¿Le Mira el Diente a Caballo Regalado?

Lo Que Podemos Aprender de la Distribución de la Tierra Prometida

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”? What does it mean? It admonishes us to avoid unappreciatively questioning a gift too closely. Since horses’ teeth grow over time, checking their length is a way of gauging old age. If someone gives you a horse and you inspect its teeth you have shown a sign of mistrust towards the giver.

Is it possible that we look a gift horse in the mouth when we receive blessings from God? Don’t be too quick to say, “Ah, no! I would never do that.” We can learn a lot about how people accept God’s blessings by looking at the children of Israel’s responses to how Joshua allocated the Promised Land to them.

Bendiciones

Como cristianos recibimos muchas bendiciones del Señor. La salvación, la gracia, el perdón, sólo por nombrar algunas. Éstas son concedidas a todos los cristianos. Cada uno de nosotros recibe también bendiciones que son específicas para nosotros, tales como padres amorosos, un buen trabajo, un regalo financiero inesperado, protección contra un accidente automovilístico. Pero ¿apreciamos siempre estos regalos? ¿Nos fijamos a veces demasiado en ellos para asegurarnos de que cumplen nuestras expectativas?

No one merits God’s blessings. Oswald Chambers said it this way:

Moral and spiritual integrity cannot be measured by God’s blessings. God sends His favours on good and bad alike. The blessings of God are an indication that God is overflowing in grace and benediction irrespective of a man’s relationship to Him.

McCasland, David, The Quotable Oswald Chambers [El Citado Oswald Chambers], (Grand Rapids: Discovery House Publishers, 2008), 31.)

Jesus taught that God makes the sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust, therefore we are to be perfect, meaning mature (Matthew 5:45, 48). God’s blessings are given to each of us freely, and they are unmerited. It stands to reason that we need do nothing to receive His blessings. Also, we are to be mature and a part of maturity is having gratitude for such blessings. But is that reasoning biblical?

Dios dio a los Israelitas una bendición cuando les dio la Tierra Prometida. Podemos aprender mucho sobre nosotros mismos analizando cómo los hijos de Israel recibieron la bendición de la Tierra Prometida.

Primero Despejando las Tierras

In Joshua 10:28 – 11:22, Joshua lead Israel and fought for the land. God had commanded Moses to take the land and Moses commanded Joshua. Joshua did it first by fighting for the cities of Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Gezer, Eglon, Hebron, Debir.

After taking these cities, the kings of other nations heard of it and opted not to wait for Israel to come to them. Instead, they banded together and went on the offensive to war against Israel. Joshua and all of Israel were still successful as the Lord promised. “So Joshua took all that land, the hills, and all the south country, and all the land of Goshen, and the valley, and the plain, and the mountain of Israel, and the valley of the same” (Joshua 11:16).

Después de limpiar toda la tierra, Josué tuvo que distribuir tierras a las distintas tribus.

Distribución de la Tierra Prometida

Before Joshua could allocate the Promised Land, he had to lead Israel and fight for the land (Joshua 10:28 – 11:22). God had promised a blessing. But the people of Israel had to work for that blessing. But the work was made effective because God was directing Joshua’s steps and delivering the kings into Israel’s hand (Joshua 10:6). Joshua then took the whole land gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes (Joshua 11:23).

Moisés e Israel habían luchado por la tierra al este del Jordán que fue entregada a los rubenitas, gaditas y a la media tribu de Manasés (Josué 12:1-6). Josué e Israel lucharon por la tierra al oeste del Jordán (Josué 12:7-24).

Israel había limpiado gran parte de la tierra de sus impíos habitantes. Sin embargo, fue la tierra no despejada la que se dividió y asignó a las nueve tribus y media restantes. Es interesante lo que tuvo que hacer cada tribu para aceptar su herencia y cómo reaccionó cada tribu al recibir su herencia/bendición.

La Reacción de las Tribus

Josué 13:15-32 describe la tierra que Moisés despejó y entregó a los rubenitas, gaditas y a la media tribu de manasés. Estas tribus estaban satisfechas con esta distribución porque es lo que habían pedido, tierra al este del Jordán. Después de ayudar a las tribus restantes a limpiar la tierra al oeste del Jordán, las dos tribus y media regresaron al este del Jordán y vivieron felizmente en él. Hicieron poco por sí mismos para aceptar esa bendición. La pidieron. La recibieron. Vivieron en ella.

Joshua 14:6-15 tells us that Caleb also asked for specific land. He requested the land with faith that he would be able to drive out the inhabitants with God’s help. Afterall, God had promised the land to him through Moses. The land was a reward for having faith and giving a good report upon spying out the land of Canaan while the other spies gave bad reports, causing Israel to wander in the desert instead of entering the land of Canaan. Caleb had faith that God would bless and would be with Caleb as he drove out the people, just as he had believed when they spied out Canaan. Caleb successfully drove out the inhabitants and happily lived in his inheritance (Joshua 15:13-14).

The children of Joseph received Joseph’s inheritance. They accepted the land but they complained about it. They asked Joshua why he had given them so little land considering how many people were in their tribe (Joshua 17:14).

