Oversight for the Overextended

“And his brethren, men of valour, were two thousand and seven hundred chief fathers, whom king David made rulers over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, for every matter pertaining to God, and affairs of the king.” (1Ch 26:32 AV)

The number of priests sent to judge and oversee the two-and-a-half where one thousand more than all the other tribes combined.  David sent two thousand seven hundred priests to oversee Rueben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh.  There were only one thousand seven hundred priests for the remaining tribes.  It was not because the two and a half tribes were that much larger.  It wasn’t because their territory was that much larger.  The reason there was almost double the oversight was because of their location.  The two and a half tribes were separated from Jerusalem and the tabernacle of God by a river.  They decided to camp next to the enemy rather than to be as close to the epicenter of the glory of God.  The further one is to the center of God’s presence, the more oversight he or she requires.

What strikes this writer as interesting are those who believe the further they are from God, the more freedom they will have.  This is not the case.  Recently, I was privileged to experience jury duty.  The details of the case may disturb the reader, but it is sufficient to say the defendant made a pattern of foolish and criminal decisions that will now cost him years in the state penitentiary system.  His crimes spanned a period of almost two years.  At each encounter with law enforcement and a subsequent judgement, his freedom was a bit restricted.  At the time of his last arrest which put him in front of our jury, he had lost all liberty of movement.  Transported from the county lock-up to the court room, he eventually pled out to the worst of his charges.  He will now spend may years behind bars.

There are laws and principles which God gives us for our own good.  These statutes are intended to provide the most blessed life possible.  If we reject those principles, then there are consequences that act as barriers or governors that check us from making worse decisions.   My Dad taught us something very valuable.  Liberty is earned.  Not demanded.  If we prove ourselves to be faithful, obedient and respectful, he loosened the grip.  If we didn’t, he tightened it.  We may not like this truth, but it is the truth.  If we complain that we have too many babysitters, then perhaps the answer is to get close to God.