:23. This sin comes according to the tribes’ response to, “Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here?” Moses was not pleased with their desire, but he goes on to make a deal with these two tribes. Israel was at war and needed every able-bodied man. So, they agreed to send soldiers to fight with Israel (32:16-19). Afterwards, the land they desired for a possession would be theirs, if they kept their vows (32:20-22).
Numbers 32:23 is rightly preached in application to any sin, but what is the closest application to us today. Moses told what would happen if these tribes sinned in failing their vows before God. Moses used the ten spies and their fathers as application to show the results of this sin:
- They would DISCOURAGE God’s people … like the ten spies did (32:7-9)
- They would PROVOKE God’s anger … like their fathers did (32:10-14)
- God would DESTROY them … like their wilderness journey (32:15)
Applying this to us, we are at war (Ephesians 6:12) — the “gates of hell” are trying to “prevail” (Matthew 16:19). Like Israel, we need every able-bodied believer at their post (Romans 12:1-8). Understanding this, it’s not until the war is over that we receive our rewards (Hebrews 10:32-38). If we quit on God and on His people, the same results promised to Reuben and Gad will be accomplished in our lives. We too cannot think for a second that we will get away with breaking our vows to God — “be sure your sin will find you out.” The end result is not a loss of your salvation, but a loss of rewards you earned on the battlefield of this life (2 John 1:8).
Are you actively serving God in the Lord’s Army? You may not be as able-bodied as you once were, but you can still serve and continue to receive eternal rewards.
