It is Monday, March 3rd, 2025. This month, I will be sharing the devotional platform with two other leaders: Aaron Cordeiro (Tues. and Thurs.) and Chris Kiriakos (Wed. and Fri.). These are two stellar leaders whom God is using to advance the Kingdom.
But today, we look at Moses using strong words for the tribes that didn’t want to cross the Jordan. They were farmers in need of good soil, and the best was in Moab. See what could have happened if they died on the wrong hill. Read on…
Today's Reading:
Numbers 32,33; Mark 10
Scripture
“Why do you discourage the Israelites from crossing over into the land the Lord has given them? …And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the Lord even more angry with Israel.” (Numbers 32:7,14)
Observation
Such harsh words met their request to remain east of the Jordan! They were accused of disloyalty and would be blamed for any defeat. However, the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh refused to die on the hill of offense or miscommunication. Instead, they responded with calm and poise:
"They came up to him and said, ‘We would like to build pens here for our livestock and cities for our women and children. But we will arm ourselves for battle and go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them to their place.’" —Numbers 32:16-17
Application
Although Moses’ response may have been abrupt, their maturity and faith gave them the wisdom not to die on that hill. The packaging of his words wasn’t the issue—had they made it so, they would have lost everything. Instead, they stayed focused on what mattered most, and in the end, everything they wanted was granted with blessings.
Too often, we die on the wrong hills—small hills, personal hills, even other people’s hills that were never ours to claim. We’ve lost so much because we tripped over molehills when we should have stepped over them… and we could have, if only we had put our stubbornness in its place.
Prayer
Father, thank You for helping me overcome side issues and distractions that often cloud the real issue at hand. Only one hill is worth dying on, and You have already conquered it. Now, we fix our eyes on higher things that will bring about Your best.
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