The Problems with Settling Outside the Promised Land

Settling outside the Promised Land is problematic. The Promised Land’s physical rest prefigures the Christian’s spiritual rest in Christ. Two-and-a-half tribes stayed on the east side of the Jordan, outside the Promised Land, and it was detrimental to them. Spiritually it is detrimental to us when we stay outside the rest we can have in Christ. https://youtu.be/SlMoXSzpEcE Settling outside the Promised Land was problematic for 2.5 tribes and it is detrimental to us if we don't enter the spiritual rest in Christ. Table of ContentsFamily Worship GuideSermon NotesLesson One: The Promised Land was a place of rest beyond the Jordan.Lesson Two: The 2.5 tribes got what they wanted to their detriment.Lesson Three: The Promised Land’s physical rest prefigures spiritual rest in Christ.Lesson Four: We settle outside the promised land when we don’t rest in Christ’s (Part One) finished work.Lesson Four: We settle outside the promised land when we don’t rest in Christ’s (Part Two) forgiveness.Lesson Four: We settle outside the promised land when we don’t rest in Christ’s (Part Three) victory over Death. Family Worship Guide Directions: Read the verses and then answer the questions: Day 1: Deuteronomy 3:20, 12:9-10, Joshua 22:4, Numbers 32:1-15, 33 cf. Joshua 22:10-12, 1 Chronicles 5:26—How was the Promised Land a place of rest? How was it NOT a place of rest? Why didn’t the 2 ½ tribes want to settle in the Promised Land? Why was Moses concerned about them not settling in the Promised Land? What did the 2 ½ tribes experience to their detriment for settling outside the Promised Land? Day 2: Hebrews 3-4—How does the physical Promised Land prefigure our spiritual rest in Christ? In what ways is Moses a type of the law? In what ways is Joshua a type of Jesus? How does the law serve as our tutor? Day 3: Matthew 11:28-30, 12:5, Hebrews 10:11-12, John 1:29, Hebrews 2:15, 1 John 5:13—Why do we struggle to rest in Christ’s finished work? Why do we struggle with whether we have truly been forgiven of our sins? Why do we still fear Death despite Christ’s victory over it? What can we do to overcome these struggles and truly rest in Christ? Sermon Notes The title of this morning’s sermon is, “Settling Outside the Promised Land.” Please open your Bibles to Numbers 32 and stand with me for the reading of God’s Word. Numbers 32:1 Now the people of Reuben and the people of Gad had a very great number of livestock. And they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a place for livestock. 2 So the people of Gad and the people of Reuben came and said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the chiefs of the congregation, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, 4 the land that the Lord struck down before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” 5 And they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession. Do not take us across the Jordan.” 6 But Moses said to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here? 7 Why will you discourage the heart of the people of Israel from going over into the land that the Lord has given them? 8 Your fathers did this, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. 9 For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the people of Israel from going into the land that the Lord had given them. 10 And the Lord's anger was kindled on that day, and he swore, saying, 11 ‘Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed me, 12 none except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord.’ 13 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 gone. 14 And behold, you have risen in your fathers' place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the Lord against Israel! 15 For if you turn away from following him, he will again abandon them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all this people.” You may be seated. Let’s pray. On Sunday mornings we have been looking at a few examples of God giving people what they want…to their own detriment. I think this is so important, because of a mistaken notion about God… Some people think that if God doesn’t want them doing something, He will prevent them. There are people who engage in sin and their defense is, “God hasn’t stopped me, so He must be okay with it. He didn’t close the door, so it must be okay that I walked through it.” But it doesn’t work like this. God hasn’t created a bunch of robots. We are free moral agents who can push for our will, which God can allow us to us have…even to our own detriment. We have seen a few examples: God let Moses take Aaron with him when he refused to go God gave the Israelites meat when they asked for it after complaining about the manna God let Balaam go with Balak after telling him no In this sermon we will see one more example. I was going to do two examples, but I didn’t want to shortchange this instructive account. So, expect one more sermon on this topic and then we will resume Luke 15. Before we jump into this account let me begin with a lesson that will provide the context we need… Lesson One: The Promised Land was a place of rest beyond the Jordan. When you think about the Promised Land, I want you to keep two things in mind: It was a place of rest It was beyond the Jordan Listen to a few verses that make this clear… Deuteronomy 3:20 [Moses speaking to the Israelites about to enter], “Until the Lord GIVES REST to your brothers, as to you, and they also occupy the land that the Lord your God gives them BEYOND THE JORDAN. Notice two things about the verse: First, the land will give them rest. Second, it lies beyond the Jordan. Another example… Deuteronomy 12:9 You have not yet come to THE REST…the Lord your God is giving you. 10 When you go OVER THE JORDAN and live in the land that the Lord your God is giving you…and when HE GIVES YOU REST. Again, the idea is they go over the Jordan and that is where they experience rest. Last example from when they are in the Promised Land… Joshua 22:4 The Lord your God HAS GIVEN REST to your brothers, as he promised them…which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE JORDAN. With this in mind – that the Promised Land is a place of rest on the other side of the Jordan – we are going to pick up with the nation of Israel about to leave Moses and enter the Promised Land under Joshua. Look at verse 1… Numbers 32:1 Now the people of Reuben and the people of Gad had a very great number of livestock. And THEY SAW THE LAND of Jazer and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a place for livestock. It’s hard to believe, but 2.5 tribes wanted to be on the east side of the Jordan, outside the Promised Land. For centuries it had been God’s plan to have His people in the Promised Land, but these tribes wanted to settle outside it. Notice the words they saw the land. This is why it happened: it looked good to them. They were walking by sight instead of by faith: They chose the physical instead of the spiritual. The physical they could have outside the Promised Land was more attractive than the spiritual they could have inside the Promised Land. It reminds me of when Lot and Abraham parted ways and Lot saw the land near Sodom so that’s why he moved there. He also chose the physical over the spiritual, and interestingly, it was also because of livestock. Skip to verse 5… Numbers 32:5 And they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession. Do not take us across the Jordan.” Look how Moses felt about this request… Numbers 32:6 But Moses said to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here? Entering the Promised Land meant lots of fighting as they removed the Canaanites. Moses is concerned that these tribes won’t help. Numbers 32:7 Why will you discourage the heart of the people of Israel from going over into the land that the Lord has given them? Moses also knows if these tribes don’t enter, it might discourage the other tribes from entering. Numbers 32:8 Your fathers did this, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. Kadesh Barnea is where the rebellion occurred with the 12 spies. All 12 tribes – with only a few exceptions, such as Joshua and Caleb – didn’t want to enter the Promised Land and it discouraged all the people. Moses sees the potential for something similar to happen again, so in the following verses he recounts what happened forty years earlier as a warning… Numbers 32:9 For when they (the spies) went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the people of Israel from going into the land that the Lord had given them. 10 And the Lord's anger was kindled on that day, and he swore, saying, 11 ‘Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed me, 12 none except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord.’ 13 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 gone.