“In the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho,” (Numbers 33:50) a man—far beyond a century in age—surveyed the barren wastelands of the Sinai peninsula. Moses looked out over the desolate landscape, the decades of dust beneath his sandals, weary and ready to rest. He may not have had much left to give, but he had the glorious promised land yet to gain.
The first forty-seven verses of Numbers 33 offer a painstakingly detailed reminder of God’s faithfulness. Moses, the Israelites, and all future readers of this text can take comfort knowing that God’s love never fails.
As Moses beheld the windswept desert plain, God instructed him quite clearly: “You are to take possession of the land and settle in it because I have given you the land to possess” (Numbers 33:53). This unadorned statement reaffirms God’s faithfulness since the beginning of their dramatic exit from slavery and throughout their sojourn in the desert. He had delivered them countless times before, and He would deliver them again.
However, there’s more to the text than a celebration of what God has done. There’s a reassurance about what awaited beyond the Jordan—but it came with a distinct caveat. God exhorted Moses to beware the influence of the outside world. “You must not make a covenant with them or their gods” (Exodus 23:32) because “they will make you sin against me” (v.33).
As we know from our own times, it’s difficult to live in a culture where allegiance to God is awkward at best and anathema at worst. As the Israelites demonstrated throughout the Old Testament, it can be much easier—even beneficial—to relegate the memories of God’s faithfulness to the sidelines to create the illusion that the present world is more comfortable, more manageable, more convenient, and more pleasurable.
Have you ever stood on your own “plains of Moab” to look at what’s ahead? If so, then perhaps you recognize that all your monumental victories and searing losses together shape the moment at which you have arrived. You understand that trusting God is the only option that makes sense in light of what you’ve experienced in the past because He has held and maybe even repurposed your darkest, lowest moments for your good and His glory.
Just as God warned Moses on the plains of Moab, so He urges us today to remember all He has done, and to trust Him with all that is to come. It is imperative that we look back in awe of God’s faithfulness, that we trust Him unflinchingly in the present, and reserve our heart’s deepest loyalty and affection for Him alone as we look to whatever tomorrow has in store.
Written by Alex Florez
Leave a Reply
50 thoughts on "Instructions for Occupying Canaan"
We need to trust in the Lord our God, with all of our heart and with all of our soul and with all of our mind.
This is the first time in a long time I’ve been able to see all the comments. I am a day behind in my reading as I spent Wednesday night in the ER with my husband due to escalating high blood pressure into the 200 realm. He is home and doing much better after IV meds to bring it down. Please pray for wisdom for Dr and for the BP to remain stable. Back to the app, For weeks I could only access the reading and comments via the SRT website. Now the app on my phone ( Galaxy S24Ultra) and my tablet ( Galaxy Tab S9+) both work and I can see all 55 comments. On a couple comments there is an italic that says 5 more comments on a particular post you have to tap to read those. Anyways, I’ve had plenty of glitches over the years as I’m sure most people have so I am thankful to IT that I can read along, see comments and post.
♥️
Such a timely reminder/message
Hello SHES!
I hope all have been blessed in some way either big or small. I know I need to think on these moments of gratitude and to thank my Lord for being my provision in His perfect timing.
Many Hugs and much Love to each of you today no matter what has come your way. ❣️✝️
Good morning everyone. I just want to add that I use the app on my iPhone and get all the comments, am able to read and reply. The only thing is that my replies usually go to the top of the comments. Just wanted to add my two cents. Have a great day!❤️
Me too! I use Duck Duck Go on my iPhone just for SRT (since 2020) and I seem to always see the comments. Figures since I don’t post every day hanging out quietly and praying
Good Morning Shes
Once again, heartsick after the day’s scripture reading.
Acknowledging with supreme gratitude the seasons of a protected life: seasons of deliverance, reconciliation, forgiveness, acceptance, and belonging. Because He did, I know He does, and will do. The devotional called forth humble remembrance of the past & “unflinching faithfulness” for the future. Though be uneasy & confusing.
As my mind & spirit are troubled right now, as I look intently & disturbingly at what is happening in Gaza. And reading the frightening words in Numbers 33 of total conquest & annihilation of a people in their own land. Wondering, worried & confounded by the loss of innocent lives. Praying to see God move within the madness. Helping us, me, to see where & how He is orchestrating a lasting end to hostilities. If we ever needed the comfort & counsel of the Holy Spirit, we surely need it now. I must, must, must trust.
