This post may contain affiliate links from Amazon.com or other companies mentioned, which means that if you purchase through them, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use and love, or think my readers will find useful. I appreciate your support
“Now the people of Reuben and the people of Gad had a very great number of livestock. And they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a place for livestock. So the people of Gad and the people of Reuben came and said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the chiefs of the congregation, “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, the land that the Lordstruck down before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” And they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession. Do not take us across the Jordan.”
Numbers 32:1-5 ESV
Have you ever wondered if it was God’s original plan for the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh to settle on the east side of the Jordan? God set aside and prepared the Promised Land for the sons of Israel, but these tribes decided that instead of taking a share of the land after they crossed the river Jordan, they would settle for the lands that Israel had won after defeating the kings of Sihon and Bashan.
According to Numbers 32:1-5, Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were suited for their flocks and herds so they asked Moses and Eleazer, the high priest, to give them the conquered land instead of a share of the land after they crossed the Jordan.
Moses had some reservations initially, fearing their actions would discourage the rest of the tribes from entering the land just like the 10 spies had done. But when Reuben and Gad promised to go over the Jordan and fight until the promised land was won, he relented.
But was this God’s original plan? We don’t have proof that God approved or disapproved of this move. Strangely Moses seemed to have made the decision on his own with Eleazer without going before the LORD. And some say that being on the east side of the Jordan left these tribes exposed, causing them to be the first to be carried away in captivity by the king of Assyria (2 Kings 15:29).
I don’t know if God disapproved but it would seem to me that the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh that decided to join them, settled for less than what God wanted to give them as their inheritance. They settled for what was good in their eyes when God had something much greater. They made a mistake similar to their forefathers who saw themselves through their own eyes, as grasshoppers, instead of through God’s eyes as the warriors and overcomers He knew they could be.
Now the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh saw what they thought was prime land and couldn’t imagine anything better. They were thinking too small and couldn’t even imagine that God might have something much, much greater.
The land on the east side of the Jordan was good enough, and these tribes built many cities there (Numbers 32:34-42). But was it God’s best? The Reubenites, Gadites, and half tribe of Manasseh downsized the dream God had for them and settled for enough when God wanted to give them more than enough. They settled for something they could accomplish on their own, not a God-sized dream that can only be accomplished through a partnership with God.
Are you downsizing the dream God has given you? Our God-given purpose isn’t meant for us to accomplish by ourselves. Don’t settle on the east side of the Jordan. What God has for you is beyond your imagination.
Deborah Ruck @ As Bold As THE Lion blog
Leave a Reply