Borders and Boundaries

Based on Numbers 34-36, Psalm 37

"Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." Psalms 37:1‭-‬3.

The grass is always greener on the other side, they say. But it's The Lord's side you want to be on, not the side of evildoers!

The children of Israel were getting SO CLOSE to seeing & entering their new land. They had to push forward & keep up the fight if they wanted to obtain it-but when they get there, how would they know how to stay organized? How would the tribes be divided? It's important to know this factor of physical borders to keep order, but also important to know godly order, boundaries & decency according to the law. All were important if the land was to function properly!

"Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:) Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward:"
Numbers 34:2‭-‬3.

In chapter 34, all the physical borders were divided among the people. Everything was mapped out by landmarks so God's people knew exactly where to get settled. Isn't that so peaceful? Just to know that there's a place designed specifically for you, without question. There wouldn't be any fighting over land because God set it up ahead of time! And that's what our mansions in the promised land of Heaven will be like! There's already a place designed for us when we live according to God's plan of salvation & holiness on this earth!

"In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." John 14:2.

Next came the borders of the Levites. Remember, the land was not their inheritance, but they still needed their specific dwellingplaces. So of course The Lord provided for them as well:

"And ye shall measure from without the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits; and the city shall be in the midst: this shall be to them the suburbs of the cities." Numbers 35:5.

"And the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from them that have many ye shall give many; but from them that have few ye shall give few: every one shall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth." Numbers 35:8.

Everyone contributed to these cities in a fair way, because The Lord is just! He is also just in the law & boundaries we need to set for ourselves to protect us spiritually, not just the physical borders to protect us physically. This next particular law puts both of those things in place:

"But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled; And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood: Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession."
Numbers 35:26‭-‬28.

There were special cities of separation & refuge for killers. Physically, they were separated from the people. But this happened because their sin separated them first! In this way, they had different borders & boundaries to keep them away from God's people until they were tried. If they did not stay within their borders because of the boundary lines God set in place, then they would most likely be killed by the person who was most affected by this crime.

We need to keep order and balance in our lives by setting borders & boundaries which keep God close & the ways of this world far away. We need to protect ourselves physically & spiritually. Prayer is the best medicine!