Year 1, Day 147: Numbers 32

Two Sides to Every Story

I often hear the debate both among Christian circles and even within my own head as to whether or not it was right for some of the Hebrew people to request land outside of Canaan.  Does it show laziness in simply taking what is available rather than going through the work to get what God has promised?  Does it show fear in being afraid to conquer Canaan?  Does it show faithlessness in God in God’s ability to provide a better land than they found here across the Jordan?  Does it show a materialistic bent on behalf of these tribes to take what they can get their hands on?

All of these questions are legitimate, but they only present one side of the story.  I used to think shamefully upon Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh for settling for land outside the Promised Land.  But today I think differently.  Here’s when my thought process began to change, and I’ll hint that it begins with Calvin.

Calvin argues at the very least that in giving the trans-Jordan land to the tribes, the scope of the land is increased.  At the very least, by the Hebrew people claiming this land in addition to Canaan they actually set up a demonstration on how gracious God is.  When it is all said and done, God has in fact delivered Canaan and the trans-Jordan lands into the hands of the Hebrew people.  God even exceeds His own promises.  So here with the help of Calvin we can see a different side to the question of the morality of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh.

Moving beyond Calvin’s point, let’s look at the promise that these tribes make.  If we look closely at 32:17 we can see that while most Bibles translate this passage as “we are ready to go before the people of Israel.”  But that’s not really what the Hebrew indicates.  The verb that many English translations have as “ready” actually means to make haste or to hurry.  These people who are receiving their inheritance across the Jordan are rushing to prepare their cities and sheepfolds so that they can lead the battle in Canaan!  

In many respects, what I hear them saying is something like this.  “Since we have our inheritance, we want to put ourselves at the front of the battle so that we will make quick work of what the Lord has for us so we may return home.”  While there is the possibility of some kind of selfishness in that thought, the reality is that they put themselves first in the line of battle.  They would take the highest casualties in that position.  That does not sound like the lazy and unfaithful attitude of a people who want to claim their inheritance rather than fight.  That sounds like a people who are excited about claiming the inheritance and going ahead with God’s promise.

Now, to be fair I think we do have to acknowledge that the intentions of the people of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh may not have been genuine at first.  If they were genuine at first, I don’t think Moses would have had to give them the lecture about how if they don’t go into Canaan to fight they will sin against God.  The fact that Moses had to give the lecture tells me that in Moses’ mind he had a little doubt as to the true purity of these trans-Jordan tribes.

But the reality is that once they hear Moses’ argument they are chastened and convicted of the right thing to do.  They do the right thing.  I really give these tribes some serious credit for the personal growth we can see developing in this story.  Their desire to possess the land demonstrated an overabundance of God’s promise.  Their ability to listen to Moses’ argument shows rational thought.  Their ability to be inspired by Moses’ thought shows a desire to contemplate and a willingness to be chastened.  Their assertion to go before the Israelites and be at the front of the battle shows commitment to the plan.

Sure, these trans-Jordan tribes may have caused us to question their work ethic, their loyalty to their kin, and their faithfulness to God in the beginning.  But in the end they demonstrate true character by rising to the challenge.  They give us a good role model to follow.  Sometimes we ourselves might have a hint of laziness about us.  Or sometimes people might question our motives.  But those times are opportunities to step forward and embrace the challenge of actually following God with purpose and see what God can do with us.

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