Numbers 22:18 - “...I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more.”

Oh, that all God’s children had such a commitment. In human society, when there is sincere love for another soul, we do what pleases - and do our best to avoid doing what displeases - the loved one. On the job, those laborers who are committed to the company and its goals are careful never to do less than is expected, nor to do anything to hinder its effectiveness. Why do we not have the same commitment to God? We wouldn’t be here but for Him. We all want to be accepted by Him when we meet Him. Is our slackness due to the fact that we don’t see Him or hear from Him every day? (That’s our blindness and deafness, for His face is in all creation, and his voice in every word of the Bible, but that’s a matter for another commentary.) We don’t see the loved one or the boss every day, but we stay committed to them. We brag about the company - we do kindnesses for the beloved - whether or not they even know it. And how many of us are forever supportive of the old alma mater? Yet, when we look at the record with regard to God, that level of commitment is - in most of us - absent. We do less than we know He wants, and we often do more of what we know He doesn’t want. Shouldn’t we love, respect and honor God at least as much as we do the spouse, the school and the supervisor? Yes, and a great deal more.

Numbers 32:7 - “And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord hath given them?”

That wasn’t their intention, but it certainly was a potential effect of their request. The leaders of Reuben and Gad had asked permission to take their inheritance on the east of the Jordan before the remaining tribes crossed to remove the sinful inhabitants of the land which God had promised to Abraham’s descendants. Their absence from the tedious and emotional task ahead would have been a significant deterrent to success of the mission. The Lord’s church has been given the task of confronting sin in people everywhere, but some Christians would rather stop where they are, and not go into the battle. We often hear, “They aren’t interested, so there’s no point in going.” I have heard, “Live and let live; we don’t want them changing our lives, so we should let them make their own choices.” Once I was even told, “We don’t want those people in our church.” Hearing statements like these, is it any wonder that others don’t fight the good fight (II Tim. 4:7)? Realization that others won’t join the work, and the added fact of their arguing against it even being done, is a real discouragement to many who otherwise would gladly work tirelessly to evangelize their neighborhoods. A movie line a few years ago said, “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.” Reuben and Gad joined their brethren until the land was won. Will you?

Numbers 32:9 - “For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the LORD had given them.”

In speaking these words, Moses reminded the elders of Reuben and Gad that people are easily discouraged. Discouragement overcomes all of us at times: some of us more often and more easily than others. The ten spies who reported a land of walled cities and giants had discouraged even the people who were looking at the great fruits to be had. People who had seen the consistent and supreme power of God in Egypt, at Marah, in the Wilderness of Sin, in Rephidim and at Sinai still were discouraged by words of fear from their brethren. Fear might rise again when the people heard that their military strength was to be diminished by two full tribes. In that event God’s anger would turn destroy the people (14-15). Discouraging their brethren wasn’t the intent of the two tribes. They were merely thinking of what was good for themselves. Discouragement may indeed be a sign of weak faith, but none of us is immune to an occasion of it. And we may never anticipate what may discourage others. Here is an opportunity to apply the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in carefully choosing our words (I Cor. 10:24 - “Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s (benefit)”; Col. 4:6 - “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”