Numbers 32:31

Numbers 32:31 says, And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, As the LORD hath said unto thy servants, so will we do.  The people of Gad and Reuben said that as the LORD said to them, His servants, they would do, and so must we today as followers of Christ.  Verse thirty-two added, We will pass over armed before the LORD into the land of Canaan, that the possession of our inheritance on this side Jordan may be ours.  They said they would go across the Jordan and fight, so that they could claim their possession of land on this side of the Jordan.  Verse thirty-three continues, And Moses gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and unto half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, with the cities thereof in the coasts, even the cities of the country round about.  Moses gave the kingdom of Sihon, the king the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, and the land and cities along the coast, to the people of Gad and Reuben, plus half the tribe of Manasseh, Joseph's son.  This was the first mention of the half tribe of Manasseh, but they were included and for whatever worldly reason, we have to conclude it was with God's blessing.  Wherever God leads us, we should go.  Verse thirty-four states, And the children of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,  Verse thirty-five adds, And Atroth, Shophan, and Jaazer, and Jogbehah,  Verse thirty-six continues, And Bethnimrah, and Bethharan, fenced cities: and folds for sheep.  We are told of nine fenced cities the people of Gad built.  I am not sure how long this took, but they were to build them, or Matthew Henry says more likely rebuild them, before they crossed over Jordan.  Verse thirty-seven says, And the children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kirjathaim,  Verse thirty-eight adds, And Nebo, and Baalmeon, (their names being changed,) and Shibmah: and gave other names unto the cities which they builded.  We are told of six cities the people of Reuben built or renamed, but are also told there were others.  Verse thirty-nine states, And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorite which was in it.  Machir, the son of Manasseh, defeated the people of Gilead and took it. Verse forty adds, And Moses gave Gilead unto Machir the son of Manasseh; and he dwelt therein.  Moses gave the land of Gilead to Machir.  As we fight for God in this world as followers of Christ, He will always provide us with all that we need in order to be successful spiritually.  Verse forty-one continues, And Jair the son of Manasseh went and took the small towns thereof, and called them Havothjair.  Jair, another son of Manasseh, took the small towns of Gilead, and renamed them Havothjair.  Verse forty-two concludes, And Nobah went and took Kenath, and the villages thereof, and called it Nobah, after his own name.  Nibah took Kenath and renamed it for himself.  We need to be careful that we don't allow self pride to come between God and us.

Numbers 32:16

Numbers 32:16 says, And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones:  Verse seventeen adds, 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.  The leaders of Gad and Reuben came to Moses and told him that they would build sheepfolds for the cattle and cities for their little ones, but that the men themselves would go armed with the rest of the people of Israel to fight those who currently inhabited the Promised Land.  They would lead the people into battle, and without their families and cattle would have less to be worried about.  We should always be ready to go into battle against God's enemies as long as they exist, even if we could sit back in peace ourselves.  Verse eighteen continues, We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance.  They said they would not return to their houses until all the people of Israel had their land secured.  Of course, we will always be on this side of the Promised Land, but if God has blessed us with a life of peace and prosperity, that does not exempt us from helping those who are still actively engaged in the battle against evil in the world.  Verse nineteen concludes, 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.  These leaders of Gad and Reuben said that they would not inherit, or claim, any of the land beyond the Jordan because their inheritance would be the land that they wanted to claim on this side of the Jordan.  Of course, we must never think that anything short of heaven is our Promised Land.  Verse twenty states, And Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will go armed before the LORD to war,  Moses began to give his permission with some ifs included.  Verse twenty-one adds, And will go all of you armed over Jordan before the LORD, until he hath driven out his enemies from before him,  Verse twenty-two continues, And the land be subdued before the LORD: then afterward ye shall return, and be guiltless before the LORD, and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the LORD.  Moses said if they all the men of fighting age would go armed into the battle across the Jordan, fight until all the enemies were driven out, then they could return and claim this land for there inheritance.  As Christians, God has already given us our inheritance in heaven, but that does not exempt us from the battle here.  Of course, we will never be fighting for an everlasting home anywhere short of heaven.  Verse twenty-three concludes, But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.  After the ifs, Moses gave them the but.  He said if they did not do what they promised, then they had sinned against God.  We already have our Promised Land of heaven assured if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, but we are still to be engaged in the battle against Satan and the forces of evil in the world today.  Verse twenty-four says, Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which hath proceeded out of your mouth.  Moses told them to go ahead and build their cities and sheepfolds.  Verse twenty-five adds, And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spake unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth.  The people of Gad and Reuben said they would do as the LORD commanded,  and so must we today as followers of Christ.  Verse twenty-six continues, Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead:  The leaders of Gad and Reuben said their children, wives and cattle would remain in the cities of Gilead.  Verse twenty-seven concludes, But thy servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord saith.  Though the children, women and cattle would remain behind, the men of fighting age and ability would pass over the Jordan to fight with the rest of Israel.  Verse twenty-eight states, So concerning them Moses commanded Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel:  Moses called on Eleazar, Joshua who would be leading the people in place of Moses, and the heads of the tribes of Israel to him.  These were the ones this decision would affect.  As Christians, we all need to be working together to defeat the enemies of God under the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit.  Verse twenty-nine continues, And Moses said unto them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over Jordan, every man armed to battle, before the LORD, and the land shall be subdued before you; then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession:  Moses told these leaders that if the men Gad and Reuben went with them into battle for the Promised Land, once they were victorious, the rest of the people of Israel were to give the people of Gad and Reuben the land of Gilead as their inheritance.  It was important that these leaders knew of the terms of the agreement, because Moses would not be there to verify it.  It is just as important that we teach the next generation about God's word, because one day we will no longer be here to do so.  Verse thirty concludes, But if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.  If the people of Gad and Reuben did not fulfill there promises, they would not be allowed to claim possession of the land they wanted, but would have their inheritance in the land of Canaan.  

