1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:01,720 All right, good morning, church family. 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:04,640 As you guys find your seat, if you would open your Bibles to 3 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:10,240 the Book of Numbers, chapter 32. We are going to be in the entire 4 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:12,400 chapter this morning. It's quite a long chapter. 5 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:15,400 It's 42 verses, so I won't be reading it up front. 6 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:16,920 We'll read it as we go through it. 7 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:19,400 There's quite a bit of information here. 8 00:00:20,240 --> 00:00:23,200 The title of the sermon this morning is this comes directly 9 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:28,120 from the text, one of the verses what Moses says in this chapter. 10 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:34,320 Be sure your sin will find you out. 11 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:39,640 And so as we jump to the sermon this morning, you'll see where 12 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:42,760 that phrase comes from. So if you will pray with me as 13 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:46,600 we prepare our hearts to hear from the the word of the Lord 14 00:00:52,710 --> 00:00:57,070 Father, I pray this morning as we continue our study, the book 15 00:00:57,070 --> 00:01:03,920 of Numbers that you would teach us what you want us to learn and 16 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:05,760 what you want us to put into practice. 17 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:10,440 Got to pray that you would give us wisdom this morning as we see 18 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:15,680 a story that you know upon first reading probably seems like it 19 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:17,080 has nothing to do with our lives. 20 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:22,720 But upon further reflection, upon further meditation, Lord, 21 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:26,840 we recognize that there are lessons here for us to learn 22 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:31,120 and, and so God, I pray that you would help us to see them. 23 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:37,240 You would help me to bring them out, and that you would sanctify 24 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:40,320 us, God, through this text this morning. 25 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:43,520 I pray this all in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 26 00:01:47,320 --> 00:01:53,680 Be sure your sin will find you out. 27 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:58,280 I read a story the other day. You may have read it. 28 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:06,760 A woman has her digital scale to thank for revealing her 29 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:12,400 husband's cheating. A skeptical wife shared the wild 30 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:17,240 way she learned of her husband's ways and a viral Reddit post 31 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:23,400 detailing how she found two late night weigh insurance on her 32 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:27,880 digital scale taken while she was away and her husband was 33 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:30,680 home alone. She quotes. 34 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:34,680 I checked the digital scales memory out of curiosity and it 35 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:40,000 showed 2 unassigned weigh insurance at exactly 120 lbs 36 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:47,080 Logged in at 12:15 AM and 12:26 AM back-to-back. 37 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:54,560 For context, I do not weigh 120 lbs and I was not there on on 38 00:02:54,560 --> 00:03:06,120 that date, just my husband. Be sure your sin will find you 39 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:12,160 out. Those are the words that Moses 40 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:15,920 says to the tribes of Reuben and Gad. 41 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:20,520 And this morning we're going to look at the context of those 42 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:23,200 words. So let's jump into our text this 43 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:25,440 morning. I'll be giving an exposition and 44 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:27,920 application of the text. I'll be weaving them together. 45 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:30,040 We'll look at it section by section. 46 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:34,800 So let's start looking at numbers 32 versus 1 to 5. 47 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:39,440 Now the people of Reuben and the people of Gad had a very great 48 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:44,600 number of livestock, and they saw the land, the land of Jazzer 49 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:47,720 and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a place 50 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:50,840 for livestock. So the people of Gad and the 51 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:53,880 people of Reuben came and said to Moses and Eliezer the priest, 52 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:57,080 and to the chiefs of the congregation, Ataroth, D Bond, 53 00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:02,320 Jazer, Nimrah, Heshban, Eliath, Sabam Nebo, and beyond. 54 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:05,840 The land that the Lord struck down before the congregation of 55 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:11,600 Israel is a land for livestock. And your servants have 56 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:14,280 livestock. And they said, if we have found 57 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:18,040 favour in your sight, let this land be given to your servants 58 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:22,400 for a possession. Do not take us across the 59 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:26,160 Jordan. So the story this morning opens 60 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:30,440 with discussing 2 of Israel's tribes, the tribe of Reuben and 61 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:34,640 the tribe of Gad. Now both tribes have a problem, 62 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:38,960 but it is a good problem. They have an abundance of 63 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:40,720 livestock. That's a good problem. 64 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:45,080 In those days, they see the land of Jazzer and the land of 65 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:50,400 Gilead, which are both on the east side of the Jordan River. 66 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:54,840 So if Israel, you're looking at it from your vantage point, but 67 00:04:54,960 --> 00:05:00,200 Israel is here, the Jordan River comes here, and on the east side 68 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:03,960 of the Jordan River is where this land of Jazzer and Gilead 69 00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:07,240 is. Jazzer is just North East of the 70 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:11,120 Dead Sea and then Gilead is just north of Jazzer. 71 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:15,160 They notice they when they they're there, they look around 72 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:19,880 and they notice they're like this land is a perfect land for 73 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:23,480 livestock. Now we know geographically there 74 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:26,640 are rivers there such as the Yarmouk, the Jabbish and the 75 00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:29,680 Jabbic and these rivers have tributaries as well. 76 00:05:29,960 --> 00:05:32,040 There are numerous springs in the region. 