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CG STUDY 5: HELP OTHERS TO TAKE THEIR
‘LAND’ (25/3/18)
Solidarity is about working together toward shared
goals; seeing others’ success as your success. Too many work toward personal
goals and are happy to work with others in as much as it serves their ambitions;
but when they have reached their vision or it changes, they are like the birds
in winter who fly to more comfortable surroundings.
DISCUSS:
Numbers
32:5-7
Some of the tribes of Israel want to be the first to
inherit land (taken in battle - see Num. 21). There is danger in getting what
you want! We have all seen passionate, devoted Christians become distracted,
jaded, and unsupportive as they got that thing they wanted – maybe a
relationship, a baby, a job etc. Why is our devotion to the good of the
community (solidarity) vital for the encouragement of the church?
Numbers
32:16-17
We see that they make plans for their families, and
for working with God’s people. Too often we are imbalanced – we are so
committed to church or family that one or the other suffers. We all know of people who are so spiritual
that their health, family and friendships are poor or vice-versa. Why is it important
to work for the good of both our domestic/personal and church life and do you
make plans for these?
Numbers
32:18
They show exemplary sacrifice for the good of others
in the community. They are as devoted to helping others to inherit God’s gifts
as they are to themselves. How can this kind of solidarity be expressed in
church life and why is it so important?
1
Corinthians 12:25-27
The church is a body, united by the Spirit. Each of
us has different gifts for the good of the whole. How can we help one another
to inherit God’s gifts and do the good works He has for them; and why is this
vital for the growth of the church?
Joshua
22:1-5
How well did these ‘eastern tribes’ do in helping
the whole nation? Let’s pray that God would give us such a faithful heart and
life.
Stories from the
journey
I
was travelling in South Africa and staying with friends in Cape Town back in
2008. I had a day to myself where I took the train down the coast towards Cape
Point.
On the way out there on the train, I was feeling
pretty low about things, tired and not feeling like I was good enough for God
to use me. I felt like I had literally nothing to give. On the way out there I
felt a prayer inside of me and I said to God “fill me up Lord, to overflowing –
don’t just give me enough grace for myself, but give me more than enough, so
that I can be a blessing to others today”. That was it, and I went about my day
and forgot all about the prayer, to be honest.
I started my trip back at the beginning of the
train line, so it was empty, but it soon began to fill in as we passed through
the Cape Town suburbs. The train was pretty full and then the person in front
of me got off, and a lady sat down in front of me. I didn’t pay her much
attention, but I noticed that she wasn’t wearing proper shoes, and her hands were
rough and cracked. In the middle of the crowded train, she suddenly spoke to
me, saying “can I ask you a question?”. I became quite nervous, but I said yes,
and we started talking. I cannot now remember the exact question she asked, but
she was basically asking how she could go on when she had lost everything – her
family, her home, her security. I didn’t know how to respond at first, and then
I remember my prayer! God had answered it, and he reminded me he had filled me
more grace than I needed, to share with her.
I realised that I didn’t have much to offer her
right there and then, but I did have prayer. I told her that I believed in
Jesus, and that he was the one who she needed at this moment. He knew what it
was like to give up (lose) everything, to become a man and come down to us. I
offered to pray for her right there and then on the train, surrounded by packed
commuters looking sideways at this strange conversation between two strangers.
I prayed out loud for her and she started crying. But by then end of the
prayer, she looked up at me with a smile and said she felt a huge weight lifted
off her. I talked to her about the church I went to there, who could help her,
and she was heading that way. I got off the train and she smiled as the train
departed. God will answer seemingly minor prayers, with amazing results! (Jonny
Evans)
DAILY PERSONAL BIBLE DEVOTIONAL WEEK 5 – NUMBERS 32
MONDAY: GIVE ME THIS HILL COUNTRY
What do you want? What would you like God to do for
you? Look at the examples below of asking God for things,
Numbers 32:5 If we have found favour in your eyes,” they said, “let this land
be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.”
Joshua 14:12 Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me
that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and
their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I
will drive them out just as he said.”
1 Chronicles 4:10 Jabez cried out to the God of
Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be
with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God
granted his request.
It’s good to have godly ambition and to ask Him to
give you your ‘land’.
TUESDAY: WILL YOU JUST SIT HERE?
Numbers 32:6 Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites, “Should your fellow
Israelites go to war while you sit here?
This is a question that’s really a challenging
statement that says, “It’s not right that you do nothing whilst your people
fight and sacrifice”. The application of this verse is shaped by our relationship
to any particular group; We cannot be equally devoted to all people! ‘Fellow
Israelites’ are to be in solidarity. It’s about family – as one understands
that church is family, we will love them sacrificially.
WEDNESDAY: LET OUR ACTIONS ENCOURAGE
Numbers 32:7-8 Why do you discourage the Israelites from crossing over into the
land the Lord has given them? This is what
your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look over the
land.
Numbers 13:32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the
land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those
living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.
Our actions as well as our words discourage or
encourage. People are greatly uplifted if they see that we are acting for their
best interests; they say, “actions speak louder than words” so let’s support
our brothers and sisters with our active support.
THURSDAY: FOLLOW THE LORD WHOLEHEARTEDLY
Numbers 32:10-13 The Lord’s anger was aroused that day and he swore this
oath: ‘Because they have not followed me
wholeheartedly, not one of those who were twenty years old or more when
they came up out of Egypt will see the land I promised on oath to
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite
and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly.’ The Lord’s
anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness
forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight
was gone.
Moses warns these two tribes (see earlier studies)
against taking a passive and unsupportive stance toward helping the rest Israel
to enter the Promised Land. He reminds them of God’s anger at such a stance in
the past. Moses also reminds them of the exceptional example of Caleb and
Joshua who ‘followed the Lord wholeheartedly’. Let’s be warned and positively
encouraged to proactively pray and help Christians generally and our local
church family to serve God wholeheartedly.
FRIDAY: YOUR OBLIGATION TO THE LORD
Numbers 32:20-22 Then Moses
said to them, “If you will do this – if you will arm yourselves before
the Lord for battle and if all of you who are armed cross over
the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven his enemies out before
him – then when the land is subdued before the Lord, you may
return and be free from your obligation
to the Lord and to Israel. And this land will be your
possession before the Lord.
Are we obligated to serve our
local church family? Of course, we can make a choice, but what are our wealth
and gifts for if not for our own sustenance and to help build the local church.
A Peter says,
1 Peter 4:10 Each of you
should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful
stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
SATURDAY: YOUR SIN WILL FIND YOU OUT
Numbers
32:23-24 “But if you fail to do this, you
will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will
find you out… do what you have promised.”
This is a
warning to these tribes; if they don’t fulfil their commitment of helping the
other tribes to inherit their land, Sin - presented like an enemy - will bring destruction in their lives. We read
something similar about Cain,
Genesis 4:6-7 Then
the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face
downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not
be accepted? But if you don’t do right, sin is crouching at your door; it
desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
The sin of failing to love and
help our brothers and sister (which is the context of these verses) will, in
fact, do us harm!
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