Numbers 32-33
What I Noticed Today (Numbers 32-33)
Numbers 32
Numbers 32 describes the conversation between the leaders of the tribes of Reuben and Gad and Moses. The people of Reuben and Gad like the land of Jazer and Gilead because it is suitable for all their cattle, and persuade Moses to let them have this land as their inheritance.
In verses 1-5, the Gadites and Reubenites came to Moses, Eleazar, and the Israelites leaders, asking that the land they were in (the Transjordan) be given to them as an inheritance.
Note: the places described in Numbers 32:3 all lie between the Arnon River in the south and the Jabbok River in the north.
In verses 6-15, at first, Moses accused them of not wanting to go to war to help their brothers take the Promised Land and sinning like their forefathers by discouraging others from taking the land the Lord had promised them.
In verses 16-32, the Gadites and Reubenites promised to help all the other tribes settle in their territory first and then return to their land. They would build pens for their livestock and place their families in the fortified cities and then help their brothers take the Promised Land.
- Moses agreed with their plan on the condition that they help the rest of the tribes gain their possession. He told Eleazar that if they helped the Israelites take possession of Canaan, they could have the land east of the Jordan, but if they did not, then they must accept land in Canaan.
In verses 33-38, Moses allotted to Gad Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh the land west of the Jordan River that had belonged to the Amorite kings Sihon and Og:
- The Gadites occupied the area that had belonged to Sihon.
- The half-tribe of Manasseh occupied the land north of the Gadites.
- The Reubenites occupied the land to the south of Gad.
Numbers 33
Numbers 33 is one of those chapters with Moses recounting 40 years of wilderness journeys. (With all the “and they set outs,” I’m tempted to skim along!)
The history of the Israelites is described in verses 1-49:
- The Lord brought them out of Egypt to Mt. Sinai (vv.1-15).
- Then the Lord brought them right up to the edge of the Promised Land, and they refused to go in (vv. 16-36).
- Moses described their desert wanderings, ending back at the edge of the Promised Land (vv. 37-49).
Note: The unbelief of the Exodus generation had wasted 40 years, cost hundreds of thousands of lives, and countless missed opportunities!
In verses 50-56, Moses speaks to the Israelites for the final time as the Lord gives specific instructions for when they have crossed over the Jordan River into the Promised Land:
- They are to drive out their enemies, destroys their idols, take over the land, and only then are they to divide the land.
- The land is to be divided by lot, with a larger inheritance going to larger tribes.
- They must drive out the inhabitants of the land. If they fail to do so, the Lord will do the Israelites, what He had planned to do to them.
Some additional thoughts for consideration:
- While this plan of Reuben and Gad seems logical on its face, it seems to me like they have settled for the material possession of the land versus crossing over into the Promised Land where they would have enjoyed God’s promised blessings. They accepted what they could see rather than accept on faith the promise of a better land across the Jordan.
- God requires obedience first, then blessing!
- How tempting it is sometimes to look at the opportunity right before us and reject God’s best that may be out of sight, but just ahead across the river! How much of God’ best are we missing out on, because we lack the faith to follow Him with the full confidence that God’s best is better than our best!
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.