77 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:35,240 And so this would be a provide ample water supply. 78 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:39,120 Livestock need a lot of water and this would provide a lot of 79 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:43,440 feeding grounds, so this is perfect for them. 80 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:46,560 So they approach Moses. They approach Eliezer, the 81 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:50,440 priest and the chiefs of the congregations whose names are 82 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:53,160 listed, and they have a proposal to them. 83 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:57,000 Now I want you to notice how they begin the proposal. 84 00:05:57,600 --> 00:06:04,280 They say the land that the Lord struck down before the 85 00:06:04,280 --> 00:06:07,600 congregation of Israel. Don't miss that. 86 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:10,760 I want to focus on that statement for just a minute. 87 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:16,920 Reuben and Gad acknowledge that Israel didn't win this battle, 88 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:20,600 the Lord did. We looked at this battle last 89 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:23,800 week. Proverbs 2131 reminds us that 90 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:28,400 the horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory 91 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:33,440 belongs to the Lord. How tempting it is to attribute 92 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:38,320 our victories, our successes to ourselves. 93 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:44,320 Anytime we take credit for something in this life, you know 94 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:48,320 what it's like. Anytime that we attribute credit 95 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:51,200 to us for our own victories, our own successes, you know what 96 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:54,280 that's like. It would be like a cross maker 97 00:06:54,640 --> 00:07:00,680 in 30 AD, boasting in how good of a cross he designed for the 98 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:05,480 Roman army. Imagine if he boasted of the 99 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:11,400 hours that he had spent carving out this cross from this tree, 100 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:17,040 boasting in the finish of the wood, boasting in his own 101 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:21,920 personal touches of design, maybe even sketched his initials 102 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:25,400 in it. And afterwards he finishes it, 103 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:28,640 he takes a selfie of himself next to this creation. 104 00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:37,880 It's what it's like every time we take credit for what God has 105 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:42,560 done. We may be the ones who fight the 106 00:07:42,560 --> 00:07:46,800 battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord. 107 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:51,440 Israel did not win this battle because they were strong or they 108 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,120 were numerous or they were very well trained. 109 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:59,080 They won the battle because the Lord struck down their enemies. 110 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:02,320 And Reuben Gadd acknowledged this. 111 00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:06,720 They say this land, we recognize God gave it to us. 112 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:09,440 God did it. He gave us the victory. 113 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:14,160 And so they go to the leaders and they say, listen, this land, 114 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:17,880 it's ideal for livestock. We have a large amount of 115 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:19,880 livestock. So they asked the leaders. 116 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:23,240 They say, if we have found favor in your sight, can you give us 117 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:27,920 this land as a possession? Do not take us across the 118 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:31,080 Jordan. Now, here's why this matters. 119 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:35,280 The consistent biblical definition of Canaan, the 120 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:40,200 Promised land, was limited to the territory West of the 121 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:43,320 Jordan. When you realize the land that 122 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:48,960 God promised Abraham, it is only the land West of the Jordan, but 123 00:08:48,960 --> 00:08:51,800 they desire the land east of the Jordan. 124 00:08:53,720 --> 00:08:57,000 How should we take this request? Is it selfish? 125 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:02,320 Is it shrewd? Is it just them calling shotgun? 126 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:08,800 Some commentators take it as 2 tribes who preferred material 127 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:12,440 prosperity over living in the promised land. 128 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:16,960 John Calvin took it as the enlargement of the Israelite 129 00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:20,600 territory that resulted from their action as an example of 130 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:23,720 God's Providence bringing good out of human sin. 131 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:29,200 So some see it as just, purely just, you just want to be 132 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:31,840 wealthy and prosperous. And John Calvin says, no, this 133 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:34,360 is God's Providence. He's bringing something good out 134 00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:38,960 of sin. In Deuteronomy 3321, Moses says 135 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:42,600 of Gad, before he dies, he says he chose the best of the land 136 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:46,720 for himself, but he gives no, no condemnation of Gad in saying 137 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:49,480 it. So how do we take this? 138 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:55,680 I want to be clear that the Bible is not clear if Reuben and 139 00:09:55,680 --> 00:10:00,760 Gad's request was righteous or unrighteous or neutral. 140 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:04,880 It's just not clear. But here's what I think that we 141 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:08,840 can take away from this. Here's what I think we can take 142 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:13,040 away from this. Something can be technically not 143 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:19,200 wrong, but maybe unwise. Something could be technically 144 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:24,440 not wrong, but maybe unwise. Remember the story of Abraham 145 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:27,880 and Lot. Both men had grown wealthy, 146 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:31,760 especially in livestock. The land could not support all 147 00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:34,360 of their land, their livestock. It was too much livestock in one 148 00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:36,440 area. And their herdsmen were fighting 149 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:38,960 with each other, You know, like, hey, your sheep are eating all 150 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:40,280 my grass. And no. 151 00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:42,040 And they're, they're just fighting. 