Numbers 34:1-29


God is making it very clear to the children of Israel that He is going to give them this land.  We have an expression that advises us not to count our chickens before they hatch.  I would say that is good advice unless of course you are God or if you have a promise from God.  The Lord has been promising this land to Israel since the call of Abraham and He is making it very clear that this promise is about to come true.  It always gives me great joy to consider that we serve a God who keeps His promises.  He has promised to return for all those who have trusted Christ and give us eternal life with Him in heaven.  It may take awhile for that promise to come true, but it will come true and what a glorious day that will be.

THE DEMARCATION OF THE LAND: The Lord made it very clear to them that they would be given the land with very clear boundaries.  These markings have not changed since the time God called Abraham, and now it is about to come true.  There can be no question that God the creator of the earth has given this portion of land to the children of Israel.  This recognition by the nations of the world would certainly resolve many conflicts in that region of the world.  Obviously the other nations do not accept the Bible as authoritative, nor do they recognize God’s sovereignty over the world.  It is important for us to realize that God is in control of the events of the world as well as the fate of nations.  We can trust Him no matter what difficulties and conflicts occur.

THE DESIGNATION OF THE LEADERS: The land was to be divided according to the size of the tribe and the division was done through the leaders of each tribe.  The Lord has always used men to be leaders of His people and these leaders have been used to do much good, but have also caused a great amount of hardship for the people of God.  It is an honor to be a leader but it is also a very great responsibility.  Forty years earlier these same tribes each sent a leader to look at the land and ten of them failed as leaders and brought great damage to the people.  Now these same tribes send their leaders again to divide up the lots of the land.  Amazingly, Caleb is still “the man” from his tribe.  He has been the key leader of his tribe for all of these decades.  May God help all of us to be faithful and strong leaders that stick as long as Caleb did.

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