Numbers 34 LOOKING ACROSS JORDAN The theme of the book of Numbers is how God's people came to enter the promised land. The promise of this land was given long before Israel came as a nation to where they could look across the Jordan River and finally see the place that was theirs, given to them by God. This promise was first given by God to Abraham, then Isaac and then to Jacob. On their journey through the wilderness, God gave this promise to the children of Israel when He told them He would send hornets ahead of them to drive out the people of Canaan. No promise of God has failed, will fail nor can fail. God is truth and His word is truth. No promise He makes will remain unfulfilled. We can rest assuredly on all the promises of God in this life and as we look into the future. The promises of God are "Yea and Amen."
Boundaries of the land God promised were established by Him. These borders were not left to chance or dispute by those who would possess the land. There was enough for all to have everything they needed to sustain their lives and meet the needs of their families. God established boundaries for us that are clearly stated in the scriptures. Separation unto God is not narrow-minded or insufficient to meet our spiritual, emotional and physical needs. When we follow His instructions and obey with gladness the directives He had defined, then He promises to be a Father to us, and we will be His sons and daughters "saith the Lord Almighty." There is no need for us to go beyond what He has plainly stated in the Bible.
Of great interest and importance is how God arranged the land to be divided into properties that would be identifiable and distributed. First, God explained what had to be done; then He communicated this to others through Moses. He designated specific people from each tribe to oversee the work of dividing the land. By doing this in advance, problems between people were avoided. The plan of distribution came from the Highest Source so that jealousy, tension and friction between the tribes and people in the tribes would not be directed at individuals. "This is what the Lord said" should silence every voice of opposition people have when we carry out the commission we have been given. There is no need for us to argue over the things of God or even over our spiritual inheritance when we stay within the boundaries of scriptural teaching, principles and practice.
Our God is a God of order. and what He has planned will come to pass, of that we can be sure. His plans for our redemption were made before the foundation of the world. A finished work that God has planned, comes with the same pattern of operation as we use in our lives. An idea is followed by a decision to go ahead and develop the idea. Plans are then made as to how to accomplish the task. Designation of responsibility is made and a job description is given to those who have been previously proven as trustworthy. Clear instructions as to what needs to be done are given, and the charge to carry out the action leads to an accomplished work. God has given special things to us to accomplish as He is building His church. He has given us the privilege to engage in this work with Him. It is our responsibility to carry this out with faithfulness to Him, and grace towards other people.
The key to any work is faithful men who can be trusted to do the work to which they have been designated. In Israel those men were plainly identified, and their area of responsibility. One man was from each tribe so he knew the limits of his designated authority. We are well-advised to give our best efforts to the work we have been called to where we should, and leave the work of others to them without any interference from us, even though we might not see or do things exactly as they do. The situation in one part of the country may be different from that in other parts. The objective is for me to carry out what God intended for to do where He has placed me. When each does his part in the place he is, God can put the whole work together in the pattern of His choosing. The people in Israel knew the name of the man they were to turn to for understanding as to what was their designated property. Not many of those men are mentioned again in the scriptures and we might think they were not very important. A person's importance is only able to be measured by God. We know them by their faithfulness to God in carrying out the work He has entrusted to them.
When we do what God wants, we may not be recognized for very long as far as history is concerned. Obscurity does not mean one's work is not important. To obey God from the heart emotionally, and with the mind intellectually, and with the will practically is what is important. The reward of being allowed to participate with God in kingdom work, and for God trusting us with some part in His great plan, is reward enough for any true servant. That divine approbation far exceeds any praise or honor men might give us.
Unfortunately, the Israelites did not take for themselves all God promised them. There was more than they claimed that could have been theirs. God has abundant provision for His children and we will not lack any good thing. For some reason they were satisfied with less than they could have possessed. Sadly, even that was their only temporarily because those people they left in the land had influence that led them away from the God of their fathers who wanted to be their Lord. Israel will someday possess all the land of promise when the Lord Jesus Christ is their King. Even today many of God's people are satisfied with only a little bit of what could be theirs in Christ. Some are satisfied with the fact of their redemption and that is the extent of their interest. Others step forward a little more in partial obedience when they are baptized as believers and then they stop there. There are great spiritual blessings waiting God's people now if they would only follow on with the Lord Jesus Christ to the higher ground of Beulah-land and "observe all things" the Lord has commanded us to do. We can enjoy many of the blessings of heaven here and now when we hear and heed the instructions concerning our inheritance in Christ.