152 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:45,480 Abraham sees this and he, he, he, he, he has the wisdom to 153 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:48,040 code a lot and say, listen, we should separate. 154 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:51,600 And Abraham tells Lot he's like, you can pick first. 155 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:54,240 You pick which land you want first. 156 00:10:54,360 --> 00:11:02,320 So Lot looks around and he sees the fertile Jordan Valley looks 157 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:04,480 good to me. He chooses that. 158 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:11,080 It was a good land, except it was near the cities of Sodom and 159 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:14,760 Gomorrah. Abraham stayed in Canaan. 160 00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:19,040 Now here's the question. Was it wrong for Lot to choose 161 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:21,720 that land? Technically, no. 162 00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:28,200 Technically no, Abraham said. You choose, But was it wise? 163 00:11:29,400 --> 00:11:35,440 Probably not. It ended up costing his wife her 164 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:41,520 life. There was nothing technically 165 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:45,200 wrong about Reuben and Gad requesting this land, but it 166 00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:51,320 probably was unwise because the decision to be on the east side 167 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:53,960 of the Jordan it caused several problems in their history. 168 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:58,520 Later there was a relational strain with the other 10 tribes 169 00:11:58,680 --> 00:12:02,920 that happens in Joshua 22. Being on the east side meant 170 00:12:02,920 --> 00:12:06,840 they were farther away from the temple, they were the first to 171 00:12:06,840 --> 00:12:11,120 be conquered by the Assyrian army, and just like Lot, they 172 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:15,640 bordered Pagan nations like Amman, Moab and Iran. 173 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:18,720 And therefore the threat to spiritual apostasy. 174 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:23,880 What's much greater? See, brothers and sisters, in 175 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:27,200 the Christian life, we never simply want to ask the question, 176 00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:34,360 is this wrong? Rather, we are to ask ourselves 177 00:12:34,560 --> 00:12:37,840 a series of questions. Is this wise? 178 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:43,200 Is this godly? Is this in line with counsel? 179 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:47,040 Is this healthy? Is this holy? 180 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:52,640 Because there are many things that are technically not wrong, 181 00:12:55,240 --> 00:13:00,200 they're probably unwise. Look at verse 6 and 9. 182 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:05,360 Moses said to the people of God and the people of Reuben, Shall 183 00:13:05,360 --> 00:13:08,200 your brothers go to war while you sit here? 184 00:13:08,680 --> 00:13:11,120 Why would you discourage the heart of the people of Israel 185 00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:14,040 from going over into the land that the Lord has given them? 186 00:13:14,240 --> 00:13:18,560 Your father's did this when I sent them from Kadesh Barnia to 187 00:13:18,560 --> 00:13:20,640 see the land. For when they went up to the 188 00:13:20,640 --> 00:13:24,040 valley of Escole and saw the land, they discouraged the heart 189 00:13:24,040 --> 00:13:27,000 of the people of Israel from going to the land that the Lord 190 00:13:27,080 --> 00:13:30,840 had given them. So Moses comes to the people of 191 00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:35,520 Gad and Reuben and he says to them, listen, how is it fair 192 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:41,040 that your brothers, the other 10 tribes of Israel go to war while 193 00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:45,120 you just sit here and play Stardew Valley and FarmVille? 194 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:54,680 If you remember, God was taking his people across the Jordan to 195 00:13:54,680 --> 00:13:57,360 go to war against the Canaanites. 196 00:13:57,960 --> 00:14:00,720 The whole reason they're going to cross the Jordan is to go to 197 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:04,560 war and to dispossess the Canaanites and inherit this 198 00:14:04,560 --> 00:14:07,440 land. They would destroy them as God's 199 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:10,360 judgment upon the land and the people. 200 00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:17,920 But if two of the 12 tribes just sit back and enjoy their lives, 201 00:14:18,760 --> 00:14:20,880 it's going to discourage everybody else. 202 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:25,160 I mean, nobody wants to go to war. 203 00:14:25,240 --> 00:14:28,440 If you see your fellow soldiers sitting on their front porch 204 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:35,640 drinking sweet tea, Moses reminds them, it doesn't take 205 00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:38,440 much to discourage the hearts of these people. 206 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:41,760 Remember when your father's did this? 207 00:14:42,040 --> 00:14:45,840 I sent them to spy out the land and they came back from the 208 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:49,520 reconnaissance mission and they said the land is great. 209 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:54,120 It flows with milk and honey and it flows with figs and 210 00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:57,920 pomegranates and grapes. It is a a fertile land. 211 00:14:58,240 --> 00:14:59,600 There's only one problem, though. 212 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:05,280 There are giants there and they discourage the people from going 213 00:15:05,280 --> 00:15:08,600 into the land. Moses is telling Reuben and Gad. 214 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:11,840 He says, listen, if you stay here on the east side, your 215 00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:14,200 actions are going to have the exact same effect. 216 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:17,600 Everybody else is going to be like, what? 217 00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:20,640 Well, wait a minute, If we could have land and have farms and 218 00:15:20,640 --> 00:15:24,600 have lives and build houses without going to war, let's just 219 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:28,200 stay here. This looks pretty good. 220 00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:33,640 Why would we want to go over across the Jordan and fight? 221 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:36,200 Moses realized. This is going to discourage 222 00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:41,160 them. Moses wants them to consider 223 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:44,800 that none of us live in a vacuum. 224 00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:51,720 Our actions affect one another. Now we see this in the New 225 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:54,240 Testament, don't we? Paul says. 226 00:15:54,240 --> 00:16:00,840 We have every right to eat food offered to an idol, but we need 227 00:16:00,840 --> 00:16:03,600 to be mindful of how this action might affect our brothers. 