Borderline Christianity

Penetrating Enemy Lines

Journey Into The Promised Land

Numbers 32:1–19 (CSB)

TRANSJORDAN SETTLEMENTS

32 The Reubenites and Gadites had a very large number of livestock. When they surveyed the lands of Jazer and Gilead, they saw that the region was a good one for livestock. ²So the Gadites and Reubenites came to Moses, the priest Eleazar, and the leaders of the community and said, ³“The territory of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, ⁴which the Lord struck down before the community of Israel, is good land for livestock, and your servants own livestock.” ⁵They said, “If we have found favor with you, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Don’t make us cross the Jordan.”

⁶But Moses asked the Gadites and Reubenites, “Should your brothers go to war while you stay here? ⁷Why are you discouraging the Israelites from crossing into the land the Lord has given them? ⁸That’s what your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. ⁹After they went up as far as Eshcol Valley and saw the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land the Lord had given them. ¹⁰So the Lord’s anger burned that day, and he swore an oath: ¹¹‘Because they did not remain loyal to me, none of the men twenty years old or more who came up from Egypt will see the land I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—¹²none except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, because they did remain loyal to the Lord.’ ¹³The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years until the whole generation that had done what was evil in the Lord’s sight was gone. ¹⁴And here you, a brood of sinners, stand in your ancestors’ place adding even more to the Lord’s burning anger against Israel. ¹⁵If you turn back from following him, he will once again leave this people in the wilderness, and you will destroy all of them.”

¹⁶Then they approached him and said, “We want to build sheep pens here for our livestock and cities for our dependents. ¹⁷But we will arm ourselves and be ready to go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them into their place. Meanwhile, our dependents will remain in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. ¹⁸We will not return to our homes until each of the Israelites has taken possession of his inheritance. ¹⁹Yet we will not have an inheritance with them across the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance will be across the Jordan to the east.”

All of Israel did not settle in the promised land. There were two and a half tribes, Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh, that settled east of Jordan. When they saw the riches, houses, pastures, lands, wells, and cattle, they looked at these things and thought, “It would be nice to settle down right here.Let’s just remain on this side of Jordan.” The leaders of these tribes came to Moses and said, “We want to stay right here and settle down.”

Numbers 32, tells the story of what happened to Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh. They came and told Moses, “We want to remain on this side of Jordan.” Moses was rather upset when they made this request (Numbers 32:6-8). Moses reminded these men that their fathers had made a similar error which resulted in forty years of wilderness wanderings.

Eventually, the leaders of this tribe made a compromise with Moses:

But we ourselves will go ready armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land. We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance. For we will not inherit with them on yonder side Jordan, or forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side Jordan eastward. (Numbers 32:17-19)

Moses agreed to this, and the two and a half tribes began to settle down, divide up the territory, and possess the land on the east bank of Jordan.

The question is: Were they right in what they did? Were they right in settling down east of Jordan?

The answer is: They were wrong. This is an example of borderline Christianity. These men were moved by sight instead of faith. The promise was clear — it was the west side of Jordan that Israel was to possess:

Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. (Joshua 1:2-3)

Examine your own heart today. Are you living a life of borderline Christianity or are you moving ahead to claim all that God has for you?

Make this declaration:

I won’t settle for borderline Christianity. I will move out in faith to claim all that God has for me.

*Adapted from MCWE email – Journey Into The Promised Land by Morris Cerullo

Borderline Christianity – 8/25

Penetrating Enemy Lines

Journey Into The Promised Land