Gwineth52, I hear you and feel your pain. So many innocent lives being lost on both sides. So much destruction and the anger and distrust on both sides will only be compounded. God sees the end and all we can do is pray for mercy and peace.️
Praying for your sister and her store Danielle❤️
Praying for you Michelle P❤️
Thank you ❤️
I am able to see all of the comments. It says there are 26. I use an iPhone. I do not have the app. I just google She Reads Truth each day and go to the plan.
I have a Google pixel and see 4 comments and 2 are yours. Sometimes later in the day more will show and occasionally on the computer. Never all!
It is imperative that we look back in awe of God’s faithfulness, that we trust Him unflinchingly in the present, and reserve our heart’s deepest loyalty and affection for Him alone as we look to whatever tomorrow has in store.
Amen
Yes and yes. Amen and Amen!!❣️❣️
In our “plains of Moab”, we look forward to the barren wastelands ahead, and wonder, when will this end? Moses experienced this pivotal moment. It is really not easy to follow through. A chosen remnant, weary from decades of wandering, tattered from battles after escaping from brutal slavery, surviving the sword, the heat, the thirst and hunger, by God’s grace, yet it was never comfort that they experienced in the journey. In my plains of Moab, I look forward to what’s ahead, but things are also hazy and dusty. The Lord is mysterious and I wonder how many “pagan nations” I need to drive out before my promised land. Left behind deep disappointment, exhaustion, deferred hope, unfulfilled promises, countless emotional attack, grief, lack, robbery, discord and strife. All of this wasn’t what I had envisioned my journey would look like. But it is what it looks like, the same to some extent as what Moses and the remnants experienced. There have been highlights and also darkest moments. The birth pangs are getting closer and closer. Yet we hope in God, and it feels like I am back to ground zero. The Refiner’s fire has been so hot. But we hope in Him, the shepherd that leads us to green pasture and still water as promised. In God we hope and trust, that He will make everything beautiful in His time. He is able.
@RHONDA J: praying for the ladies you encounter, so encouraged by your willingness to go where God told you to.
@MICHELLE P: I also couldn’t see past Danielle’s post either. Praying for you girl, the Lord be with you and give you patience and a great reward for your obedience for this season.
@DANIELLE B: praying for your sister, and wisdom with words as you speak to her. My brother is also a prodigal, and speaking to him is so difficult.
@SRT TECH: praying you could provide a solution sooner, comments could not be read or load in full, on differtant platforms i tried today, computer or mobile phone, stuck at Danielle’s today for me, earlier comments will not load. This has been a month long issue. Please look into it, and thank you.
Be blessed dear sisters.
Thank you dear Mercy ♥️ prayers for you and your family as well. May you stay faithful and compassionate ♥️
I’ve posted twice today and they don’t show up
My replies do but not my post today.
Yeah, it says 15 posts and I can only see three.
Last 3 days I have struggled to read comments. I have not wanted to bombard the technical team with discontent comments, so I have refrained. Today, I co.e not to complain but perhaps gently nudge that in both my android and my kindle tablet, I get 3\4 comments in and I cannot scroll anymore… No matter how many times it I back to the beginning or minute s I leave in between.. HELP.. PLEASE.
Today I got as far as Michelle P’s comment..
This comment was to encourage, not to annoy, I promise..
Thank you for all the effort going into trying to get this to work for us..
God bless you Tech support..
I am frustrated as well.
I tried to reply to you Tina Turner (lol) but it wouldn’t let me.
I just wanted to say AMEN!! Sister!
He has brought me through by His grace, guiding, placing, comforting, loving….He never leaves us!