228 00:16:04,480 --> 00:16:08,520 He says if anyone sees you eating food and has a weak 229 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:13,440 conscience, won't he be emboldened to eat himself, thus 230 00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:17,800 to file his conscience? Peter's actions in the early 231 00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:19,000 church. Remember, Peter was eating with 232 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:22,400 the Gentiles, eating at their lunch table, but when the Jews 233 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:25,240 came in, he withdrew from the Gentile lunch table. 234 00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:27,880 And what happened? It affected Barnabas. 235 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:32,960 Barnabas followed his feed, and Barnabas was led into hypocrisy. 236 00:16:34,480 --> 00:16:40,560 We must always be mindful of how our actions and our words might 237 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:46,560 affect the body. Right now, we're going through a 238 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:51,800 process of forming 2 churches. Anytime a church is going 239 00:16:51,800 --> 00:16:56,560 through something as significant as this, it is an opportunity 240 00:16:56,560 --> 00:17:02,960 for the enemy to work. Anytime a church goes through 241 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:08,000 any major decision, it is an opportunity for the enemy to 242 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:10,960 work. And any time that a church makes 243 00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:14,760 a major decision, there are always going to be people who 244 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:17,760 disagree with it. There are always going to be 245 00:17:17,760 --> 00:17:19,880 people who disagree with how it's being done. 246 00:17:21,119 --> 00:17:24,119 Always. And one of the greatest 247 00:17:24,119 --> 00:17:27,640 temptations in the church when you have these kind of decisions 248 00:17:29,160 --> 00:17:34,960 is to speak our minds without considering how it might affect 249 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:40,240 the body. Sometimes people will leave a 250 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:44,080 church and they will take every grenade that they have saved up 251 00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:47,280 over the years, and they will just toss them into the church 252 00:17:47,320 --> 00:17:53,680 as they walk out. I'm going to blow up as much as 253 00:17:53,680 --> 00:18:00,000 I can. Brothers and sisters, we must 254 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:07,080 always be mindful that our actions and our words have an 255 00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:13,240 impact. That was true for Reuben. 256 00:18:13,440 --> 00:18:16,920 It was true for Gad, and it's true for us today. 257 00:18:22,120 --> 00:18:24,720 And if I didn't write this, but I just want to make sure. 258 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:27,680 And if any of you are thinking that that's a plea for just 259 00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:29,720 close your mouth, don't say a word. 260 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:35,800 That's not what that is. That's not what that is. 261 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:42,840 It is consider before you do say something how it might impact 262 00:18:42,840 --> 00:18:49,640 others. Look at verse 10 to 15. 263 00:18:52,240 --> 00:18:54,360 And the Lord's anger was kindled on that day. 264 00:18:54,360 --> 00:18:58,560 And he swore, saying, Surely none of the men who came up out 265 00:18:58,560 --> 00:19:02,320 of Egypt from 20 years old and upward shall see the land that I 266 00:19:02,320 --> 00:19:06,080 swore to get to Abraham and to Isaac and to Jacob, because they 267 00:19:06,080 --> 00:19:09,600 have not wholly followed me. None except Caleb the son of 268 00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:13,200 Jefuna, and the Kinzenite, and Joshua the son of Nun. 269 00:19:13,360 --> 00:19:15,320 For they have wholly followed the Lord. 270 00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:18,320 And the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel, and He made them 271 00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:21,680 wander in the wilderness 40 years, until all that generation 272 00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:23,440 that had done on the side of the Lord was gone. 273 00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:27,560 And behold, you have risen in your Father's place, a brood of 274 00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:31,400 sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the 275 00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:34,200 Lord against Israel. For if you turn away from 276 00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:37,360 following Him, He will again abandoned them and the 277 00:19:37,360 --> 00:19:44,120 wilderness, and you will destroy all this people. 278 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:48,880 Moses is now going to take the time to remind them of the 279 00:19:48,880 --> 00:19:52,960 people's discouragement. In the previous generation. 280 00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:56,920 The people had doubted the Lord, and as a result of them doubting 281 00:19:56,920 --> 00:19:59,240 the Lord, the Lord's anger was kindled that day. 282 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:03,800 And God said that none of the people who came up out of the 283 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:07,880 land of Egypt 20 years and older would enter the Promised Land. 284 00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:10,640 Nobody except for two, Joshua and Caleb. 285 00:20:11,240 --> 00:20:14,720 In addition, God made them wander in the wilderness for 40 286 00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:16,760 years until that entire generation. 287 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:21,000 Died off. And Moses accuses them of being 288 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:25,160 just like their fathers. He calls them a brood of sinful 289 00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:26,440 men. Wow. 290 00:20:27,760 --> 00:20:29,320 Imagine like telling somebody that. 291 00:20:29,720 --> 00:20:34,880 Like imagine if I told you you brood of sinful men like it's 292 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:39,440 bold. You have risen in your Father's 293 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:44,400 place, meaning you are about to make the same mistake that your 294 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:47,560 father's did. Now, why is Moses doing this? 295 00:20:47,560 --> 00:20:50,920 Why is Moses taking the time to remind them of their history? 296 00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:58,720 Because past discipline should serve as a present motivation 297 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:04,680 for obedience. Past discipline should serve as 298 00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:07,560 a present motivation for obedience. 299 00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:10,560 The people make a simple request, right? 300 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:13,520 I mean, they just make a simple request and Moses delves into a 301 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:15,720 history lesson. You ever had someone that like 302 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:19,000 that in your life? Every time you ask a question or 303 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:21,000 make a request, they give you a history lesson. 304 00:21:23,120 --> 00:21:25,840 As frustrating as that might be, history is important. 305 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:30,440 History is important. Paul writes in First Corinthians 306 00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:33,360 10/6 and 11. Now these things took place as 307 00:21:33,360 --> 00:21:37,440 examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 308 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:40,640 These things happen to them as an example, but they were 309 00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:44,200 written down for our instruction. 