The Israelites wandered in the wilderness until one by one the adults perished, and their children were left. As the nation was about to enter the promised land, two families asked not to enter the land of promise.
Now the Reubenites and the Gadites owned a very great number of cattle. When they saw that the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead was a good place for cattle,
*The Gadites and the Reubenites came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying,
“Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon— the land that the Lord subdued before the congregation of Israel—is a land for cattle, and your servants have cattle.”
They continued, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession; do not make us cross the Jordan” (Numbers 32:1-5).
Moses answered their request and stated that what they were asking was similar to what happened 40 years earlier when the 10 spies brought a bad report.
But Moses said to the Gadites and to the Reubenites, “Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here?
Why will you discourage the hearts of the Israelites from going over into the land that the Lord has given them?
Your fathers did this, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. (Numbers 32:6-8).
Moses recounted to them the story of how the 10 spies overruled the report of Caleb and Joshua and how the people lost faith in God. Then, he leveled a serious accusation against them.
And now you, a brood of sinners, have risen in place of your fathers, to increase the Lord’s fierce anger against Israel!
If you turn away from following him, he will again abandon them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all this people” ((Numbers 32:14-15**).
A Crisis of Faith Moment
The Israelites were once again at a crisis of faith moment, as Henry Blackaby would describe it. Blackby wrote about the crisis of faith in his Experiencing God material.
- God is at work in the world.
- God forms relationships with people with the purpose of inviting them to join Him in His work.
- God calls His people to join Him in something that only God can accomplish.
- This presents God’s people with a crisis of faith. Will they trust their resources or rely on God to do what is clearly a God-sized job?
- When they trust God, He acts and they experience Him to a greater degree.
The Gadites and the Reubenites saw what they had already achieved and were willing to settle for less than a “promised land” experience. To prove their willingness to trust God, they committed to lead the charge against the inhabitants of the land.
Then they came up to him and said, “We will build sheepfolds here for our flocks and towns for our little ones,
But we will take up arms as a vanguard before the Israelites, until we have brought them to their place. Meanwhile, our little ones will stay in the fortified towns because of the inhabitants of the land.
We will not return to our homes until all the Israelites have obtained their inheritance” (Numbers 32:16-18).
This is what they did. The families of Ruben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manassah join their Israelite brothers and sisters in the conquest of the land.
Reflections
It is easier to read about a crisis of faith in the ancient lives of God’s people than to live it ourselves.
I have found it easier, even though it is quite mistaken, to make my plans and ask God to bless them.
I have also found it easier to have a relationship with God, but not ask Him if He has a God-sized task He wants me to join Him to complete.
God is at work in the world. He hasn’t changed His redemptive purpose. The God-sized mission He gives us will be tailored to what He wants to accomplish through us.
If in faith we align our lives with God’s activity, we will experience Him in a way that will exceed all other encounters with God.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 