So grateful
Hugs to all ❤️
This is SO good today! I was able to write out my story of living with my “crooked back” all my life and I can see a “little” map in my head just like the Israelites had in today’s reading (big thanks for sharing the map on our Facebook page, it is so helpful for visual learners like me!). The long road I traveled (my life) and all the little pit stops where God’s work was at hand. Sometimes big, sometimes small little miracles, a gentle guiding or going in blind and trusting. Sometimes I was in the wilderness and sometimes getting fed manna and water from a rock, sometimes seeing big conquering wins. It’s just amazing to really examine your life (write it out!) and see how God is really working all the little things together. I sharing this with with our dear ladies at jail yesterday, they are in the stark wilderness, in the long waiting season, down and defeated…and we were trying to encourage them that God sees them and can grow and use them RIGHT WHERE THEY ARE for good things if they trust and lean on Him. He allows these things to happen for consequence for our actions maybe, but can turn them around for our good when we want HiM to help us and give our life to Him. It’s easy to look back and remember those seasons..but oh so hard at the time. I remember all the valleys, but I know and share how God got me through…each and every time. The valleys are much better with Jesus for sure. Otherwise we turn to things- bandaids that lead to regrets, destruction and other consequences.
Hold Fast. Your rescue story is coming.
Rhonda, guess what the first song I heard on the radio this morning was? Lead On, Good Shepherd!
I love that song! I love really every song that comes on though! I’m sure my hubs gets tired of me saying…Oh this is a good song…! Music and praising is a must throughout my day, every day!! I even sing verses of songs before bed and when I wake up during the night!! :))
Was it you that said “Standing on the Promises” ..or was that Searching?? Love the old hymns always!
Man, I am still struggling to see all the comments. I replied to Danielle’s post and suddenly I could not see all the other posts anymore. I only see that post and my reply. :(
I pray the staff at SRT is able to fix this soon. It is a struggle to come on here and communicate with one another. I have refrained from posting sometimes for this reason…
It’s interesting that God says in Exodus 23:30 that “little by little” they were to possess the land.. that it would take longer than a year, because He didn’t want the animals to overtake the land. He wanted it to be safe for the Israelites to live.
What a good reminder that sometimes things take longer for good reason – for our safety.
The Lord has been speaking to me about timing… And how His timing is perfect.
As I shared on a post last week, I have been struggling with waiting on the Lord for a husband/family & Him to bring me out of my parents home at age 31, now. I have spent many nights crying, but I have committed to trusting God to do this, although I wish it was a faster timeline. I did not anticipate to be where I am today. I would have chose different.
But by God’s grace, are we even alive! I would not be able to breathe if it were not for His grace to do so. Many of you who have struggled with COVID or a lung issue of some sort know the reality of this…
We can not function without God’s grace to do so.
So I am committed to following Him, though I am not always in love with the refining process… It is what is best and I know that.
God bless you, Shes. ♥️♥️♥️Thank you for your prayers for me in this season. Praying we continue in our journeys and don’t lose hope like the Israelites often did!!!
Oh, Michelle… He hears you. He sees you. Stay strong and seeking His will for you, sweet sister. ❤️
You will be the biggest blessing ever to your husband and children as you humble yourself to His refining. He IS working all things for your good! Prayers continue.
Oh Michelle, I hear you about God’s timing. It is so hard some days in the place of waiting. Praying that God would show you how to wait, how to be obedient while you wait.
I work every day on telling myself that God’s timing is perfect because sometimes my wants overwhelm me into thinking that I need them now. But I pray about it and God reminds me that He will provide for me when it is right. I still struggle though!
Prayers my dear friends. I remember after my divorce…just longing so bad to meet “my husband” to have a “family.” It took 5 long years..and then another year and a half before I could get him to propose!! lol. Michael was growing up fast and I was very impatient. Which I have shared here many times, that I tried to find my own husband and that led to many negative consequence, and most likely pushed my timeline down further. All I know, is when I worked on myself growing and being a strong woman and mother, my man appeared. (not saying you…just referring to me!)
Thank you ladies for your encouragement and prayers.
I appreciate each of you.
@Arlene ♥️ @Rebecca W ♥️
@Rhonda J ♥️ Adrienne ♥️
@Taylor G ♥️
Just a great reminder that we are in this world but not of it. We must guard our hearts against anything that would lead us away from God.
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Proverbs 4:23 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/pro.4.23.NIV
Praying for all of the requests.
I remember in February as I was picking up my dad’s medicine for Covid in the same parking lot where three years before I arrived not knowing what happened to my mom or if she would survive, telling God I will trust Him even if He took my parents. In that moment God gave me a peace and strength in in Him I had not fully experienced before and that encouragement to trust Him in all circumstances has been what has been helping me in this challenging season. It truly as Alex says a mix of emotions standing on the “plains of Moab” yet knowing who I can trust helps me take my next step.
