Don't you love it when your mistakes are all anyone remembers? I'm pretty sure that's how it feels for many Jews as they study the Hebrew Scriptures. "Did we do anything right?" It has to be hard. Ironically, as much as Paul and other apostles correct their congregations through their letters, modern disciples seem slow to ask the same question. Perhaps we should, but regardless, we would all love to hear more about what we do/did right than rehearsing what we did wrong. So, here's an example of Israel, the northern tribes, both before and after the division of the kingdom.
They lived in Gilead, in Bashan and in its towns, and in all the pasture lands of Sharon, as far as their borders. All of these were enrolled in the genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel. The sons of Reuben and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, consisting of valiant men, men who bore shield and sword and shot with bow and were skillful in battle, were 44,760, who went to war. (1 Chronicles 5:16-18 NASB)
A couple of things, first they have the good land in Canaan. If you look at a map of Canaan, this land stretches from the eastern side of the Jordan River to the Plain of Sharon along the coast below Mount Carmel. This is the entire middle "belt" of Canaan, including some of the best pasture land, and excellent farm land on the coastal plain. When the people first entered the land of Canaan, they couldn't take this land, it took time.
Second, notice that the genealogies are registered in the days that the kingdom is split between the northern tribes and Judah. The tribes include those who wanted the eastern Jordan territory taken from the two Amorite kings defeated just prior to the people entering Canaan, and the "other" half-tribe of Manasseh, living in Canaan proper. These aren't the typical heroes in the Hebrew Scriptures. Usually, the heroes are from Judah, Ephraim, or Benjamin.
But what did they do? They were allotted the land, but how did they finally get it?
They made war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish and Nodab. They were helped against them, and the Hagrites and all who were with them were given into their hand; for they cried out to God in the battle, and He answered their prayers because they trusted in Him. They took away their cattle: their 50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, 2,000 donkeys; and 100,000 men. For many fell slain, because the war was of God. And they settled in their place until the exile. (1 Chronicles 5:19-22 NASB)
They fought and won the battle because they cried out to God, and He answered because they trusted Him, not their own ability to wage war. The war was not of Manasseh, not Gad, not of Reuben, but of God. That's why it worked.
In the Greek translation of this passage, that verb, "trust", is translated as "hope". This is one of those excellent examples of hope well-placed. It was a lesson that the northern tribes needed, a lesson that didn't sink in as deep as it should have.
How far does it sink into us? Are we striving to be "good", to win that battle against sin or darkness in our world? Is the battle ours? We may say it's the battle of our Savior, but how do we behave? Do we trust in His eventual victory, or do we fret that we may not have done enough? Perhaps some time ceasing from striving, and walking with our Savior in His garden in the cool of the day is what we need. Perspective is everything? Perhaps, but without the perspective of our King, we're left looking around from within a hole.
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation
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