Numbers 32:20-22 (ESV)
So Moses said to them, “If you will do this, if you will take up arms to go before the LORD for the war, and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the LORD, until he has driven out his enemies from before him and the land is subdued before the LORD; then after that you shall return and be free of obligation to the LORD and to Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the LORD.
The above verses are taken right out of the middle of a paragraph. Alone they probably make little sense. The context of the paragraph is in the middle of an exchange between Moses and the leaders of the Israel tribes of Reuben and Gad. As the nation is ready to cross over the Jordan River and enter into the promise land, these two tribes have approached Moses about possessing the land on current side of the Jordan. They believe it would be a great place for their flocks and families. However, Moses initially reacts accusing them being disobedient like their forefathers who died in the wilderness. The Rueben and Gad rulers explain that they are more than willing to cross over the Jordan to support their brothers in conquering the promised land. This is the importance of the above verses. Moses is not afraid to listen, gather more data and change his initial reaction to their request. This is a great character quality of a great leaders. We might react in one way to data but we are willing to take in more data to see additional points-of-view. Leaders who can’t change their mind when new data are presented are very poor leaders. Perhaps the best example of this is in Acts 15 when the church meet to talk about the way grace had fallen onto the Gentiles. The Apostle James was willing to change the way the entire church viewed this situation when Paul and Barnabas shared with them what God was doing. Poor leaders can’t adjust their mindset. Great leaders pivot when they hear more data and find ways to lead, despite their initial thought patterns.
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