The Land In Which He Dwells

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Well, the book of Numbers comes to an end today and with a reminder of what the whole

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story is really all about.

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You know, God had promised to give the children of Israel a promised land and had instructed

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them how to live on that land so that he could dwell with them there.

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Their holy and pure God wanted to live in the midst of his people and he still desires

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us today and we can learn some important lessons from this story for our own life.

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So welcome to this week's Shabbat Shalom devotional when I seek to share a little

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piece and bring a little inspiration and a little piece to the close of your very busy

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week.

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So this week's Torah portion is the last chapters of Numbers, chapter 30 through 36, 13.

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And in Hebrew it's called Matot Masei, which means the tribes or the marches.

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And interesting, I learned this week that the Hebrew translation of Numbers divides up the

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first verse of our reading differently than my English version did.

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So I kept looking for where does it say this, Matot Masei.

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And so it was in verse two in the Hebrew Bible, but it was in verse one in my Bible.

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Anyway, let's move on.

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This week the tribes are approaching the Promised Land.

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And when two tribes shock Moses with the request, Reuben and Gad, or God, asked to settle where

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they are on the east side of the Jordan, not in the land of Canaan.

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Now it seems that their primary concern was for the livelihood of their livestock, meaning

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their prosperity, their business, and this land was very enticing.

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Now think about this.

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Moses' whole existence for the last 40 years was to bring the children of Israel into the

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land of Canaan.

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And here two tribes are asking to settle outside of the land.

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How must he have felt?

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Well first, quite disappointed.

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Secondly, very fearful that their attitude was going to spread and cause another generation

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of Israelites to not enter their land.

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Remember Moses had sent 12 spies into the land, 10 came back with a negative report,

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two were positive, and the 10 brought about the death of that whole generation.

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And it was a new generation that was now getting ready to enter the land.

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But here, out of the 12 tribes, two of them are already saying, we don't want to go in.

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So it was very concerning to Moses, so he was very strict and strong with them, and

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he made them promise that they would cross the Jordan with everybody else and help the

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other tribes to take possession of the promised land and of their allotment.

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Only once that had been completed could they return to the east side of the Jordan and

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live their lives in peace without guilt before the Lord.

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But if they broke this vow, they would be guilty before the Lord, and it would not go

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well for them.

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So they agreed.

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No, no, no, they said, we will go with you.

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So Moses then allots land to both Reuben and Gad, as we pronounce it in English.

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And there he also gave Manasseh more land than them on the east side of the Jordan.

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Isn't that interesting?

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We don't have record of Manasseh asking for it, but maybe Moses wanted the children of

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Manasseh to keep an eye on Reuben and Gad, and for that reason he actually gave Manasseh

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more land than those two tribes.

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Then God instructs the children of Israel that they are to go in, take the land of Canaan,

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and they are to push out all of the inhabitants of the land, and to destroy all of their pagan

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things, and they're to possess the land.

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Because why?

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Because he said, I have given the land to you to possess.

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So now they're not to murder or spill blood on the land because they would defile the

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land.

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So it seems like he's not talking here about military operations because we know that a

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military occupation blood is going to be spilled.

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But here on an individual level, a personal level for the Israelites, that if they spill

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the blood of another man, that they are to flee to a city of refuge and go before the

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people there who are going to hear his case and make judgment as to whether it was intentional

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or accidental, and they will receive their sentence then.

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So in chapter 35 verse 33, God very clearly tells them that blood defiles the land.

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And then in verse 34 he says, therefore do not defile the land which you inhabit in the

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midst of which I dwell, for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel.

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So this is the point.

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God gave them the land so he could dwell with them in it.

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That's what it's all about.

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And he cannot dwell in a defiled place or with a defiled people.

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That's why he asked him to do things a certain way so they would be clean and able to live

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in the presence of their holy God.

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So it's the same lesson for our lives.

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Maybe we need to take a little time this weekend and do some house cleaning.

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Is there something in our life that may be defiling our heart or our life so that his

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beautiful presence and righteous presence cannot dwell with us?

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So let's take stock this weekend.

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We want the fullness of his power and his presence in our life.

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With that I wish you Shabbat Shalom.