Numbers 32:6

Numbers 32:6 says, And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here?  Since the people of Gad and Reuben had asked for land already captured, Moses asked them if the rest of the people of Israel should go to war while they sat there in peace.  We as followers of Christ today are at war with the sin in the world, and we should not expect to sit back at peace and prosperous while our fellow believers struggle to survive and fight the war.  Verse seven adds, And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them?  Moses asked them why they would want to discourage others from going into the land that God had given them.  If we have seemingly gained great riches of this earth as Christians, seemingly without any problem, we may discourage other Christians who are struggling if we just sit back in ease.  Verse eight continues, Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadeshbarnea to see the land.  Moses said this was what their fathers had done when he sent them to spy on the land originally.  They returned with a negative report, except for Joshua and Caleb, and the people were afraid to go into the land.  We should never let our success as followers of Christ serve as a discouragement to others.  Verse nine states, 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.  As just stated, Moses said the negative report of the spies discouraged the people of Isreal from going into the Promised Land a generation earlier, and if the tribes of Gad and Reuben stayed in the already conquered land, it could likewise discourage the rest of the people from wanting to cross over the Jordan where they would then have to fight for the Promised Land.  Though as Christians we are already assured of entering into our Promised Land, Heaven, we are not exempt from fighting the war against Satan in the world today.  Verse ten adds, And the LORD’s anger was kindled the same time, and he sware, saying, Verse eleven continues, Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me:  Moses reminded them of what had happened when the people of Israel chose to believe the report of the ten spies instead of putting their faith in God.  None of the men who came out of Egypt who were twenty years old or older would be allowed to go into the Promised Land.  Though if we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord we will never be kept out of heaven, we still must actively follow God's will today.  We are not exempt from fighting the war against God by the forces of evil today, and if we just sit back and enjoy life if God has blessed us with prosperity and refuse to take an active role in fighting the war against evil, we may very well discourage other believers who are less fortunate.  Verse twelve says, Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the LORD.  Moses pointed out that Caleb and Joshua were the exception to the other spies, because they wholly followed God.  We need to be like them, and not like the rest of the spies and the people of Israel.  Verse thirteen continues, And the LORD’s anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed.  Moses then reminded them of the forty years of wandering in the wilderness that God had them endure until all those men twenty years and older died.  God still expects His people to live by faith in Him and not by fear of what may happen to them in this world if they follow His will.  Verse fourteen states, And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers’ stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the LORD toward Israel.  Moses said that the people of Gad and Ruben were in danger of being like their fathers by not wanting to cross over into the Promised Land,  because of the land where they were looking so good.  No matter how good things are for us in this world, we must make sure this does not come between us and God's will for us.  Verses fifteen adds, For if ye turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and ye shall destroy all this people.  Moses told the people of Gad and Reuben if that if they stayed on this side of the Jordan and settled in peace that they might cause the rest of the nation to continue in the wilderness because they would question the need to cross over into the Promised Land and fight for it by faith in God.  We must likewise engage in the battle against the forces of evil as followers of Christ, no matter how prosperous and at ease our life may be.  Above all else, we must never allow our life to discourage others from putting their faith in Jesus Christ. 

