Seeing The Project Through

Deuteronomy 3:18-20

There are a lot of people who will volunteer to be a part of a project for recognition. They will show up, but as soon as the work begins, they vanish. That is very frustrating to the ones who are left behind to finish the work. There is something to be said about being dependable. Sadly, most people do not fit into that category. As Christians, this should not be true for us. As we will see, Moses gave a commandment to two and a half tribes in Israel that they were to be dependable and see the conquest of the promised land through to its completion.

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“Then I commanded you at that time, saying: ‘The Lord your God has given you this land to possess. All you men of valor shall cross over armed before your brethren, the children of Israel. But your wives, your little ones, and your livestock (I know that you have much livestock) shall stay in your cities which I have given you, until the Lord has given rest to your brethren as to you, and they also possess the land which the Lord your God is giving them beyond the Jordan. Then each of you may return to his possession which I have given you.'"

Deuteronomy 3:18-20

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Just to fill in the gaps, here is what has transpired. After Sihon and Og's kingdoms were defeated by Israel, the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh asked for their lands. Moses told them they could have the land on one condition, they had to help the other tribes conquer their land as well. That is what we read about in this passage.

The first verse says "All you men of valor shall cross over armed...". Valor is a choice. It can be learned, but a person has to want to do the right thing. Many times we think of people who are brave as a Rambo type person. In reality a person of valor is someone who follows orders, even when it is hard. That might be in a combat situation, or it may be a Christian standing for their faith when it feels like the whole world is against them. It could be a parent standing on truth, even when a rebellious child yells "I hate you!". The circumstances surrounding valor may look different, but it always requires someone doing the right thing when it is not easy.

Moses, speaking for God, did not have unreasonable expectations. He did not require the women, children, and animals to make the trip needlessly. They were allowed to stay in the fortified cities protected from the war. In reality, these noncombatants would have been a hindrance to the military efforts. While it is hard to stay behind and take care of the home, it would have been even more difficult to be in the middle of the combat and long marches. God knew this was the best circumstance for this group.

Finally, Moses said, "Then each of you may return to his possession which I have given you". This does not seem like much, but it is an important passage. This is an assurance that they would not be defeated in their efforts. They were going to go into combat, and they would return to the land they had been given. That is faith. Many times God makes a simple statement, that if we were to truly consider what He said, there is promise that we will succeed in our task. Take for instance the call into ministry. If we truly trusted God, almost every one of us would respond with something different than, "I can't because...", yet we do just that. When God calls a man to preach, that man will be able to preach.

God wanted the two and one half tribes to remember that they were a part of this mission. They were going to be part of this new nation. They needed to see this project through. Yes, they needed to help their fellow Jews, but they also needed to learn the lessons that God would teach them through this. Yes, they needed to be brave, but above that, they needed to trust God.

Father, thank You for teaching us to be dependable. We all struggle with wanting to quit from time to time. You never quit on us. May we learn to be dependable because You are dependable. May we be strengthened and encouraged to see Your work through to its completion.