Ladies, my sister reached out this morning, that in the early morning hours her consignment store in Philly was broken into and merchandise stolen. My sister is a prodigal and God continues to reach out while the devil continues to deceive. Please pray that I’ll have wisdom in talking with her.
I pray for her spirit to recognize God in her troubles and sorrows. May the Lord help her see He is at work in her life and loves her, despite her running from Him. May she sense His love and compassion for her in her hardship. I pray you continue to have unity with her and pray her eyes will be fully opened to to the truth in Jesus’s name. God bless you, Danielle ♥️ May God continue to bless you as you minister to your family. You are a blessing ♥️♥️♥️
Father help me to be in the world but not of the world. Amen
I tend to think of promises as positive but there are promises in our readings today that are clear warnings, Numbers 33:56 for disobedience of vs 55, and Exodus 23:33 for disobedience of 23:31(b)-33.
–
Numbers 33: 55 “But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell. 56 Moreover it shall be that I will do to you as I thought to do to them.”
–
Exodus 23:31 “… For I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. 32 You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
—
The instructions from and promises of the Lord God are so clear in the excerpt from Exodus. Looking at the world today, the ongoing ripple effects of the Israelites’ disobedience are everywhere, affecting us all.
—
FOSTER MAMA – praying for this much loved boy and for his family and medical team, for his complete recovery. Praying also for with and guidance for the planned trip with parents.
CASSIE – praying for you, your marriage and especially your husband, that the Lord would comfort him, healing his heart and mind so that this distance between you will be closed ❤️
—
CEE GEE & KELLY(NEO) amen! ❤️
❤
“… trusting God is the only option that makes sense in light of what you’ve experienced in the past because He has held and maybe even repurposed your darkest, lowest moments for your good and His glory.”
KELLY NEO, I had just pasted that same quote when I saw your comment! ❤
“It is imperative that we look back in awe of God’s faithfulness, that we trust Him unflinchingly in the present, and reserve our heart’s deepest loyalty and affection for Him alone as we look to whatever tomorrow has in store.”
Oh how this is my prayer!
FOSTER MAMA – continued prayers for the little boy’s stablization and recovery. Praying his parents will be at peace about whether or not they take the trip
Thank you, God, for Your Word and the lessons learned. May we hear You. May we listen to You. May we follow Your directions, seeking You with all our hearts. Make us long to be more like You.
Haha Tina! I love the name. Blessings to you Sweet lady!❤️
In my other reading this morning, I happened to read Psalm 106 and Psalm 107. Really stuck out to me is – “Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.”
Psalms 107:43 NLT
How often did the Israelites, over and over again get reminded of their history and all the Lord had done for them and they still could not be faithful. How often do I need reminding?
Dear Lord, thank you for Your Word. Thank you for the reminders of Your faithfulness to Your people. You ALWAYS keep Your promises! Lord, I am standing in Your faithfulness and on Your promises. In Jesus Name, Amen.
The hymn “Standing on the Promises” came to mind. “Standing on the promises of Christ, my King. Through eternal ages let his praises ring;
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.”
Happy Thursday, Sisters. Keeping you all in prayer.
Amen
Great song, thanks! I will be humming it today, praying we will all stand firm.
“Those who are wise…” I want to be wise when I read God’s Word and not a fool. A good reminder to me that I need to continually seek wisdom from the Lord, to look to Him and no one else for truth and to read His Word with God’s wisdom and not my own.
Now that tune is stuck in my head… love it!
–
Thought the same thing about Tina’s name. (Wish I could do a winky emoji!)
–
Blessings and love for all my sweet sisters!
So beautifully written ALEX FLOREZ! Thank you!
I think this was written for me..
I felt every word and action of the people, as I have been them. I have, for sure stood on My own “plains of Moab” it took, what felt like forever to get to where I am today, but, by God’s grace.
I absolutely have not got here in My own strength or even my own doing.. I am here by His grace and guiding, placing, leading, comforting, providing, directing and loving.. HE has brought me this far!
There is still a way to go, but for now with GOD on my side and for me, I know one day Soooooooooon, I will see my promised land! Until then, I hold fast to Him who has brought me thus far and continues to carry me on to that place of promise!
BUT GOD..
Always.
To Him be the Glory.
AMEN.
Happy Thursday, dear hearts..❤
Yes! Amen!
Thanks Tina Turner! :))