“And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here? And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them?” (Numbers 32:6-7)

Misunderstandings happen. A number of years ago I heard that someone was upset with me for something I had said. At first, I could not remember saying anything that could have been interpreted wrongly. Then it came to me. I recalled a certain comment that could have been misconstrued, and realized the individual had likely misinterpreted my intention. From that point, it was easy to go and straighten out the issue. But what if I had not heard about and attempted to resolve the issue? Perhaps the misunderstanding would have continued to bother the other individual for a long time.

The devil is intent on stirring up trouble in the family of God. It is our job not to let him do this. If you have reason to believe that a misunderstanding has occurred between you and a brother or sister, go to him or her quickly and straighten it out. In the great majority of cases, you will find there never was a problem. Even if there was, with good will on both sides, it can be resolved and the devil’s attempt to create friction will be foiled.

In today’s text, a misunderstanding occurred. The tribes of Gad, Reuben, and the half tribe of Manasseh came to Moses asking that they be given the land to the east of the River Jordan as their portion of territory in the Promised Land. Moses mistakenly assumed they made this request in order to avoid fighting alongside their fellow Israelites in conquering the people to the west of Jordan, where the majority of the Israelites would dwell. He thought they were saying, “We’ve fought enough and suffered enough already. We just want to settle down now where we’re at.” He knew this attitude would discourage the other tribes from fighting for the full territory God had promised them.

However, when Moses expressed his concern to the leaders of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh, they quickly assured Moses that the tribes they represented were perfectly willing to do their share in the conquest of Canaan. This was not a ploy to avoid fighting; they merely wanted to have the eastern land as their portion of the national inheritance. Once this misunderstanding was cleared up, Moses agreed to their request.

As believers, we must work at maintaining unity. Relational challenges will occur from time to time—our spiritual enemy will see to that. Misunderstandings between fellow believers can lead to discouragement and division, and we do not want that to happen. One way we can help to preserve unity is to remedy any confusion that occurs as quickly and completely as possible.

BACKGROUND

Chapter 32 covers the request of the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and the half tribe Manasseh to settle on the east side of the Jordan River, Moses’ reaction to their request, and the ultimate resolution of the issue.

The land east of the Jordan, described in verse 1 as “the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead,” had already been conquered by the Israelites. It was ideal grazing land and the tribes of Reuben and Gad had much cattle, so they requested it be given them as their inheritance. This was a legitimate request based on God’s covenant with Abraham; since this area was west of the Euphrates River, it was part of the grant given by God to Abraham for his descendants.

The patriarch Jacob, whose name God later changed to Israel, had twelve sons in all. Throughout the years until the time of this text, the offspring of these sons had multiplied to the extent that they numbered perhaps three million people. During that period, the people still retained the identities of their founding fathers. Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, had been granted equal status with the eleven other sons of Jacob (see Genesis 48:5). Additionally, God had selected the tribe of Levi for a special role as priests and assistants for the worship of God. Therefore, unlike the other twelve tribes, the Levites were not given a specific portion of land in Canaan, but rather were to be spread throughout Israel, living in and near the various cities.

There were two “half tribes” of Manasseh because the sons of Manasseh had aligned themselves into two groups—one group opting for land east of the Jordan River, and the other for a portion in the main area to the west.

AMPLIFIED OUTLINE

(Hannah’s Bible Outlines - Used by permission per WORDsearch)

III.    Events on the plain of Moab
   B.    The preparation for entering Canaan
       4.    The distribution of the Transjordan (32:1-42)
           a.    The request of Gad and Reuben (32:1-5)
           b.    The rebuke of Moses (32:6-15)
           c.    The reply (32:16-19)
           d.    The concession (32:20-27)
           e.    The division of the land (32:28-42)

A CLOSER LOOK

1. What did Moses initially accuse the tribes of Gad and Reuben of doing?
   
2. How could Moses have handled the discussion in a more amicable way?
   
3. When misunderstandings or differences arise, what steps should we take to resolve the issue?

CONCLUSION

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133:1). Do whatever you possibly can to achieve and maintain unity with your brothers and sisters in Christ!

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