Numbers 34:1-12, “The LORD spoke to
Moses, saying, (2) "Command the people of Israel, and say
to them, When you enter the land of Canaan (this is the land that shall fall to
you for an inheritance, the land of Canaan as defined by its borders), (3)
your south side shall be from the wilderness of Zin alongside Edom, and
your southern border shall run from the end of the Salt Sea on the east. (4)
And your border shall turn south of the ascent of Akrabbim, and cross to
Zin, and its limit shall be south of Kadesh-barnea. Then it shall go on to
Hazar-addar, and pass along to Azmon. (5) And the border shall turn from Azmon to the
Brook of Egypt, and its limit shall be at the sea. (6)
"For the western border, you shall have the Great Sea and its coast.
This shall be your western border. (7) "This shall be your northern border:
from the Great Sea you shall draw a line to Mount Hor. (8)
From Mount Hor you shall draw a line to Lebo-hamath, and the limit of
the border shall be at Zedad. (9) Then the border shall extend to Ziphron, and
its limit shall be at Hazar-enan. This shall be your northern border. (10)
"You shall draw a line for your eastern border from Hazar-enan to
Shepham. (11) And the border shall go down from Shepham to
Riblah on the east side of Ain. And the border shall go down and reach to the
shoulder of the Sea of Chinnereth on the east.
(12) And the border shall go down
to the Jordan, and its limit shall be at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land
as defined by its borders all around."”
Here is recorded for us the borders of Israel, not drawn up by men,
nor was it negotiated upon by a council. The borders were drawn up by God, this
was His people and His land, which the Israelites were called to take
possession of the full extent of the land. In addition to taking complete
possession of the land, they were also commanded to drive out all the other
nations. The borders and the commands were clear; it now came down to a matter
of obedience.
If you were to trace out on map the full extent of these God-given
boundaries given in Numbers 34 and then compare it to the actual land the
Israelites took possession of, there will be a difference. The reality is that
Israel never took full possession of the land, and they failed to drive out all
the nations, but lived alongside them. Though the borders and commands were
clear, they were not obeyed. The Israelite people would soon come to learn the
painful truth of God’s warning to them. If they did not drive out the nations,
these nations would become a thorn in their side, would lead them astray and
into idolatry, thus leading them into the judgment and punishment of God. One
could say that they never reached their full potential as they had allowed
disobedience, complacency, selfishness, pride and compromise to creep in and do
its destructive work. The downfall of Israel began the day they entered into
the Promised Land and started with small disobediences that led to greater and
greater sin and compromise. Despite their constant disobedience and
compromises, the people of Israel still expected to receive the full extent of
the Promised Land.
Do you recognise a similar pattern in your own life?
God’s commands and instructions to us are just as clear, if not
clearer as we have them recorded in Scripture for us. Yet we can demonstrate
the very same slowness to obey and willingness to compromise. It starts small,
with things or areas that we regard as being harmless. Like Achan, we think
what difference will it make in the grand scheme of things? After all what we
are doing, or taking is so small? Yet these small disobediences and compromises
give birth to increasing larger ones. Soon we find ourselves deliberately and
consciously disobeying God.
It is a telling indicator of our hypocrisy, self-righteousness and
pride, when we still think that we should be blessed and prospered by God,
despite our disobedience and compromise. We will question God, asking why He
has not blessed us, why we are enduring hardship, or the fact that the wheels
have come off in our lives and it appears to be falling apart. Yet none of this
is God’s doing, it is our own, by virtue of our choices and decisions.
Our falling away from God always starts off small, in an almost
innocent fashion, but it quickly gains momentum and we are swept away by it.
Thus we need to be on the guard against all sin, all disobedience and all
compromise, no matter how small, innocent or harmless it may appear. The evil
one is a master at disguising sin and making it appear as less than what it is,
thus we need to watch carefully, diligently and pray daily for both God’s
protection and the aid of His Spirit.
What is tragic about Israel is that in spite of countless warnings and
even stern discipline, they failed to learn and change. The result was that
within less than 1000 years, the people of Israel were ousted and their
Promised Land lay wasted and in ruins.
This serves as a warning to us, to not tolerate small or big
disobediences or compromises. Rather we should seek to walk closely with Christ,
so that we might be like Christ who walked in righteousness. Should we find
ourselves in the midst of disaster, disaster that has come at the hand of our
own choices, then let us go to the God of grace, pleading for rescue,
forgiveness and renewed spiritual strength to turn away from sin.
Our merciful, forgiving and patient
Father, we thank You for Your patient grace towards us. We thank You that Your
ways and commands are always right and best for us, that they will lead us to
life, for they lead to You. Forgive us for the times when we have thought that
we have known better, or have allowed small disobediences and compromises to
creep in. Grant us much forgiveness and grace, and we pray that You would refresh
out hearts, renew our zeal and increase our spiritual strength so that we might
become imitators of Christ. Amen.
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