Numbers 32:1-42 (NLT)
1 The tribes of Reuben and Gad owned vast numbers of livestock. So when they saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were ideally suited for their flocks and herds,
2 they came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the other leaders of the community. They said,
3 “Notice the towns of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sibmah, Nebo, and Beon.
4 The LORD has conquered this whole area for the community of Israel, and it is ideally suited for all our livestock.
5 If we have found favor with you, please let us have this land as our property instead of giving us land across the Jordan River.”
6 “Do you intend to stay here while your brothers go across and do all the fighting?” Moses asked the men of Gad and Reuben.
7 “Why do you want to discourage the rest of the people of Israel from going across to the land the LORD has given them?
8 Your ancestors did the same thing when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land.
9 After they went up to the valley of Eshcol and explored the land, they discouraged the people of Israel from entering the land the LORD was giving them.
10 Then the LORD was very angry with them, and he vowed,
11 ‘Of all those I rescued from Egypt, no one who is twenty years old or older will ever see the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they have not obeyed me wholeheartedly.
12 The only exceptions are Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they have wholeheartedly followed the LORD.’
13 “The LORD was angry with Israel and made them wander in the wilderness for forty years until the entire generation that sinned in the LORD’s sight had died.
14 But here you are, a brood of sinners, doing exactly the same thing! You are making the LORD even angrier with Israel.
15 If you turn away from him like this and he abandons them again in the wilderness, you will be responsible for destroying this entire nation!”
16 But they approached Moses and said, “We simply want to build pens for our livestock and fortified towns for our wives and children.
17 Then we will arm ourselves and lead our fellow Israelites into battle until we have brought them safely to their land. Meanwhile, our families will stay in the fortified towns we build here, so they will be safe from any attacks by the local people.
18 We will not return to our homes until all the people of Israel have received their portions of land.
19 But we do not claim any of the land on the other side of the Jordan. We would rather live here on the east side and accept this as our grant of land.”
20 Then Moses said, “If you keep your word and arm yourselves for the LORD’s battles,
21 and if your troops cross the Jordan and keep fighting until the LORD has driven out his enemies,
22 then you may return when the LORD has conquered the land. You will have fulfilled your duty to the LORD and to the rest of the people of Israel. And the land on the east side of the Jordan will be your property from the LORD.
23 But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the LORD, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.
24 Go ahead and build towns for your families and pens for your flocks, but do everything you have promised.”
25 Then the men of Gad and Reuben replied, “We, your servants, will follow your instructions exactly.
26 Our children, wives, flocks, and cattle will stay here in the towns of Gilead.
27 But all who are able to bear arms will cross over to fight for the LORD, just as you have said.”
28 So Moses gave orders to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the clans of Israel.
29 He said, “The men of Gad and Reuben who are armed for battle must cross the Jordan with you to fight for the LORD. If they do, give them the land of Gilead as their property when the land is conquered.
30 But if they refuse to arm themselves and cross over with you, then they must accept land with the rest of you in the land of Canaan.”
31 The tribes of Gad and Reuben said again, “We are your servants, and we will do as the LORD has commanded!
32 We will cross the Jordan into Canaan fully armed to fight for the LORD, but our property will be here on this side of the Jordan.”
33 So Moses assigned land to the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph. He gave them the territory of King Sihon of the Amorites and the land of King Og of Bashan—the whole land with its cities and surrounding lands.
34 The descendants of Gad built the towns of Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,
35 Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,
36 Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran. These were all fortified towns with pens for their flocks.
37 The descendants of Reuben built the towns of Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,
38 Nebo, Baal-meon, and Sibmah. They changed the names of some of the towns they conquered and rebuilt.
39 Then the descendants of Makir of the tribe of Manasseh went to Gilead and conquered it, and they drove out the Amorites living there.
40 So Moses gave Gilead to the Makirites, descendants of Manasseh, and they settled there.
41 The people of Jair, another clan of the tribe of Manasseh, captured many of the towns in Gilead and changed the name of that region to the Towns of Jair.
42 Meanwhile, a man named Nobah captured the town of Kenath and its surrounding villages, and he renamed that area Nobah after himself.
Flourishing Before the Promise
Even before the Jordan River was crossed into the land of promise, there was already an experience of its blessing. Those who had become the generation destined to occupy Canaan were developing in their reverence for God, and the fruit of that relationship was already evident in their prosperity, strength, and increasing influence over their surroundings. Their readiness to possess the promise was not merely demonstrated in their anticipation of what was ahead, but in their faithful response to God in the place where they presently stood.
For the tribes whose livestock and possessions had multiplied so abundantly, there was a need for a place to accommodate the blessing they were already experiencing. The land east of the Jordan offered provision for their present prosperity, even before the nation had entered its ultimate inheritance. Yet the legitimacy of their motives and the integrity of their character would be demonstrated in their willingness to cross over with their brothers and participate in the battles necessary for all Israel to possess what God had promised. Their present blessing was not to become an excuse for abandoning their responsibility to the greater purpose of God.
There is a limitless potential in the will of God that far exceeds anything the natural mind can imagine. Yet the eventual occupation of that destiny need not delay the experience of His goodness and provision. The blessing of the promise is not reserved exclusively for the moment of arrival. Right here and right now, the people of God can be hearing His voice, responding to His direction, and flourishing in the fruit of righteousness.
It is in this present flourishing that preparation for the ultimate occupation takes place.
Every step of obedience, every response of faith, and every acknowledgment of His presence develops the strength, wisdom, and capacity necessary for what lies ahead. The wilderness need not be a place of mere survival or frustrated anticipation. In the presence of God, it can become a place of extraordinary increase, preparation, and empowerment.
Those who will eventually depend upon our strength in confronting the enemies of the promise will be best served when we have already been faithfully developing that strength in the place of our present assignment. The weapons necessary for future victories are wielded most effectively by those who have learned to walk in God-consciousness long before the battle begins.
There is no need to postpone the experience of God’s goodness while waiting for the fulfillment of His ultimate purpose. His presence is available now. His wisdom is available now. His blessing is available now. And as we faithfully maximize the potential of the place where He has positioned us, we are being prepared and empowered to participate in the greater victories that lie ahead.
The promise may be waiting on the other side of the river, but the blessing of walking with God is already available on this side. The greatest preparation for occupying tomorrow’s promise is faithfully flourishing in today’s obedience.