310 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:49,680 Moses is saying to them essentially, Reuben Gad, didn't 311 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:54,200 your father's tell you bedtime stories about wandering in the 312 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:59,280 wilderness for 40 years? Didn't they tell you stories 313 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:03,840 over breakfast about the earth opening its mouth and swallowing 314 00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:07,800 people and snakes coming out and biting people and the fire of 315 00:22:07,800 --> 00:22:12,080 the Lord consuming people and plagues, consuming entire 316 00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:15,080 families? Didn't they tell you about this? 317 00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:19,800 Do you want to repeat this all over again? 318 00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:26,920 If you do this, the next book of the Bible will not be Joshua. 319 00:22:27,120 --> 00:22:34,440 It'll be Numbers Part 2. Brothers and sisters, God has 320 00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:36,400 given us a very good history book. 321 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:40,240 It's the best history book that exists. 322 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:49,560 And before we make any decisions or any request, we should read 323 00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:57,000 it and we should ask ourselves, does history have anything to 324 00:22:57,000 --> 00:23:03,680 say about this? I would like to do this. 325 00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:10,160 I would like to request that. Does history have anything to 326 00:23:10,160 --> 00:23:16,360 say about that? Moses says if you stay here, you 327 00:23:16,360 --> 00:23:20,480 are going to increase the fierce anger of the Lord. 328 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:24,600 If you stay on the east side and just build your lives, you are 329 00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:26,960 going to increase the fierce and of the Lord. 330 00:23:27,080 --> 00:23:31,720 If you turn away from following him, he will once again 331 00:23:31,840 --> 00:23:35,160 abandoned them. And look what he says. 332 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:46,120 And you, you see that that last verse 15 and you not God will 333 00:23:46,120 --> 00:23:51,720 destroy all this people. Wow. 334 00:23:54,880 --> 00:24:02,320 Wow, Moses is pretty worked up. You know what I love about this 335 00:24:02,320 --> 00:24:06,760 rebuke of Moses? He's about to die. 336 00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:13,280 He is about to die and he has not lost a step. 337 00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:16,760 He has not grown soft in his old age. 338 00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:22,080 Moses is warning them without mincing words. 339 00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:26,720 He pulls no punches. He tells it to him just like it 340 00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:29,920 is. Why? 341 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:35,320 Why is Moses so worked up? Why does Moses give them such a 342 00:24:35,320 --> 00:24:41,120 harsh rebuke? Because although it is true that 343 00:24:41,120 --> 00:24:48,880 God will never leave us or forsake us, friends, we can 344 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:58,000 leave God and forsake God. One of the greatest disservices 345 00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:02,160 that modern Christianity has told the church is this Once 346 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:09,760 saved, always saved. What that phrase actually means 347 00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:15,320 is this, Once you make a profession of faith, always 348 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:18,040 saved. That's what it really means. 349 00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:24,320 Once you say I'm a Christian, I believe in Jesus. 350 00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:28,840 Once you make a profession of faith, I got my green card into 351 00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:40,560 heaven can never be revoked. Moses says if you turn away from 352 00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:47,440 following him, he will again abandoned them in the 353 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:50,480 wilderness. Listen to what David says to his 354 00:25:50,480 --> 00:25:54,000 son Solomon. If you seek him, he will be 355 00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:59,440 found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off 356 00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:03,520 forever. Listen to what Azariah says to 357 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:06,800 King ASA. If you seek him, he will be 358 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:13,560 found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 359 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:23,080 Brothers and sisters, God will never. 360 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:35,320 God will never leave us or forsake us, but we can leave 361 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:39,400 God. We can forsake God. 362 00:26:45,270 --> 00:26:47,430 Don't take that phrase. God will never leave us or 363 00:26:47,430 --> 00:26:50,150 forsake us. Meaning to mean I can do 364 00:26:50,150 --> 00:26:51,870 whatever I want, He will never leave me. 365 00:26:52,390 --> 00:26:55,550 You can forsake God. You can leave God. 366 00:27:00,350 --> 00:27:03,990 He'll let you leave unless you're elect. 367 00:27:04,790 --> 00:27:12,840 You're like, see me after. Look at verse 16 to 19. 368 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:18,080 Then they came near to him and said, we will build sheepfolds 369 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:21,000 here for our livestock and cities for our little ones, But 370 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:23,960 we will take up arms ready to go before the people of Israel 371 00:27:24,160 --> 00:27:26,240 until we have brought them to their place. 372 00:27:26,560 --> 00:27:29,520 And our little ones shall live in the fortified cities because 373 00:27:29,520 --> 00:27:33,000 of the inhabitants of the land. We will not return to our homes 374 00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:35,320 until each of the people of Israel has gained his 375 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:37,880 inheritance. For we will not inherit with 376 00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:40,520 them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our 377 00:27:40,520 --> 00:27:44,880 inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan to the 378 00:27:44,880 --> 00:27:47,520 east. So the men of Reuben and Gad, 379 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:50,640 they, they actually listen to Moses's rebuke. 380 00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:53,840 They take it to heart. They realize you're like, Oh, 381 00:27:53,840 --> 00:27:58,520 yeah. OK, Huddle, guys, let's change 382 00:27:58,520 --> 00:28:00,360 our request. OK. 383 00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:02,200 All right. We have a new request. 384 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:08,120 They say, here's our request. We will build sheepfolds for our 385 00:28:08,120 --> 00:28:11,840 livestock. Let us build areas to protect 386 00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:14,240 our livestock. Let us build cities. 