Chapter 32

The tribes of Gad and Reuben decide they would rather stay in Gilead with their large herds and not cross the Jordan, and they ask for this of Moses and the elders of Israel.  Moses is pretty hot at them for repeating the same thing their father's did, and discouraging the rest of Israel from going into Canaan.  Moses says it led to 40 years in the wilderness the first time, and yet here they are doing it again. 

Gad and Reuben say they will go and fight, but want to leave their herds, their children, and their women in Gilead.  Yet they will continue until the other tribes have conquered the land.  Moses agrees.  The half tribe of Manasseh also decides to stay on the east side of Jordan.

This verse, that my Mom used to quote to me on a regular basis:

23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out. [Num 32:23 ESV]

She used it completely out of context, and said it was about anything I did and wasn't supposed to that she didn't catch me doing.  Instead, this verse is about not shirking your responsibility to the greater good, along with keeping your commitments to God on the behalf of others. 

2021 - This section:

29 And Moses said to them, "If the people of Gad and the people of Reuben, every man who is armed to battle before the LORD, will pass with you over the Jordan and the land shall be subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession. 30 However, if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan." [Num 32:29-30 ESV]

This seems like the wrong way to do this.  If they do not fight, they still get a possession in Canaan, but if they do fight, they can have Gilead, which is not in Canaan.  But Moses just got through accusing them of being just like their father's and refusing to fight - refusing to go into Canaan and possess it, and tells them God is going to be supremely angry about that.  So if they don't fight, they make God angry, but they still get a possession?  Nothing in MSB about this.  I've double checked, and I'm reading it right.  It just doesn't seem right. 

The lands that Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh were given, specifically, were:  The kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, King of Bashan.

Still...the attitude.  God had promised so much to them, but in Canaan.  And they decided they recognized good livestock land better than what they were promised by God.  What they were giving up was God's protection, God's blessings, by staying on what they thought was good land.  Seems like a mistake to me.

Possible FB post here.  Even if God allows us to deviate, there is a cost in terms of protection and blessing.  If we choose to oppose God, there is not always a lightning bolt from heaven.  Sometimes, God just leaves us on our own, and we later learn what we forfeited in our own conceit.  Would need to find out what ultimately becomes of these three tribes, to see where this decision leads them.