Nu. 32: Promise This

Numbers 32:33 "Moses gave the families of Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan—the land, its towns, and all the territories connected with them—the works."

So, the jist of Numbers 32 is that Gad, Reuben and Manasseh were doing a little scouting, and figured that the land they were already near, Jazer and Gilead, were actually not that bad for raising livestock and families. This was not the land promised to them, but not yet handed over to them by God. They wanted this land for themselves, and would allow the promised land to be divided among the other tribes.

I find it interesting that here, this deviation is brought directly to Moses and Eleazar, rather than presumptively moving into the land. Before they made all their plans, and roused the rabble, they took their requests to the leaders.

Moses, who knew that an armed conflict was coming that would pit the Israelites against the inhabitants of the promised land across the Jordan from them, suspected ulterior motives. Truthfully, I would have done the same thing. As I read, I waited for Moses to bring the hammer down on them, and for God to send a plague through them or something. Moses recounted the situation with Caleb and Joshua, and gave warning of the LORD's destructive power on those who disobey Him. But punishment never happened. Gad and Reuben proved themselves by offering to gear up and go to battle with the rest of the Israelites against the occupants of the promised land. They would prepare cities on the east side of the Jordan, and would not return until the Israelites had their inheritance on the west side of the Jordan.

Moses consented to this deal, and Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh took over the cities they wanted.

Was it just short-sightedness that made them want to take this land? Why would they not want to partake in this promised land? Was it the desire for more land? What does it mean to their ancestors who died in the wilderness before they could enter the promised land?