And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spake unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth. Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead: but thy servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord saith. So concerning them Moses commanded Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel: and Moses said unto them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over Jordan, every man armed to battle, before the LORD, and the land shall be subdued before you; then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession. | ||
| Numbers 32:25–29 | ||
| Joined by the half-tribe of Manasseh, the tribes of Reuben and Gad did indeed remain on the east side of the Jordan. Oh, they went into the Promised Land occasionally, but they didn’t live there. And, as we see in Joshua 22, when they built an altar on their side of the Jordan, the other tribes said, “What are you doing building an altar? There is only to be one altar - at the Tabernacle.” “Wait a minute,” said the men of Gad. “We’re not building an altar to offer sacrifices, but so that in the coming days you won’t disavow us. It’s not a working altar, but simply a monument so that future generations will know we’re linked with you.” Yet, although they made peace that day, the problems had begun, leading to suspicion and division in the nation between those who wanted to stay and those who wanted to go on. Although they established cities, as evidenced by the remainder of the chapter, it would eventually be these who didn’t go in, who didn’t go on, who were picked off first by the Syrians and the Assyrians. And it would be they who would become corrupted, for when Jesus came on the scene, the prized property of Reuben and Gad, the land of the Gadarenes, was filled with pigs, demons, and pagan Greek culture. Why? Because we either move further and deeper into the presence of the Lord, or we move in the other direction and become more and more interested in the things of the world. Right now, you are either deeper than you were five years ago, or you are more shallow. But you are not the same. Either my knowledge of the Lord is deeper, my walk stronger, my faith larger, or it is less. It’s a great misconception to think we can put our spiritual lives on cruise control, to think that, because we know the plan of salvation and basic biblical principles, we can coast from here on out. We can’t. Reuben and Gad made a monumental mistake choosing a place of comfort rather than one of commitment by opting for affluence rather than obedience. “This land is good for our cattle and for our families,” they said. And yet, by the time Jesus walked their land, there was not a cow in sight. If you want your cattle to do well, take them into the Promised Land, otherwise they’ll turn into pigs. And if you want your kids to do well, take them with you, otherwise they’ll be the ones who prefer that Jesus depart from their coasts (Mark 5:17). Is your praise more fervent, your prayer more intense, your commitment to the Kingdom greater, your time in the Word longer, your knowledge of God larger, your love for the Lord deeper than it was two years ago? Press in. Go on. Don’t stop. Pastor Jon Courson | ||
