Numbers 29-32

The Lord continues to instruct the Israelites, through Moses, as to the appropriate sacrifices and offerings to be made in connection with various holy days.  These holy days, as noted in an earlier post, all have a community dimension to them, as the Lord calls for a sacred assembly on those days as well. There is a discussion of the relationship between husbands and wives and fathers and daughters in the context of vows and oaths, one which seems to reinforce a culture that places women subservient to men. This is followed by a narrative of the slaughter of the Midianites by the Israelites, and a detailed (albeit, odd in my view) discussion of how the booty of war is to be divided among the Israelites. The Lord we meet in this section is vengeful and merciless. Scary. As the Israelites near the time to enter Canaan, two tribes ask that they be permitted outside the boundaries of the promised land. Moses at first rejects this suggestion. But the Reubenites and Gadites promise to help the other tribes cross the Jordan and defeat the residents of Canaan, securing it for the Israelites, before returning to the other side of the Jordan. They pledge: "We will do as you command, my Lord" and again "We will do what the Lord has commanded us, your servants." Thus, agreement is reached with Moses and the Lord. 

One way to look at this is that the Reubenites and Gadites are "negotiating" with God--something we are not typically encouraged to do. Another way to see it, however, is that our dialogue with God, our prayers, should be an open, candid dialogue. Moses, for example, has repeatedly asked the Lord to reconsider His instructions, and sometimes God has acceded to Moses' request. In the end, the Gadites and Reubenites have the right approach: they agree that they will do what the Lord commands--but I think the lesson for me is that God wants me to have a mature, open dialogue with Him. A conversation. So that I can share my heart with Him, and He with me.