February 3

Day 236: Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop

In Numbers chapter 32, the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and (half of) Manasseh asked Moses if they could stay on the east side of the Jordan river. The entire nation was there, camped out at the time.

It was a land very suitable for livestock. They had a lot of livestock. (Picture them wanting to stay in west Texas, rather than go on to LA.)

Upon hearing this request, Moses explodes. He immediately accuses them of wanting to chicken out of the upcoming wars. He accuses them of intentionally wanting to discourage the other tribes.

He accuses them of being like their unbelieving fathers who caused the 40 year long, multiple laps around the desert delay. He accuses them of wanting to expand the sins of the previous generation.

They then respond with, "Hold on! We'll be happy to send our warriors over with the others. Our women and children, and livestock will stay behind. Our fighting men will not return to our families on the Eastside until the Westside has been conquered."

Upon hearing this, Moses, not entirely satisfied, then drops a threat. "If they do what they say, then good; if not, then they ALL have to come over with the rest of you to the Westside."

Moses had carefully curated assumptions. He immediately went to the worse, the darkest, the most negative conclusions concerning the motives of the 2.5 tribes who wanted to stay on the other side of the river. Even when proven otherwise, he still ended the conversation with a threat.

To be fair, Moses had his reasons. It was he who had put up with the previous generation. And most of his experience with them had been sorely negative. But it didn't necessarily give license to his negative assumptions.

We're all prone to the same. We have biases and easily make assumptions of others, based on our histories and experiences, based on our predetermined opinions and positions on various social or religious issues. What do I mean by that?

Democrats will turn a blind eye toward the sins of their own camp, to focus on those of the Republicans. Republicans will ignore or rationalize away Republican sins, to concentrate of the sins and failings of the Democrats. (This is why we've all drawn to digital echo chambers in the past calendar year.)

Boomers assume the worst from Millennials. Millennials distrust Boomers. Employers assume the worst of employees, while employees distrust their employers.

We put locks on our doors, install motion lights, and maybe even purchase handguns, all because we assume to worst of (at least some) others.

On the religious front, we each assume our team (denominational background, particular theology, favored speakers and writers) are always right. And those outside of those circles must, in turn, be always wrong.

Even as Alaskans, don't we most often assume the worst of the Federal Government's motives and actions toward us? Of course we do!

Assumptions, tightly held in cold, dead fingers, don't leave room for grace. We enjoy the grace of God toward us. But so rarely does it result in our extending grace toward others.

Could it be that one workable definition of "Grace" is "Not always going to the worse case scenario. Not always assuming the worst in someone else?"

Having just written that, it leaves me thankful the Lord Jesus doesn't make hard fast assumptions about me. (Though, He's be right to do so.)

Instead, His assumptions about me are not determined by me. They're determined by Him. His mercy prevails over my propensity to sin. His atonement accomplished covers anything I could think or do to cause Him to renounce that atonement.

He is not assuming the worst from you or me. He is assuming the best, actually. Because it's based on Him. Not you or me.

Wouldn't it then be a good thing if I emulated Him, and did the same thing for others? Instead of always waiting for the other shoe to drop?