Joshua’s response? He said, if you have so many people then go clear the wooded hill country and expel the people (which included giants) from the land (Joshua 17:15). The children of Joseph complained even more because they didn’t view the hill country to be enough and they doubted they could chase out the people (Joshua 17:16). But Joshua stood his ground. He gave them the mountain and told them to clear it. (Joshua 17:18).

Quedaban siete tribus de Israel que no habían recibido sus herencias. Josué les ordenó que seleccionaran a 3 hombres de cada tribu y que espiaran la tierra y volvieran con una descripción. Josué echó suertes para distribuir el resto de la tierra. No hay ninguna indicación sobre cómo se sintieron estas tribus con respecto a este proceso y a la tierra que recibieron (Josué 18:10).

Lecciones Aprendidas de la Distribución de la Tierra Prometida

Entonces, ¿qué hemos aprendido hasta ahora del proceso de recibir la bendición?

1. Cuando Dios promete bendiciones, está bien pedir cosas específicas como las dos tribus y media al este del Jordán y Caleb.
2. Algunas bendiciones pueden requerir algún esfuerzo para ser reclamadas, ya sea individual o corporativamente, lo que ocurrió durante la limpieza inicial de la tierra y la tierra dada a Caleb y a los hijos de José.
3. La actitud es importante. Algunas personas no están satisfechas con su bendición y quieren más. Al quejarse se puede conseguir más, pero es probable que se requiera de arduo trabajo como lo ilustran los hijos de José.

So, how do we apply this to our own lives? First, when God has promised a blessing, He may intend for us to work to receive it, just as the children of Israel had to clear the land of the inhabitants and the children of Joseph had to clear the hills of the woods. Also, we can use Israel’s examples to analyze our own attitudes about the blessings God has given us.

1. Do I have complete faith in God’s promises, requesting exactly what God promised, and live in that faith to joyfully do what it takes to accept the blessing like Caleb?
2. ¿Acepto simplemente la bendición como las dos tribus y media al este del Jordán? Está bien hacerlo, pero espero agradecer la bendición y expresarlo.
3. ¿Estoy insatisfecho con las bendiciones de Dios, pensando que son no son suficientes para mí?

Some might say that taking the land was too much effort. There was a lot of war and bloodshed. We shouldn’t have to suffer in any way when accepting our blessings. But that isn’t scriptural.

Jesús nos llama a ser perfectos, o maduros (Mateo 5:48). Y el apóstol Pedro enseña que el sufrimiento y la lucha nos perfeccionan y nos establecen, nos fortalecen y nos asientan (1 Pedro 5:10). A veces nuestras bendiciones vienen acompañadas de luchas para poder aceptarlas.

Volviendo a Oswald Chambers, él dijo esto:

Remember God’s blessing may mean God’s blasting. If God is going to bless me, He must condemn and blast out of my being what He cannot bless. “Our God is a consuming fire.” When we ask God to bless, we sometimes pray terrible havoc upon the things that are not of God. God will shake all that can be shaken, and He is doing it just now.

The Highest Good – The Pilgrim’s Song Book, 529 R.

La lucha ayuda a eliminar de nosotros aquellas partes que no se rinden y que Dios no puede mirar, aceptar o bendecir. ¿Podemos aceptar que la lucha es una bendición cuando sirve para perfeccionarnos (madurar), establecernos, fortalecernos, asentarnos y hacernos más semejantes a Cristo como explican Peter y Oswald Chambers?

But let’s not forget the levitas. God gave no land of their own to the Levites. Instead, He gave them use of some of the land that belonged to the other tribes. God explained the “sacrifices of the Lord God of Israel made by fire” was their inheritance (Joshua 13:14).

Basically, God was saying, “I am enough! I will provide.”

If we find ourselves in that group that does not get any material blessings of our own and only the liberty to serve God and His sanctuary and people while feasting on God’s provision, is that enough? Or do we look at the material blessings of others and feel like we haven’t been blessed at all?

Análisis

We now have biblical examples of how some people had to struggle to receive their blessings and how they reacted. You now have a tool to evaluate your own reactions to God’s blessings:

1. Do you have complete faith in God’s promises, requesting exactly what God promised, and live in that faith to joyfully do what it takes to accept the blessing like Caleb?
2. ¿Acepta la bendición como las dos tribus y media al este del Jordán, con gratitud? 
3. ¿Está insatisfecho con las bendiciones de Dios, pensando que no son suficientes para usted, refunfuñando y quejándose?
4. Y cuando Dios lo bendice con una relación especial con Él, el privilegio de servirle y depender de Su provisión, ¿le parece que eso es suficiente o mira a los demás y busca las bendiciones materiales que ellos tienen?

We are very human. But let’s strive to be like Caleb, living in faith that God will fulfill His promises and joyfully pursue the maximum God has for us. When it takes some effort to claim the promises, let’s recognize the struggle as part of the blessing while it perfects, establishes, strengthens, and settles us, making us more Christ-like. When we don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, showing mistrust of God, we can have confidence that the promises of God, even if they require work and struggle to claim them, are great blessings.