Today we begin Numbers Chapter 32.
For the Complete Jewish Bible, click here.
For the King James version, click here.
Okay, in Numbers 32 we encounter a darn interesting and sticky situation.
Even though the conquest to take the Promised Land is now underway, not one Israelite soldier has yet to step foot inside Canaanite territory.
In the battle with the Midianites, which we studied in the last chapter, it was the Trans-Jordan area (the land on the east side of the Jordan River) that Israel had conquered.
Understand this was NOT a part of the Promised Land.
Yet, in spite of this area not being a part of the Promised Land, here in Numbers 32 we read about the leaders of Gad and Reuben approaching Moses and asking that their tribes be allowed to settle there.
Why did Gad and Reuben want to stay in the area of the Transjordan?
We’re given the answer in verse one.
“Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle.”
One small incidental side note here.
The Hebrew word that is being translated into “cattle” here is MIKNEH and it does NOT mean “cattle“.
Rather, it refers to all kinds of “livestock” in general.
Onward.
Upon receiving Reuben and Gad’s request that they would like to stay in the Transjordan, Moses’ first reaction is a combination of both fear and anger.
Why?
There are three reasons.
FIRST, Moses was angry because he thought Gad and Reuben were going to stay behind and rest on their laurels while the 10 remaining tribes went up to conquer the Promised Land.
SECOND, Moses was frightened because he recalled what happened the last time a group of Israelites rebelled against HASHEM’s command to take the Promised Land.
Moses reminds everybody of what happened in Kadesh 40 years earlier when the 12 scouts returned from their expedition to Canaan.
Recall that two of them rebelled against the command to be faithful and take the land.
This negative report negatively affected everybody and ultimately led to the Lord cursing the Israelites to wandering in the desert another 40 years.
Moses did NOT want to have a repeat of that incident on his hands.
THIRD, when God told Israel to attack and exterminate the Midianites, there is no evidence that the occupation of Moab was attached to that command.
Israel was to kill off the Midianites and swiftly move onwards towards the Promised Land.
God’s objective was to simply destroy the Midianites for luring His Chosen People into idolatry.
There was no evidence that He wanted any part of Israel to stay behind after the slaughter of the Midianites.
In response to Moses’ concerns, Reuben and Gad attempt to reassure Moses that they have zero intention of abandoning the rest of the 10 tribes during their conquest of the Land of Canaan.
They tell Moses they will send their very best assault troops to fight alongside their Hebrew brethren.
Even though we’re told Moses agreed to their suggestion, we still get a sense that all is not well.
This is understandable because what they suggested while not necessarily against the Covenant of Abraham definitely did NOT fall within the parameters of the Covenant of Abraham.
They were asking to live and inherit land OUTSIDE the boundaries of the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob simply because they were seduced by the plentiful pasturelands they saw in Moab.
Out of pure curiosity, my first inclination is to wonder why would Reuben and Gad want to do this at all?
Did they not trust that the Lord would provide in the Land of Canaan?
We’ll continue this discussion the next time we meet.
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