From there they set out and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites, for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord,
“Waheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon,
and the slope of the valleys
that extends to the seat of Ar,
and leans to the border of Moab.” (Numbers 21:13-15 ESV)
Leaning
Our high school principal used to glance at us teenaged boys sort of casually lining the hallway and ask us sarcastically, “doing your part to keep the walls standing?” As he passed, we would momentarily stand straight… and then lean again after he left the area.
I wonder if those high school walls actually DID stand longer because we were doing our inadvertently purposeful leaning.
Camping might seem like vacation, or at least rest, for the wandering Israelites. But even as they camped, they understood that a purpose undergirded their resting. The last phrase of the song describes them as leaning, yes. But leaning into the next obstacle, the antagonistic nation of Moab.
The rested, not just to catch a few z’s. But they rested in preparation for the next task.
Sometimes responsible folk feel like resting is a waste of time. But it is not. It IS rest… but it is rest in preparation for work. Think of Jesus in Gethsemane. Think of Jesus in the wilderness. Think of Jesus between Friday and Sunday.
Our rest is not wasted, either. It is a part of God’s good work in our lives.
We are peculiar, we can lean.