“You gave them kingdoms and nations, allotting to them even the remotest frontiers. They took over the country of Sihon king of Heshbon and the country of Og king of Bashan. You made their children as numerous as the stars in the sky, and you brought them into the land that you told their parents to enter and possess.”
Nehemiah 9:22-23
Last time we saw the deliberate details Yahweh tended to for His people in the wilderness. Today we see the extravagant blessings He lavished.
“You gave them kingdoms (mamlakah – kingdom, sovereignty, dominion, reign, royal, rule; from melek – king) and nations (am – folk) and divided them (chalaq – deal, distribute, share, smooth like smooth stones were used for lots, to apportion, flatter) into districts (peah – corner, side, boundary, sector, forehead, temples; from poh – here, hither, each side).”
You gave them kingdoms (rule and reign) and nations (ordinary folk) and distributed them with generous boundaries, “allotted to them every corner” (ESV).
Often we are okay with how God will supply what we need, but we get uncomfortable when He begins to pile on blessings. When we first moved overseas, we flew directly into a large conference on the sea, filled to the brim with churches serving those who had been living away from their home country for multiple months.
I wish I could describe how wrong it felt for me to allow these servants to bless me. Me, fresh from America, poured into for weeks in training, ready to “earn” my keep. And yet, the more I resisted His grace through this conference, the more I said, “Well, we are just now getting to our intended city,” the sadder I felt in my spirit. There was no earning this. Refusing offers of blessing would not serve Him or those offering.
Same was true of our Israelites. They had not earned the Promised Land. In fact, in their disobedience, many were not allowed to enter. And yet, those obedient did not deserve such generous boundaries. To rule with benevolence in the midst of those watching nations. It was God’s good pleasure to increase their boundaries, allot them every corner of a rich land, and show off the kind of Father He is.
“So they took possession (yarash – inherit, utterly dispossess, give to possess, heir, new owners, occupy, enjoy take possession of, come to poverty, make poor, expel, drive out, expel, occupy by drive out previous tenants) of the land of the king of Heshbon (Cheshbon – place east of Jordan) and the land of Og king of Bashan (region east of Jordan; smooth).”
So they inherited [by implication, expel/bring to poverty previous tenants] the land of the king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan.
Ah, and here’s the rub. The intense discomfort I feel reading “drive out, come to poverty” in the midst of our current world climate. The way such language has been used to justify white supremacy and colonizing.
And yet. Knowing the heart of God is not evil, cannot do evil, let’s remember together His perfect, loving justice. And His ultimate purpose in drawing all nations to Himself.
Just like us, His people were never blessed just to hoard it. They were blessed to bless others. To show how much better is our God than any idol. To point to His sufficiency, yes, but also His lavish generosity. So that as freely as we have received, we can freely give.
“You multiplied (rabah – to be much, many, great, bring in abundance) their children (ben – son, descendants) as the stars (kokab – star; likely from kavah – to burn, shine) of the heavens and brought them (bo – come in, carried, certainly come to pass, bring forth, abide)…”
You brought in abundance their descendants as numerous (and burn, shine) as the stars in the heavens and brought them forth…
I think the beauty of such abundance and blessing for those who will receive is in the way it is carried forward. A legacy of faith is brought in abundance, whether married with children or not. What God can do in the spiritual realm with a surrendered life has nothing to do with bearing physical children.
Stop and think about that last sentence. Do you genuinely believe it? If you’re struggling, and you have become a disciple of Jesus, it could help to think through those people who have invested in your life. Anyone who has modeled in the flesh what agape love looks like, sacrificing their comforts or desires to honor our Crucified Savior and love you. Anyone who met with you in a dark time, asked purposeful questions, shared a meal or a family or a holiday with you. Someone who let you into their life, not because of what they could get from it, but because they had been blessed and wanted to pour out to others.
Does that help? Now, could you be that person to someone else? We are a lonely, divided, love-starved world. Close your eyes and imagine if those of us serious about walking with Jesus through it would invest in others who invest in others. More than the stars in the heavens, burning bright as the light of the world. Can you see it?
“…into the land which you had told (amar – assign, declare, give order, appoint, plainly say, call, charge, command) their fathers to go in (bo again) and possess (yarash again).”
…carried them into the land which you had plainly commanded them to inherit and abide, enjoy as new owners.
Can we just let God make us happy, friends? Maybe if we did we’d stop demanding counterfeit happiness from each other. Can we enjoy without hoarding, love without possessing, and share without fear? Can we take Him at His Word and advance where His Spirit is playfully leading? Joyfully compelling? Sincerely refining?
It’s the only place we want to be.