“And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here?” (Numbers 32:6).

Just as the children of Israel were ready to cross the Jordan and conquer the promised land, two of the tribes decided they would rather just remain in the lands which all the tribes, working together, had already conquered. This was the occasion for Moses’ sharp rebuke.

It is understandable, and quite typical, that Christians who have been long “in the trenches,” as it were, working hard to achieve a spiritual goal, should be anxious to rest and enjoy the fruits of their labors once that goal has been reached. Like the rich man of the parable, they say in effect, “Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease!” (Luke 12:19).

But God says: “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion” (Amos 6:1). There is yet much land to be conquered, much work to be done, many battles to be fought, and “if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?” (I Corinthians 14:8).

Such a scene is all too common today. The ungodly world, with its philosophy of evolutionary humanism and its hedonistic practices, has all but engulfed the church. The spirit of steadfastness in faith and conquering zeal in practice is found more among the aggressors of socialism and the fanatics of false religion, than among the “good soldier[s] of Jesus Christ” (II Timothy 2:3).

The tribes of Gad and Reuben, after being shamed by Moses, finally did redeem themselves by going to war along with their brethren until the rest of the victory had been won. May all those Christians today who are “sitting here” in their Christian ease likewise awaken to their responsibilities while there is still time. HMM