Advanced Level, Block 4—Wilderness
Week 40
Two and a Half Tribes Choosing the Land East to the Jordan
Point to Emphasize: We should take our parent’s decision and not insist in getting our own way.
Reference Reading: Numbers 26:55, footnote 551; 32:1-42; 34:15, footnote 151; Joshua 1:1-18
Memory Verse: And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
Sample Story
God promised the children of Israel the good land. God had first made this promise to Abraham. The promise continued with Isaac and Jacob, then with Joseph. After Joseph died and the children of Israel ended up as slaves in Egypt, God used Moses to take them out of Egypt and to lead them through the wilderness towards the good land. In the book of Deuteronomy, we find that they finally arrived. The land that God had promised their forefathers was finally in front of them. They just needed to follow God’s instructions to go forward, to take the good land, to possess it, and to enjoy it.
God’s plan was to give a portion of the good land which was west of the river Jordan to each of the twelve tribes. But, there were two and a half tribes who had a different request. Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh saw this rich, fertile land that was east of the Jordan. Thinking that this land was best for their needs, they begged Moses to give this land to them. Even though God had given them the good land, they requested a different land. Though it was very close to the good land but was NOT the good land. Though it was a land rich and fertile and good for their livestock, it was a land that was according to their choice, and not according to God’s choice.
This reminds me of times in which we get an answer from our parents, but we won’t take it. Rather, we insist on asking for our way until we get it. Have you done this? I’ve done this too. One day I wanted to invite some of my friends to spend the night at our house. So, I asked my parents and they said they would think about it but for sure it could not happen that weekend. Well, I was not happy with their response. So, I went around and started asking the parents of my friends if they would ask my parents to have their daughters spend the night at our house that weekend. Oh, my parents were not happy. First, I hadn’t taken their answer, and second I went behind their back to get my way. As a punishment, my friends could not come over that weekend and I had to wait longer for them to be able to spend the night with me. [Storyteller, insert your own example of not taking your parent’s answer but trying to get your own way, and suffering because of it.]
Now, God’s promise from the very beginning was to give the children of Israel the good land. So, they should not have asked for something different. They did not know what the good land was like, but somehow they had decided that the land east of the Jordan was the best for them. Moses was very unhappy with them and rebuked them for their selfishness. Although Moses agreed to let them have that land, they had to cross over the river Jordan with the rest of the children of Israel to help the other tribes possess their portion. They were wrong in wanting their own choice of the land. The outcome of their insisting on what they wanted was that they were the first ones to be attacked by their enemies. They suffered due to their insistence on their own choice.
It is often difficult for us children to take our parent’s decision. This is so sad. We may think that getting our own way is best. But it is not. It is always best to take our parent’s decision. They know what is best for us.