Fri 14th Apr 2023 - Daily Reading:
Numbers 32
Good Enough by Becky Brooks
We often hear the phrase, “The grass is always greener on the other side,” to describe those who cannot settle with what they have and are always looking for something more. But some of the Israelites were the opposite. They decided that the land they had found on the east side of the Jordan river was good enough. They didn’t want to do the hard work of crossing the river and battling for the land on the other side. They decided, literally, to settle.
This land was part of the land promised to God’s people, but God had told Israel to drive out the tribes that lived west of the river – it was clear that God expected his people to cross the Jordan. Moses eventually allowed them to have the land to the east on the condition that they would play their part by sending fighting men along with the other tribes. He wasn’t willing for them to settle there in comfort and safety while the rest of the people went to battle. So, in the end, through a sort of partial obedience, they got what they wanted.
Yet this partial obedience did have consequences. The land on the east was not as easy to defend as the land on the west and was frequently invaded through Israel’s history. Having some of the tribes separated by the physical border of the river was bound to lead to a feeling of separation in the nation. Almost as soon as the promised land was taken and the Reubenites and Gadites returned to the land east of the river a misunderstanding came up that nearly led to civil war! (Joshua 22).
Like these tribes, we can sometimes find ourselves in a place that is good enough and then feel that we don’t have the appetite to battle for more. But God didn’t promise them ‘good enough’ – he promised them a land flowing with milk and honey. And God hasn’t promised us a ‘good enough’ life – he has promised us abundant life! Look around. Is your life rich with the abundant blessing of the Lord? Or is it just ‘good enough’? God will equip us for the battles we may face and give us the victory if we are moving in his will. Let’s not settle for ‘good enough’ when we can have the promise of God!