387 00:28:14,240 --> 00:28:15,880 Now it says cities. You got to think like this is 388 00:28:15,880 --> 00:28:17,720 like a makeshift city. Like, like, you know, it's not 389 00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:20,760 like a fortified city. Let's build cities for our 390 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:24,000 little ones. Little ones here includes wives 391 00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:27,360 and children. In other words, they're saying 392 00:28:27,360 --> 00:28:31,960 can we please make sure that our livestock, our wives and our 393 00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:35,920 children are taken care of. We'll do that. 394 00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:40,240 And then after we make sure that's done, we will go with our 395 00:28:40,240 --> 00:28:43,160 brothers. We'll cross the Jordan and we'll 396 00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:47,240 take up arms and we will fight with them. 397 00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:49,640 And notice how they said they're going to fight. 398 00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:54,160 They say we will be ready to go before the people of Israel, 399 00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:58,280 meaning we will even take a position of leadership in the 400 00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:00,400 battle. We'll go before them. 401 00:29:00,400 --> 00:29:05,240 We'll lead the battle. And they tell Moses we will not 402 00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:08,600 abandon our brothers in battle. In other words, we will not 403 00:29:08,600 --> 00:29:13,400 return to our homes until each of the people of Israel has 404 00:29:13,400 --> 00:29:18,200 gained his inheritance. They further acknowledge that by 405 00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:22,240 living on the east side, they will not receive any of the land 406 00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:24,840 on the West side. In other words, they say, look, 407 00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:29,400 if we take the east side, we acknowledge we have no right to 408 00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:30,920 any of this land on the West side. 409 00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:33,360 It will all be the other 10 tribes. 410 00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:38,560 They agree to keep fighting until every last tribe has 411 00:29:38,560 --> 00:29:42,920 received their inhibits. Now here's what I want to say. 412 00:29:43,400 --> 00:29:49,440 Imagine if Reuben and Gad had agreed to crossover and fight 413 00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:55,160 once they got over the river. They fought for maybe a week, 414 00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:59,160 maybe a few months, maybe even a year. 415 00:30:00,960 --> 00:30:04,960 And after that, they just said, let's call it a day, let's go 416 00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:09,360 back home. I miss my wives, my wife or 417 00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:15,040 wives miss my kids. I'll make sure my animals taken 418 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:17,040 care of. Let's call it a day, let's go 419 00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:20,480 back home. The conquest of the Promised 420 00:30:20,480 --> 00:30:22,760 Land would take a full seven years. 421 00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:29,280 They were not to stop fighting till every last brother had 422 00:30:29,280 --> 00:30:36,240 received their inheritance. Christian, we are called to 423 00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:43,520 continue fighting until all our brothers and sisters have made 424 00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:51,520 it home. I am not fighting simply for my 425 00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:55,720 perseverance and my eternal inheritance. 426 00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:04,800 I am fighting for yours as well. And by God's grace, there will 427 00:31:04,800 --> 00:31:09,920 never come a day where I say, you know what? 428 00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:14,520 I put in my time. I've been fighting this war for 429 00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:21,480 40 years now. It is time to fight a new war on 430 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:32,270 Royal Caribbean. There is a great temptation to 431 00:31:32,270 --> 00:31:40,230 go and settle in the plains, the fertile plains of this world, to 432 00:31:40,270 --> 00:31:46,630 settle and lake houses and beach houses and Airbnbs, traveling 433 00:31:46,630 --> 00:31:52,390 the world enjoying a peacetime mentality. 434 00:31:55,280 --> 00:31:57,000 Everybody wants a peacetime mentality. 435 00:32:00,120 --> 00:32:04,920 Church. God has called us to take up a 436 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:13,000 sword and to fight for our brothers and sisters until every 437 00:32:13,120 --> 00:32:22,730 last one has made it home. We don't stop fighting until 438 00:32:22,770 --> 00:32:28,880 everybody's made it home. 20 to 23. 439 00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:34,080 So Moses said to them, if you will do this, if you will take 440 00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:37,840 up arms to go before the Lord for the war, and every armed man 441 00:32:37,840 --> 00:32:40,800 of you will pass over the Jordan before the Lord until he has 442 00:32:40,800 --> 00:32:43,440 driven out his enemies from before him, and the land is 443 00:32:43,440 --> 00:32:46,280 subdued before the Lord. Then after that, then you shall 444 00:32:46,280 --> 00:32:49,760 return and be free of obligation to the Lord and Israel, and this 445 00:32:49,760 --> 00:32:51,800 land shall be your possession before the Lord. 446 00:32:52,280 --> 00:32:55,160 But if you do not do this, do so. 447 00:32:55,360 --> 00:32:59,880 Behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and here it is. 448 00:33:00,320 --> 00:33:07,240 Be sure your sin will find you out. 449 00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:11,800 In response to the terms of this new request, Moses says, very 450 00:33:11,800 --> 00:33:16,240 well, if you will do as you say, if every man, if every armed man 451 00:33:16,240 --> 00:33:18,960 will cross over the door and will fight the battle, if you 452 00:33:18,960 --> 00:33:21,520 will fight until he has driven out all his enemies from before 453 00:33:21,520 --> 00:33:23,480 him and the land is subdued before the Lord. 454 00:33:23,680 --> 00:33:27,760 Once all of that's completed, if you do what you say, then you 455 00:33:27,760 --> 00:33:30,960 can be, you can return, you can go back to the east side. 456 00:33:31,120 --> 00:33:33,880 You'll be free of obligation to the Lord, free of obligation to 457 00:33:33,960 --> 00:33:37,680 Israel, meaning your, your service will be complete. 458 00:33:38,240 --> 00:33:41,760 I want you to notice this phrase before the Lord. 459 00:33:42,600 --> 00:33:44,720 It occurs 7 times in this chapter. 460 00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:53,880 It occurs in verse 20/20/21 twice and 22/27/29 and 32 seven 461 00:33:53,880 --> 00:33:56,240 times. If it's reminding us that this 462 00:33:56,240 --> 00:33:58,880 war that they're going to be fighting, it's not their war, 463 00:33:59,160 --> 00:34:03,600 it's God's war. The reason that Reuben and Gad 464 00:34:03,680 --> 00:34:08,639 have to go is because it's not their war, it's God's war. 465 00:34:11,280 --> 00:34:15,880 Now Moses agrees to the request. Moses says if you do all this, 466 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:19,760 the land of Jazzer and the land of Gilead, it'll be yours. 467 00:34:20,040 --> 00:34:22,360 You can have it. We don't have to cast lots. 468 00:34:23,080 --> 00:34:24,440 You can have it. It's all yours. 