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The book of Numbers reveals the prearrangement of the distribution of the good land, typifying the sharing of the enjoyment of the rich Christ according to God's choice—32:1-42; 33:50—36:13:
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The good land is surrounded by two seas (the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea) and one river (the Jordan River); these two seas and this river all signify the death of Christ—34:2-3, 6, 12.
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This indicates that the enjoyment of Christ is closely related to His death; the enjoyment of Christ must be in the sphere, the territory, of His death—Phil. 3:7-11.
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That the good land rose up from the waters that bordered it on either side indicates that it is an elevated, uplifted land; this signifies the resurrected and ascended Christ, the heavenly Christ, who has entered into us in His resurrection (John 20:22) and whose riches we enjoy in His ascension (Eph. 2:6; Col. 3:1-4).
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The request by Reuben and Gad to receive the land that God had promised (Num. 32:1-5, 33) was not wrong; however, they were not right in wanting to receive this according to their choice as to what was best:
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Eventually, their land was the first part of the land of Israel to be taken over by the Gentile invaders from the east (1 Chron. 5:25-26); those who remain halfway and are satisfied with only a little blessing from God will be easily captured by the enemy.
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In spiritual matters it is much better to not act according to our choice but to leave matters in the hand of the Lord and let Him do according to His choice—Hymns, #907; cf. Gen. 13:5-18.
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The land requested by Reuben and Gad could be reached without crossing the river Jordan, which signifies the old man not being dealt with and buried (see footnotes on Joshua 3:16—4:12); only after our old man has been dealt with and buried (Rom. 6:3-6) are we in a position to possess the all-inclusive Christ as the good land for our enjoyment.
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The land given to Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh (Num. 32:33), the land that was according to their choice, could be reached without crossing the Jordan and thus was not actually a part of the good land of Canaan (cf. 34:14-15; 35:14); this indicates that, in type, it was outside the death of Christ.
Morning Nourishment
Gal. 2:20 I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me…Phil. 3:10 To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.
Col. 3:3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Numbers 32 speaks of the prearrangement of the distribution of the good land….There is a twofold significance to the arrangement concerning the land east of the Jordan. On the positive side, the tribes of Reuben and Gad highly regarded the receiving of the God-promised inheritance. However, on the negative side, they made their choice before they reached God's goal, which was on the west side of the Jordan. When the boundaries of the good land are mentioned in Numbers 34, the land on the east of the Jordan is not included. The best portion of the good land was surrounded by two seas (the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea) and one river (the Jordan River). These three bodies of water signify Christ's death. Thus, in terms of spiritual typology, the land east of the Jordan was not good enough because it was outside of the realm of Christ's death. The two and a half tribes chose and thus substituted the second best for the best. Many times we also make our own choices and take the second best as a substitute for the best. The two and a half tribes made a choice because they had an abundance of livestock and saw that the land east of the Jordan was good for livestock. Having too many”cattle” and”flocks” often becomes a temptation to make our own choice and substitute the second best for the best. (CWWL, 1960, vol. 1,”Synopsis of Numbers,” pp. 172-173)
Today's Reading
The enjoyment of Christ is closely related to His death. Our enjoyment of Christ, therefore, must be in the sphere, the territory, of His death.The borders of the good land also indicate that it is an elevated, uplifted land. This signifies the ascended Christ, the heavenly Christ. The Christ whom we enjoy in His riches is a resurrected and ascended Christ. The Christ who was crucified and buried has come into us in resurrection, and now we are in His ascension, enjoying Him as the uplifted land with all its riches. (Life-study of Numbers, p. 326)
The east side of the land of Canaan took the Jordan River as its main border (Num. 34:10-12). Those who did not cross the Jordan could not be considered as having reached the God-promised good land. The tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh gained the land east of the Jordan according to their own choice, but the land they gained cannot be considered as part of the good land….The death of Christ, the cross, is a clear boundary. Therefore, nothing that has not passed through the death of Christ can be counted as part of the inheritance in Christ. This indicates that we must pass through Christ's death in order to enjoy Him. (CWWL, 1960, vol. 1,”Synopsis of Numbers,” pp. 373-374)
The land requested by Reuben and Gad could be reached without crossing the river Jordan. Without crossing the Jordan signifies without having the old man dealt with and buried. Only after we have had the old man dealt with and buried are we in a position to talk about possessing the good land for our enjoyment. Reuben and Gad did not receive the promise of the good land with the body of the children of Israel. This signifies receiving the enjoyment of Christ separately, without the Body of Christ. (Life-study of Numbers, pp. 318-319)
Crossing over the Jordan River denotes passing through Christ's death and entering into His resurrection and ascension. In addition to typifying the position of ascension, the land west of the Jordan typifies the rich inheritance in Christ. Thus, obtaining”the land east of the Jordan” reaches God's spiritual goal but not His glorious goal—receiving the rich inheritance in Christ in the position of ascension. (CWWL, 1960, vol. 1,”Synopsis of Numbers,” p. 365)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1960, vol. 1,”Synopsis of Numbers,” ch. 11