Everyone looks for blessings from God. Jacob even cheated his own brother Esau and wrestled with God Himself for blessings. If God has a promise for us, we must hold on to it. Even good blessings must never hinder us from seeking what is promised. Here, we will look into a group of people who rejected what was promised but satisfied with their current blessings and the consequence of it.
Promise
Exod 3:8 “So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.
Ezek 20:6 “On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, ‘flowing with milk and honey,’ the glory of all lands.
God’s promise to the children of Israel is to give the land which He Himself searched out, flowing with milk and honey. It is the glory of all lands.
Blessing
Deut 2:9 “Then the LORD said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab, nor contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.’
Deut 2:19 ‘And when you come near the people of Ammon, do not harass them or meddle with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the descendants of Lot as a possession.’
God strictly warned not to harass, contend with them in battle or meddle with either Moab or Ammon. He also made it extremely clearly that He will not give any of their land as a possession to the children of Israel.
Num 21:23-26 But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. So Sihon gathered all his people together and went out against Israel in the wilderness, and he came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. Then Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the people of Ammon; for the border of the people of Ammon was fortified. So Israel took all these cities, and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and in all its villages. For Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and had taken all his land from his hand as far as the Arnon.
All the land of the former king of Moab was conquered by Sihon, king of the Amorites who was in turn defeated and children of Israel took all his land. Thus the land of Moab is now in the hands of the children of Israel. It is a blessing God delivered the king of Amorites into the hands of Israelites.
Rejecting the Promise
Num 32:1-5,33 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock; and when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that indeed the region was a place for livestock, the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Shebam, Nebo, and Beon, the country which the LORD defeated before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” Therefore they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan.” … So Moses gave to the children of Gad, to the children of Reuben, and to half the 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 with its cities within the borders, the cities of the surrounding country.
The tribes of Reuben and Gad were satisfied with the land they just defeated. They do not want to go to the promised land. Similarly many Christians seek after small blessings of this world instead of seeking the promise of inheriting the kingdom of Heaven.
Matt 6:31-33 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
We are called to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. The rest will be added to us. Many are satisfied with the rest that was added and never seek to inherit the promises.
Josh 22:1-4 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, and said to them: “You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. You have not left your brethren these many days, up to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God. And now the LORD your God has given rest to your brethren, as He promised them; now therefore, return and go to your tents and to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan.
Finally, the tribe of Reuben, Gad and half-tribe of Manasseh took inheritance on the east side of Jordan, which was never promised to the children of Israel. It is important to note, Moses with whom God spoke face to face, never consulted God regarding this matter.
Small Blessings
God defeated Sihon, the king of Amorites before Israel not for the purpose of giving their land to the children of Israel as a possession but for them to pass through so that they can possess the promised land. Sometimes, God gives us a blessing, a victory over our enemy not for the purpose of taking advantage and be satisfied with it but for us to proceed and seek His kingdom and His righteousness.
2Kgs 10:32-33 In those days the LORD began to cut off parts of Israel; and Hazael conquered them in all the territory of Israel from the Jordan eastward: all the land of Gilead–Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh–from Aroer, which is by the River Arnon, including Gilead and Bashan.
God will cut off the blessings which He had given if we do not obey or follow Him. When the land inherited by the tribe of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh was cut off, these three tribes permanently lost their inheritance, because they did not seek what was promised forever.
Exod 32:13 “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.
Instead of the land flowing with milk and honey that was promised as an inheritance forever, the tribe of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh went after small blessings and possessions that were not promised.
Conclusion
Are you like the the tribe of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, satisfied with worldly blessings instead of seeking to inherit the kingdom of Heaven which He promised? Repent Now!
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