Slices
Prepare
Read Philippians 2:3–5. How does this speak to you today?
Bible passage
The Transjordan tribes
32 The Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks, saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were suitable for livestock. 2 So they came to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the community, and said, 3 ‘Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Beon – 4 the land the Lord subdued before the people of Israel – are suitable for livestock, and your servants have livestock. 5 If we have found favour in your eyes,’ they said, ‘let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.’
6 Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites, ‘Should your fellow Israelites go to war while you sit here? 7 Why do you discourage the Israelites from crossing over into the land the Lord has given them? 8 This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look over the land. 9 After they went up to the Valley of Eshkol and viewed the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land the Lord had given them. 10 The Lord’s anger was aroused that day and he swore this oath: 11 “Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of those who were twenty years old or more when they came up out of Egypt will see the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – 12 not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly.” 13 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone.
14 ‘And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the Lord even more angry with Israel. 15 If you turn away from following him, he will again leave all this people in the wilderness, and you will be the cause of their destruction.’
16 Then they came up to him and said, ‘We would like to build pens here for our livestock and cities for our women and children. 17 But we will arm ourselves for battle and go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them to their place. Meanwhile our women and children will live in fortified cities, for protection from the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until each of the Israelites has received their inheritance. 19 We will not receive any inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance has come to us on the east side of the Jordan.’
20 Then Moses said to them, ‘If you will do this – if you will arm yourselves before the Lord for battle 21 and if all of you who are armed cross over the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven his enemies out before him – 22 then when the land is subdued before the Lord, you may return and be free from your obligation to the Lord and to Israel. And this land will be your possession before the Lord.
23 ‘But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. 24 Build cities for your women and children, and pens for your flocks, but do what you have promised.’
25 The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, ‘We your servants will do as our lord commands. 26 Our children and wives, our flocks and herds will remain here in the cities of Gilead. 27 But your servants, every man who is armed for battle, will cross over to fight before the Lord, just as our lord says.’
Explore
In my twenties, I led a mission team overseas. With a common purse, our only income was through the sale of Christian books. One of the team developed a romantic interest in a team-mate and began to build up a private fund to enable her to have treats. His actions, though reasonable to him, began to undermine the unity and morale of the team.
Moses faced a similar issue with the Reubenites and the Gadites. Their interest in land to the East of Jordan, outside of Canaan, was understandable, given its suitability for their flocks. But Moses angrily seized upon the implication: they could occupy their land and opt out of the fighting for the territories of the other tribes (v 6). An earlier episode in his people’s history haunted him (vs 11,12). Without wholeheartedness, the mission to take the Promised Land could never be completed.
The two tribes were not faced with an either/or choice. Their negotiation with Moses allowed them to provide security for their families and animals before going on to fight.
In our lives, we may at times face an apparent conflict of loyalties. Our families and friendships, even our own personal ambitions, need to find their place in the context of bigger stories, nobler purposes, and collective visions.
Respond
Are you tempted to put your own interests, or those of people near to you, ahead of the collective need? Pray for wisdom to find a way forward.
Deeper Bible study
‘No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.’1
The declaration ‘God saw that it was good’2 punctuates the creation narrative. From the very beginning, God desires good for us and defines what’s truly good. When Adam and Eve made choices based on what they ‘saw’3 rather than on what God had said, things started going downhill, not just for themselves but for everyone.
When two of the tribes ‘saw’ that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were favourable for their livestock, they sought to stay there (vs 1–5). However, although business prospects were good, they failed to factor in God’s desire that ‘every Israelite shall keep the tribal inheritance of their ancestors’.4 In their haste to grab what seemed good for themselves, the Reubenites and Gadites lost sight of God’s promise of a good land and also ignored the common good. Moses confronts their inward-focused selfishness with hard-hitting questions (vs 6,7), the hard lessons of their history (vs 8–13) and a harshly worded warning (vs 14,15). The repeated references to ‘Israelites’ emphasise community over individual identity and call them them back to their responsibilities. ‘No man is an island’, and so even inaction by these two tribes had the power to sow discouragement among their fellow Israelites that could ultimately reap defeat for all Israel.
Moses’ timely rebuke halts the downhill slide and ensures that history is not repeated. The African proverb says: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’ The two tribes not only agree to fight alongside their fellow-Israelites but pledge to serve on the front lines (v 17) and to remain there until ‘all the Israelites have received their inheritance’ (v 18, TNIV). The battle to conquer self-interest was fought before the battle to possess the land.
Christ wants his church to be ‘built up until we all reach unity in the faith … and become mature’.5 How do you contribute to the growth of fellow believers?
1 John Donne, The Major Works, OUP, 2009, p344 2 Gen 1:10,12:18,21,25 3 Gen 3:6 4 Num 36:7–9, italics added 5 Eph 4:12,13, italics added
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Ecclesiastes 6,7; Psalms 95,96
Pray for Scripture Union
Janine Parkinson has recently joined as a Mission Enabler. Pray for the Lord’s favour in meeting and connecting with more youth and children’s workers around the central region and in the Sheffield area to expand the impact of the Revealing Jesus framework.