469 00:34:25,920 --> 00:34:29,639 But Moses gives them a warning. He says if you don't keep your 470 00:34:29,639 --> 00:34:37,440 word, behold, you have sinned against the Lord and be sure 471 00:34:37,880 --> 00:34:43,840 your sin will find you out. Now that phrase has become a 472 00:34:44,159 --> 00:34:47,840 that's lasted till today. Even the world uses that phrase 473 00:34:47,840 --> 00:34:50,800 today sometimes. What does that mean? 474 00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:53,600 Be sure your sin will find you out. 475 00:34:54,639 --> 00:35:00,560 Essentially it means this. You can't run from your sin, you 476 00:35:00,560 --> 00:35:05,800 can't hide from it, you can't tame it, you can't negotiate 477 00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:14,520 with it, you can't ignore it. Sin will find us out. 478 00:35:18,240 --> 00:35:21,960 Remember in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve disobey God by 479 00:35:21,960 --> 00:35:27,720 eating the forbidden fruit they hid in the bushes, God found 480 00:35:27,720 --> 00:35:30,960 them. Remember when Cain killed his 481 00:35:30,960 --> 00:35:34,880 brother and when the Lord asked him, where is your brother? 482 00:35:35,640 --> 00:35:39,680 Cain tried to pretend like he had no idea where he was, but 483 00:35:39,680 --> 00:35:44,160 his sin found him out. Remember when Judah learned that 484 00:35:44,160 --> 00:35:47,680 Tamar was pregnant? He demanded that she be burned, 485 00:35:49,600 --> 00:35:53,280 But when Tamar revealed his signet, his cord, and his staff, 486 00:35:54,520 --> 00:35:56,320 he was exposed as being the father. 487 00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:02,240 Remember Aiken, who stole the harem, the forbidden items from 488 00:36:02,240 --> 00:36:05,120 Jericho? He buried them in his tent, but 489 00:36:05,120 --> 00:36:07,880 he was exposed by the casting of lots. 490 00:36:09,320 --> 00:36:13,000 Remember when David committed adultery and then he tried to 491 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:17,200 cover it up by killing Uriah? He was exposed by the prophet 492 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:20,600 Nathan. Remember Jonah, who tried to run 493 00:36:20,600 --> 00:36:26,120 away from God, but God found him with a storm and a fish? 494 00:36:27,640 --> 00:36:31,240 Remember Ananias and Sapphira, who gave the impression that 495 00:36:31,400 --> 00:36:34,560 they had given the apostles all the proceeds from the sale of 496 00:36:34,560 --> 00:36:37,720 their land, but Peter exposed their deception? 497 00:36:37,920 --> 00:36:43,000 Brothers and sisters, you can't run from your sin. 498 00:36:45,040 --> 00:36:49,040 You can't hide from it. You can't pretend it doesn't 499 00:36:49,040 --> 00:37:00,880 exist. Sin will always find us out and 500 00:37:00,880 --> 00:37:07,240 therefore we need a refuge. There is only one refuge where 501 00:37:07,240 --> 00:37:12,000 sin can't find us, where the Grim Reaper does not have a key, 502 00:37:14,200 --> 00:37:15,880 and that is the cross of Jesus Christ. 503 00:37:19,240 --> 00:37:25,280 Be sure your sin will find you out, and be sure that for those 504 00:37:25,280 --> 00:37:31,000 in Christ Jesus, He will hide you in the shadow of His wings. 505 00:37:33,720 --> 00:37:38,840 Look at verse 24 to 27. Build cities for your little 506 00:37:38,840 --> 00:37:41,920 ones and folds for your sheep, and do what you have promised. 507 00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:44,400 And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben said to Moses, 508 00:37:44,560 --> 00:37:46,600 your servants will do as my Lord commands. 509 00:37:46,840 --> 00:37:50,080 Our little ones, our wives, our livestock, and all our cattle 510 00:37:50,200 --> 00:37:53,240 shall remain there in the cities of Gilead, But your servants 511 00:37:53,240 --> 00:37:56,760 will Passover every man who was armed for war before the Lord to 512 00:37:56,760 --> 00:38:01,840 battle as my Lord orders. So Moses gives them permission. 513 00:38:01,840 --> 00:38:03,840 He says you may do as you as you asked. 514 00:38:03,840 --> 00:38:05,440 You can build sheepfolds for your livestock. 515 00:38:05,640 --> 00:38:07,720 You can build cities for your wives and your children. 516 00:38:08,200 --> 00:38:10,760 And then he charges them. He says be sure you keep your 517 00:38:10,760 --> 00:38:12,400 word. Do as you promised. 518 00:38:12,880 --> 00:38:14,680 Reuben and Gad give Moses their word. 519 00:38:14,680 --> 00:38:18,800 They say we will commit to do as you command our women and our 520 00:38:18,800 --> 00:38:21,040 children, our livestock and our cattle. 521 00:38:21,360 --> 00:38:24,920 They'll stay on Gilead on the east side while we go off to 522 00:38:24,920 --> 00:38:28,840 war. Now I just want to point out 523 00:38:28,840 --> 00:38:33,360 something. What would it take for Reuben 524 00:38:33,360 --> 00:38:41,600 and Gad to send in this story to do nothing? 525 00:38:44,600 --> 00:38:49,040 Moses makes it clear that doing nothing would be sin. 526 00:38:52,120 --> 00:38:54,920 You see, it is not just the idolatry and the immorality that 527 00:38:54,920 --> 00:38:58,400 we saw in Numbers 25 that is evil on the side of the Lord. 528 00:38:59,280 --> 00:39:04,680 It is also doing nothing when we should be doing something that 529 00:39:04,680 --> 00:39:06,280 is evil on the side of the Lord too. 530 00:39:08,520 --> 00:39:11,600 Let this be a reminder to all of us that God is not merely 531 00:39:11,600 --> 00:39:16,720 grieved by sins of Commission. He is also grieved by sins of 532 00:39:17,080 --> 00:39:22,840 omission. It was not just the robbers who 533 00:39:22,840 --> 00:39:27,360 beat up the Samaritan and stole his money who were in sin. 534 00:39:28,320 --> 00:39:33,320 So were the Levite and the priest who did nothing. 535 00:39:35,440 --> 00:39:39,880 It was not just the invading army who attacked God's people 536 00:39:39,960 --> 00:39:45,640 who were in sin, but so was the Watchmen who failed to warn 537 00:39:45,720 --> 00:39:48,400 God's people of the invading army. 538 00:39:51,560 --> 00:39:58,440 We need to repent of our sins of omission just as much as our 539 00:39:58,440 --> 00:40:04,560 sins of Commission. Look at verse 2832. 540 00:40:06,440 --> 00:40:09,440 So Moses gave command concerning them to Eliezer the priest, and 541 00:40:09,440 --> 00:40:12,320 to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers houses 542 00:40:12,320 --> 00:40:13,640 of the tribes of the people of Israel. 543 00:40:14,080 --> 00:40:16,720 Moses said to them, If the people of Gad and the people of 544 00:40:16,720 --> 00:40:19,640 Reuben, every man who was armed to battle before the Lord, will 545 00:40:19,640 --> 00:40:22,720 pass with you over to the Jordan, and the land shall be 546 00:40:22,720 --> 00:40:25,840 just subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of 547 00:40:25,840 --> 00:40:29,240 Gilead for a possession. However, if they will not 548 00:40:29,240 --> 00:40:32,440 Passover with you armed, they shall have possessions among you 549 00:40:32,440 --> 00:40:35,280 in the land of Canaan. And the people of Gad and the 550 00:40:35,280 --> 00:40:37,880 people of Reuben answered, What the Lord has said to your 551 00:40:37,880 --> 00:40:41,280 servants we will do. We will Passover arm before the 552 00:40:41,280 --> 00:40:44,400 Lord into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our 553 00:40:44,400 --> 00:40:47,800 inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan. 554 00:40:48,960 --> 00:40:52,280 So Moses takes his covenant. So he has formed a covenant with 555 00:40:52,280 --> 00:40:54,040 them. This is very much a covenant. 556 00:40:54,560 --> 00:40:57,080 He's formed a covenant with Reuben and Gad, and he 557 00:40:57,080 --> 00:41:00,280 communicates it with them. He communicates it in front of 558 00:41:00,280 --> 00:41:04,040 Eliezer, Joshua, and the heads of the Father's houses. 559 00:41:04,040 --> 00:41:06,200 Why? Because remember, Moses is not 560 00:41:06,200 --> 00:41:09,200 going to cross the Jordan. Moses is not going to be there 561 00:41:09,200 --> 00:41:12,760 to enforce this. Joshua's going to be taking 562 00:41:12,760 --> 00:41:14,760 over. Joshua's going to cross the 563 00:41:14,760 --> 00:41:18,920 Jordan with them. So the new leadership now knows 564 00:41:18,920 --> 00:41:22,120 the terms of the covenant. The new leadership is going to 565 00:41:22,120 --> 00:41:26,080 hold them accountable. He tells them if you uphold your 566 00:41:26,080 --> 00:41:30,240 word, Joshua, you want to give them this land. 567 00:41:31,080 --> 00:41:34,160 Don't cast law, don't have an argument over it. 568 00:41:34,360 --> 00:41:36,640 Don't take a vote in a business meeting over it. 569 00:41:36,920 --> 00:41:44,320 They are to take this land. However, if they don't uphold 570 00:41:44,320 --> 00:41:50,760 their word, if they don't pass over arms, then they are to have 571 00:41:50,760 --> 00:41:52,840 possessions among you in the land of Canaan. 