The Tribes East of the Jordan (Deuteronomy 3:12-22; Joshua 13:8-14)
“Now the Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks, surveyed the lands of Jazer and Gilead, and they saw that the region was suitable for livestock. So the Gadites and Reubenites came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the congregation, and said, “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, which the LORD conquered before the congregation of Israel, are suitable for livestock—and your servants have livestock.”
“If we have found favor in your sight,” they said, “let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.”
But Moses asked the Gadites and Reubenites, “Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here? Why are you discouraging the Israelites from crossing into the land that the LORD has given them? This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to look over the land.
9For when your fathers went up to the valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land that the LORD had given them. So the LORD’s anger was kindled that day, and He swore an oath, saying, ‘Because they did not follow Me wholeheartedly, not one of the men twenty years of age or older who came out of Egypt will see the land that I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob— not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun—because they did follow the LORD wholeheartedly.’ The LORD’s anger burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation who had done evil in His sight was gone.
Now behold, you, a brood of sinners, have risen up in place of your fathers to further stoke the burning anger of the LORD against Israel. For if you turn away from following Him, He will once again leave this people in the wilderness, and you will be the cause of their destruction.”
Then the Gadites and Reubenites approached Moses and said, “We want to build sheepfolds here for our livestock and cities for our little ones. But we will arm ourselves and be ready to go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them into their place. Meanwhile, our little ones will remain in the fortified cities for protection from the inhabitants of the land. We will not return to our homes until every Israelite has taken possession of his inheritance. Yet we will not have an inheritance with them across the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on the east side of the Jordan.”
Moses replied, “If you will do this—if you will arm yourselves before the LORD for battle, and if every one of your armed men crosses the Jordan before the LORD, until He has driven His enemies out before Him, then when the land is subdued before the LORD, you may return and be free of obligation to the LORD and to Israel. And this land will belong to you as a possession before the LORD. But if you do not do this, you will certainly sin against the LORD—and be assured that your sin will find you out. Build cities for your little ones and folds for your flocks, but do what you have promised.”
The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, “Your servants will do just as our lord commands. Our children, our wives, our livestock, and all our animals will remain here in the cities of Gilead. But your servants are equipped for war, and every man will cross over to the battle before the LORD, just as our lord says.”
So Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the family leaders of the tribes of Israel. And Moses said to them, “If the Gadites and Reubenites cross the Jordan with you, with every man armed for battle before the LORD, and the land is subdued before you, you are to give them the land of Gilead as a possession. But if they do not arm themselves and go across with you, they must accept their possession among you in the land of Canaan.”
The Gadites and Reubenites replied, “As the LORD has spoken to your servants, so we will do. We will cross over into the land of Canaan armed before the LORD, that we may have our inheritance on this side of the Jordan.”
So Moses gave to the Gadites, to the Reubenites, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan—the land including its cities and the territory surrounding them.
And the Gadites built up Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran as fortified cities, and they built folds for their flocks.
The Reubenites built up Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, as well as Nebo and Baal-meon (whose names were changed), and Sibmah. And they renamed the cities they rebuilt.
The descendants of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, captured it, and drove out the Amorites who were there. So Moses gave Gilead to the clan of Machir son of Manasseh, and they settled there. Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, went and captured their villages and called them Havvoth-jair (Havvoth-jair means the villages of Jair.) And Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages and called it Nobah, after his own name.”
Joshua and his men have conquered a large amount of territory east of the Jordan. Surveying the land, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the men of Manasseh realize that this is prime grazing land, a place where their animals would flourish. These tribes band together and approach Moses, requesting that they be allowed to settle on the east side of the Jordan, rather than receiving an inheritance on the west side with the other tribes. Is this idea a good one? On the one hand, the land is fertile with fine grass. On the other, this decision will put these three groups at additional risk of attack from marauders, since they will not have the Jordan River to protect them. These groups will also be separated from the other Israelites, making it more difficult for the other Israelites to help protect them during such attacks.
Moses is worried that God will interpret these requests as further rebellion against His perfect Will. What if God orders the Israelites to wander off into the wilderness for another forty years? Moses is TIRED and ready to hand over to Joshua; the last thing he wants is another assignment like this one.
The Reubenites, Gadites, and men of Manasseh are so enthusiastic about this land that they pledge to build cities for their families and livestock and then to pass over the Jordan with the rest of the Israelites to help conquer Canaan. Nobody has recorded what the wives and children are thinking about this matter! Those women must be incredibly brave to agree to this plan. In case of emergency, the only means of communication would be messengers who would have to escape attacking forces, ford the Jordan, and make it to the rest of the Israelites. There is also the strong possibility that future groups of Israelites on the west side of Jordan might tell those on the east side, “You made your choice; now deal with it!” On the other hand, two and a half tribes claiming land on the east side of the Jordan means more land for everyone else on the west side. Moses agrees to this plan after those involved promise solemnly to send their fighting men to help conquer Canaan.
APPLICATION: Look at that map and you realize that the Reubenites, Gadites, and Manasseh-ites are risking attack from the Ammonites, the Edomites, the Moabites, and the Arameans. The Moabites have supposedly been wiped out; however, what if some have escaped to Egypt? And what about tribes further to the East that might decide to attack? This decision is a risky one, committing these tribes to continual vigilance for the unseen future.
The men of these tribes are risking everything for the sake of the land they feel can sustain their families and them. The children of these families must grow up always prepared for attack from any quarter. But is this preparedness a bad thing? There is a horrible but true meme on social media showing a huge demon walking hand in hand with a small child. The gist of the meme is that we worry about some influences on our children, yet allow them to be exposed to others that are far worse. When we fail to protect our children, when we fail to establish good communications with them early, we pave the way for all kinds of evil. Sexual predators cruise all kinds of social media looking for beautiful children who may be lured away from their families. Appearing as “angels of light,” these despicable creatures seek out the unhappy and isolated.
Children must be protected, and adults are the only protectors available. When adults choose to behave childishly, shirking their responsibilities, they might as well ask their children to stand in the middle of a super highway, hoping that they won’t get mowed down by the traffic. God has designed families so that they can protect, nurture, encourage, and uphold. When one member of a couple is missing, it is very difficult for the remaining parent to do it all. (Notice, I said “difficult,” not impossible. There are many situations in which one parent has to carry the entire load, and may God bless and honor them for doing so.)
The men of these tribes put their families at risk in hopes of a bright future for those same families. As we make choices today, may God guide us so that the rewards will be worth the risks!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to see when the risks we are taking put others in jeopardy. Help us to follow Your guidance and not our own ambitions. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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