Numbers 21:1-3. It Is Not How Much We Emote….It Is Simply God’s Right Time-my devotional
Numbers 21:1-3. It Is Not How Much We Emote….It Is Simply God’s Right Time-my devotional
Numbers 21:1-3 Kevin E. Jesmer
Key verse 21:3a, 9-10-16
“The Lord listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites over to them….”
Look at verses 1-3, “When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them. 2 Then Israel made this vow to the Lord: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy their cities.” 3 The Lord listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites over to them. They completely destroyed them and their towns; so the place was named Hormah.”
It was time for the Israelites to begin their push into the Promised Land. The generation that had experienced the miracles in the Egypt and who had rebelled against the Lord, died in the desert. After wandering through the desert for forty years it was time to push forward. But getting the land would not be easy. There would be lots of battles.
In this passage, it was time for one off those battles. Look at verse 1, “When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them.” Arad, the Canaanite King attacked and captured some of the Israelites.
God was going to give the land to the Israelites. But he would train them in faith at the same time. He would do this in order to unite them and strengthen them as a nation. He would develop their military skills. Though his way would be tough, it was God’s perfect way and plan for his people.
The Israelites begin this part of their journey very enthusiastically. They were very spirited. Look at verse 2, “Then Israel made this vow to the Lord: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy their cities.” They made a vow to God that if he gave Arad’s army to them, they would destroy all of their cities. God accepted their vow. He recognized their faith and their spirit. He was pleased with that. He led them into victory, which would have happened despite of their spirited approach. It is nice when our enthusiasm and God’s will coincide. God is glorified and the people are excited about following the Lord.
To many people, the Israelites’ spirited cries don’t sound much different than the cries of Muslim extremists. But we need to understand this in an historical context. God was not only establishing his people as a Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation, according to promises, he was also using the Israelites as instruments of judgement on a people who, for centuries, engaged in cruel and horrific forms of worship, like child sacrifice and temple prostitution. God had been bearing with all of this patiently but now it was time for judgement. There was a purpose and it was backed up by the prophecies and the promises of God. The Israelites were not just a group of extremists, rising up to form their own caliphate. No. What was happening with the Israelites was unfolding according to God’s sovereign will, backed up by prophecy.
With the Lord’s help, they gained the victory. It was all because of God’s sovereign will. God was pleased to grant them the victory by his grace. The peoples’ response to this movement of the hand of God contributed to the elation. They were full of faith, enthusiasm and confidence in the Lord.
God granted them the victory, not because of their good attitude. It was simply because it was God’s time. It was God’s time to bring his people into the Promised Land according to his promises. Their attitude and their eagerness simply added to the joy of their experience with God.
They could have gone into the battle complaining and kicking and swearing. Or they could go in with hearts full of faith and energy and enthusiasm. They could choose. That doesn’t mean that God was not going to establish his people in the Promised Land. He was determined to do it. The Israelites chose the most blessed way.
They were blessed by God because of his sovereignty. They were not blessed because of the intensity of their eagerness. After all he did give the water from the rock despite off their complaining. Later on in chapter 21, we will see that the Israelites gained the victory, by God’s grace despite of their complaining. This is important.
It is not up to our emoting to experience God’s blessing. It is all about God and his will. This frees us inwardly. The onus is not on us to emote. We need faith, yes, but this too is a gift from God. I don’t know what I would do if I was forced to be positive and emote well in order to maintain my good standing with the Lord. Most times I am not excited or emoting well. This is a type of salvation by works. It is really a trap. God does what he wills and we are simply invited to participate in what God is doing.
God’s victory is complete when it is God’s time to make things happen Things seem to fall into place miraculously. The pieces fit together. Every day is filled with praises to God. I feel this way about all the doors that Jesus is opening in the mission to the North. How great it is when all the different factors come together and God leads us into his victory. How exhilarating a life of faith can be when that happens.
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