Numbers 32:1

Numbers 32:1 says, Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle;  The tribes of Rueben and God had a lot of cattle and saw that the land of Jazer and Gilead were good land for cattle.  Verse two adds, The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying,  They came to Moses and Eleazar and spoke to them.  Moses and Eleazar were the spiritual leaders of all the people of Israel, so they came people of God and the leaders of the tribe of Ruben came to them when they wanted something.  We, as followers of Christ, should always come to Jesus when we want something today, but we must come to Him seeking His will.  Verse three continues, Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon,  There were also some of the other leaders of Isreal there, and whatever we are wanting from God as Christians should not be sought secretly if it affects our fellow believers.  Verse four states, Even the country which the LORD smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle:  Verse five adds, Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan.  The Gadites and the Reubenites said that this was a good land, and asked Moses if they had found grace in his sight to allow them to settle there and to not cross over the Jordan.  This was still not really in the Promised Land, unless God made it a part.  We need to never want to stop short of God's everlasting Promised Land, Heaven, as followers of Christ. 

Numbers 31:48

Numbers 31:48 says, And the officers which were over thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses:  The officers of the army came to Moses.  Verse forty-nine adds, And they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war which are under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us.   The officers said that they had taken a count of the men under them, and thay hadn't lost a single man in the battle.  As followers of Christ, when we are at war with the world today, not one of us will ever be lost from the everlasting perspective.  We are God's forever if we have truly put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse fifty continues, We have therefore brought an oblation for the LORD, what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and tablets, to make an atonement for our souls before the LORD.  Every man had made an oblation of the gold in all forms that they had taken in the war, justly, and brought it to Moses as an atonement for their sins.  God had not demanded this through Moses telling them to do so, but they did it on their own initiative.  We should not wait for the spiritual leaders in the church today to tell or ask us to give to support God's work, but we should give freely on our own.  We should never look for material blessings for our work for God, but should dedicate all that we have to Him.  We do not do this in order to attempt to buy forgiveness, but in gratitude for what God has already blessed us with as Christians, everlasting life that can never be lost.  Verse fifty-one states, And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even all wrought jewels.  Moses and Eleazar accepted the gift.  Verse fifty-two adds, And all the gold of the offering that they offered up to the LORD, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels.  The total of the offering was sixteen thousand, seven hundred and fifty shekels, which is about a fourth of a pound according to Google.  This was a very valuable offering that the men who went to war offered to God. Verse fifty-three continues, (For the men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.)  The amount was this large because every man who had gone to war had taken some spoils of war.  Individually, what we can offer to God may not be much, but if all Christians give liberally to God, then we have a vast amount of resources to accomplish His work.  Yet, too often we see what God blesses us with as ours to use for our self alone, and even want more.  Verse fifty-four concludes, And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tabernacle of the congregation, for a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD.  Moses and Eleazar did not keep this gift for themselves, but brought it into the tabernacle to be used for God's glory.  Spiritual leaders today should likewise use all that is given to the church, in the local congregations, for God's glory and the advancement of His kingdom.  They should never use it for their own advancement. 