572 00:41:53,320 --> 00:41:55,840 What does that mean? It means if they don't keep 573 00:41:55,840 --> 00:41:59,760 their word, they forfeit the whole Transjordan, which is the 574 00:41:59,760 --> 00:42:01,640 east side. They get none of it. 575 00:42:03,760 --> 00:42:06,600 And Ruben and Gad once again promised, they say we will do 576 00:42:06,600 --> 00:42:07,760 it. We will do as the Lord 577 00:42:07,760 --> 00:42:10,360 commanded. So there is now a public 578 00:42:10,360 --> 00:42:12,360 accountability. This is there are witnesses to 579 00:42:12,360 --> 00:42:14,240 this covenant, which means it's been ratified. 580 00:42:14,840 --> 00:42:19,120 It's now binding. All right, I like it. 581 00:42:21,880 --> 00:42:24,160 Let's look at 33 to 42 last section. 582 00:42:25,320 --> 00:42:28,240 And Moses gave to them the people of Gad, to the people of 583 00:42:28,240 --> 00:42:30,600 Reuben, to the half tribe of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, the 584 00:42:30,600 --> 00:42:33,960 Kingdom of Sion, king of the Amorites, the king of Odd, king 585 00:42:33,960 --> 00:42:35,960 of Bashan. The land and its cities with 586 00:42:35,960 --> 00:42:39,000 their territories, the cities of the land throughout the country. 587 00:42:39,240 --> 00:42:45,440 The people of Gad built D Bond, Ataroth, Aurora at Atro, Chopan, 588 00:42:45,640 --> 00:42:52,120 Jazer, Jagbaha, Bait, Nimra Bait, Tehran, fortified cities 589 00:42:52,120 --> 00:42:54,720 and folds for sheep. And the people of Reuben built 590 00:42:54,720 --> 00:43:00,840 Hespan, Eliela, Kira, Athium, Nebo, Bail Mian, Their names 591 00:43:00,840 --> 00:43:03,960 were changed. And Simba, just if you want to 592 00:43:03,960 --> 00:43:06,320 know why his names were changed, those are Pagan deities. 593 00:43:06,320 --> 00:43:08,480 Nebo and Bail Mian. They want you to know we changed 594 00:43:08,480 --> 00:43:13,840 the names on those Simba. They gave other names to the 595 00:43:13,840 --> 00:43:16,760 cities they built. And the sons of Mahir, the sons 596 00:43:16,760 --> 00:43:20,120 of Manasseh, went to Gilead and captured it, dispossessed the 597 00:43:20,120 --> 00:43:22,040 Amorites who were who were in it. 598 00:43:22,440 --> 00:43:26,280 And Moses gave Gilead to Mahir the son of Manasseh, and he 599 00:43:26,280 --> 00:43:28,720 settled in it. And Jair the son of Manasseh 600 00:43:28,720 --> 00:43:33,000 went and captured their villages and called them Haboth Jair. 601 00:43:33,200 --> 00:43:36,960 And Noba when captured Kenneth and its villages and called it 602 00:43:36,960 --> 00:43:42,680 Noba, Noba after his own name. All right, that's a lot there. 603 00:43:44,240 --> 00:43:49,200 Looking forward-looking for Moses gives the land to them. 604 00:43:50,720 --> 00:43:54,240 However, we are surprised to find out in this text that the 605 00:43:54,240 --> 00:43:57,440 land was given not only to Reuben and Gad, but also to the 606 00:43:57,440 --> 00:44:03,840 half tribe of Manasseh. If you remember, Levi did not 607 00:44:03,840 --> 00:44:07,400 get any land. So in place of Levi, Manasseh 608 00:44:07,400 --> 00:44:10,680 was considered a half tribe, son of Joseph and Ephraim was 609 00:44:10,680 --> 00:44:13,400 considered a half tribe, and that they made-up the tribe of 610 00:44:13,400 --> 00:44:14,640 Levi. They took their place. 611 00:44:15,200 --> 00:44:18,520 So the half tribe of Manasseh is also given land on the east 612 00:44:18,520 --> 00:44:20,320 side. And you may be wondering why is 613 00:44:20,320 --> 00:44:22,560 this mentioned? Why is that peace mentioned? 614 00:44:22,720 --> 00:44:28,760 We will learn down in verses 39 to 42 that Gad and Reuben were 615 00:44:28,760 --> 00:44:30,680 not the only ones on the east side. 616 00:44:30,920 --> 00:44:33,120 Manasseh was. So it's included here to 617 00:44:33,120 --> 00:44:36,640 explain. If you look at a map of Israel 618 00:44:36,640 --> 00:44:39,000 these days, you'll see 3 tribes on the east side and you're 619 00:44:39,000 --> 00:44:40,680 like, well how did Manasseh get over there? 620 00:44:42,000 --> 00:44:44,280 Well, because Manasseh fought people. 621 00:44:44,560 --> 00:44:48,600 They claimed some of the land. I want you to notice how the 622 00:44:48,600 --> 00:44:52,080 land is described. It's described as the Kingdom of 623 00:44:52,080 --> 00:44:55,240 Sion, the king of the Amorites, and the Kingdom of Odd, the king 624 00:44:55,240 --> 00:44:57,640 of Bashan. Why is it described this way? 625 00:44:58,200 --> 00:45:01,640 It reminds the reader of how the Lord had defeated these two 626 00:45:01,640 --> 00:45:05,320 powerful kingdoms. The people of Gad built 8 627 00:45:05,320 --> 00:45:07,040 cities, which are listed in your text. 628 00:45:07,440 --> 00:45:10,120 The people of Reuben built 6 cities which are listed in your 629 00:45:10,120 --> 00:45:12,280 text. As I mentioned earlier, some of 630 00:45:12,280 --> 00:45:15,160 the city names are changed because Nebo and Bale are Pagan 631 00:45:15,160 --> 00:45:16,400 deity. So they would want to change 632 00:45:16,400 --> 00:45:19,080 those names. The sons of Mahir, the sons of 633 00:45:19,080 --> 00:45:22,800 Manasseh, they actually went to Gilead and they capture part of 634 00:45:22,800 --> 00:45:25,240 it. They dispossessed the Amorite. 635 00:45:25,240 --> 00:45:28,640 So part of the land on the east side of the very north of it 636 00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:33,080 still had Amorites living there. Manasseh had conquered them and 637 00:45:33,480 --> 00:45:36,200 so it was only right for them to be given that land as well since 638 00:45:36,200 --> 00:45:38,440 they were the one who had done the hard work of capturing it. 639 00:45:39,360 --> 00:45:45,520 So you, you have Reuben Gad and then part of Manasseh. 640 00:45:45,520 --> 00:45:47,520 Manasseh will be split, part of Manassas on the east side and 641 00:45:47,520 --> 00:45:48,840 part of Manassas on the West side. 642 00:45:50,320 --> 00:45:53,480 So part is given to them. And this explains how Manasseh 643 00:45:53,680 --> 00:45:57,720 too came to the east side. Now as we close, I want to close 644 00:45:57,720 --> 00:46:01,520 with this thought. We're getting really close to 645 00:46:01,520 --> 00:46:04,080 the end of Book of Numbers. We only have 4 chapters left. 646 00:46:05,680 --> 00:46:10,000 Moses is about to depart. His time is is almost up. 647 00:46:11,680 --> 00:46:15,320 He's 120 years old. He's about to depart and be with 648 00:46:15,320 --> 00:46:19,560 the Lord. Despite 40 years of rebellion, 649 00:46:21,000 --> 00:46:25,800 we see in this chapter that God is faithful to keep His promise. 650 00:46:28,320 --> 00:46:33,120 We even see that God went above and beyond his promise because 651 00:46:33,120 --> 00:46:35,600 he enlarged the territory of Israel. 652 00:46:36,520 --> 00:46:39,880 He gave them more land than what He promised to Abraham. 653 00:46:40,880 --> 00:46:45,160 These two and a half tribes, they possess a large portion of 654 00:46:45,160 --> 00:46:46,920 the land on the east side of the Jordan. 655 00:46:49,240 --> 00:46:51,600 How many times have we seen in the book of numbers We've been 656 00:46:51,600 --> 00:46:53,280 going through for a year now. How many times in the book of 657 00:46:53,280 --> 00:46:57,200 numbers have we seen such wickedness and and when you read 658 00:46:57,200 --> 00:46:59,960 it, God should have said, you know what I'm done with you 659 00:46:59,960 --> 00:47:02,720 guys. Many of the times he wanted to 660 00:47:03,720 --> 00:47:07,720 he said let me start over. Let me choose a new people. 661 00:47:08,240 --> 00:47:14,240 And yet over and over again, we see the never failing, never 662 00:47:14,320 --> 00:47:22,280 ending patience of our God. He endured their 40 years of 663 00:47:22,280 --> 00:47:30,640 rebellion and now with this new generation, they are finally 664 00:47:30,640 --> 00:47:36,320 ready to inherit His promise. God was faithful to keep it. 665 00:47:37,600 --> 00:47:38,000 Let's pray.