Numbers 31:32

Numbers 31:32 says, And the booty, being the rest of the prey which the men of war had caught, was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep,  The men who went to war captured a total of six hundred seventy five thousand sheep as spoils of war.  Verse thirty-three adds, And threescore and twelve thousand beeves,  They also captured seventy-two thousand cattle.  Verse thirty-four continues, And threescore and one thousand asses,   In addition, they captured sixty-one thousand asses.  Verse thirty-five concludes, And thirty and two thousand persons in all, of women that had not known man by lying with him.  They had also captured thirty-two thousand people who were allowed to live, and that was women who had not had sexual relations.  Verse thirty-six states, And the half, which was the portion of them that went out to war, was in number three hundred thousand and seven and thirty thousand and five hundred sheep:  The half that went to those who had actually gone to war was three hundred seven thousand five hundred sheep.  They had done more and risked more so they received a greater reward.  I am not sure how heavenly rewards work, but I do understand from the Bible that there will be rewards, but also that we are not to work for Christ just for rewards.  We are to work to advance God's kingdom by spreading the gospel and for God's glory and never for our own.  Verse thirty-seven adds, And the LORD’s tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen.  The Lord’s tribute from the sheep was six hundred and seventy-five.  This was God's tithe on the total number of sheep captured.  Verse thirty-eight adds, And the beeves were thirty and six thousand; of which the LORD’s tribute was threescore and twelve.  Verse thirty-nine continues, And the asses were thirty thousand and five hundred; of which the LORD’s tribute was threescore and one.  There were to give God His tithes on the total number of animals, and as followers of Christ, we are to give our tithes on all that God blesses us with.  Verse forty concludes, And the persons were sixteen thousand; of which the LORD’s tribute was thirty and two persons.  Out of the sixteen thousand people, God set thirty-two aside to Himself   Verse forty-one says, And Moses gave the tribute, which was the LORD’s heave offering, unto Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses,  Moses gave the tribute of the LORD which was to be used as a heave offering to God to Eleazar the priest.  We are to give today so that the church can do God's work,but more importantly so that He can be glorified.  Verse forty-two adds, And of the children of Israel’s half, which Moses divided from the men that warred,  Verse forty-three continues, (Now the half that pertained unto the congregation was three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred sheep,  Verse forty-four continues, And thirty and six thousand beeves,  Verse forty-five continues, And thirty thousand asses and five hundred,  Verse forty-six concludes, And sixteen thousand persons;)   This is a listing of the half of the spoils of war given to the people of Israel who did not go to war.  Verse forty-seven states, Even of the children of Israel’s half, Moses took one portion of fifty, both of man and of beast, and gave them unto the Levites, which kept the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.  From their share, those who did not go to war had one portion out of every fifty, both of the people and the animals, given to the Levites.  This was in addition to what had already been dedicated to God, and it was to support the Levites, who were in charge of God's tabernacle.   We need to give generously today so that those who are in the ministry are well provided for.  

Numbers 31:21

Numbers 31:21 says, And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war which went to the battle, This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses;  Eleazar the priest told the men who who had gone onto battle what God had told Moses was His ordinance or the law was.  We as followers of Christ go into battle against sin daily, and we need to know what God says that we are to do.  Verse twenty-two adds, Only the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,  Verse twenty-three continues, Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make it go through the fire, and it shall be clean: nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of separation: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the water.  All the metals that had been taken in the war that would last through the fire, from gold down to lead, were to be put in a fire to be cleansed and then it was to be purified by the water of separation.  If they would not last through the fire, they were to be cleansed by the water.  Either way, they had to be purified to be used by God, and so must we today, and this can only happen by being purified by the blood of Christ.   Verse twenty-four states, And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterward ye shall come into the camp.  The men who had gone to war were to remain out side the camp of the Israelites for seven days, then wash their clothes, and then they would be clean spiritually and could come into the camp.  There is no physical act that can cleanse us spiritually today, but only accepting Jesus Christ can, and when we do we will be spiritually clean.  Until we do, we will remain outside the kingdom of God, and once we do, we are immediately a part of His kingdom.  Verse twenty-five says, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  Verse twenty-six adds, Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of beast, thou, and Eleazar the priest, and the chief fathers of the congregation:  God instructed Moses that Eleazar, the heads of the tribes, and he were to number the people and the animals taken as prey, or spoils of war.  Verse twenty-seven continues, And divide the prey into two parts; between them that took the war upon them, who went out to battle, and between all the congregation:  The prey was to be divided into two parts, between those who went to war and those who didn't.  All were to share in the spoils of war, but not all would share equally.   We as Christians all share in the spiritual reward of salvation, but we may not all share equally in the material rewards.  Matthew Henry points out that only the people and animals were to be thus divided and not the metals and jewelry, since the people and animals could be used to populate the land, and the other things could not.  We too often want the riches of the world more than we want to reach the lost for the kingdom of God, it often seems.  Verse twenty-eight states,  And levy a tribute unto the LORD of the men of war which went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep:  A tribute to God was to be levied on the men and animals that the men who went to war had been given.  They were to give one of every five hundred as a tribute to God.  We must always remember to give God His tribute of all that we have as followers of Christ.  Verse twenty-nine adds, Take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, for an heave offering of the LORD.  This was to be given to Eleazar as a heave offering to God.  Verse thirty continues,  And of the children of Israel’s half, thou shalt take one portion of fifty, of the persons, of the beeves, of the asses, and of the flocks, of all manner of beasts, and give them unto the Levites, which keep the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.  The half given to the rest of the people of Israel were to have one of every fifty, the people and animals, given to the Levites, who were in charge of God's tabernacle.  We need to always make sure that we support God's work and those who are doing it.  Verse thirty-one concludes, And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.  Moses and Eleazar did what God had commanded Moses to do, and so must we do what God commands us to do today.