The Good Enough Heresy Text: Numbers 32:1-5
Introduction: The Peril of the Borderlands
We come this morning to a passage that is deceptively simple. On the surface, it is a story about land management, livestock, and negotiation. But underneath, it deals with one of the most subtle and persistent temptations that the people of God face in any generation. It is the temptation of the good, which so often is the enemy of the best. It is the temptation to settle. It is the lure of the comfortable compromise, the siren song of the borderlands.
Israel is on the cusp of the promised land. After forty years of wandering, after an entire generation has died in the wilderness for their unbelief, the prize is finally in sight. The Jordan River is the only thing that separates them from their inheritance, from the land flowing with milk and honey, from the place where God had promised to dwell with them. This was the goal of the entire exodus. And it is precisely at this moment, on the very threshold of fulfillment, that two and a half tribes look around, see that the grass is green, and decide that this side of the river is "good enough."
This is not an outright rebellion, like the golden calf. It is not a flagrant act of idolatry. It is far more dangerous than that. It is a pragmatic, reasonable, and seemingly wise business decision. And that is why we must pay close attention. The devil’s most effective traps are not the ones labeled "obvious sin." They are the ones labeled "sensible compromise." He does not always come to us with a blatant invitation to apostasy. More often, he comes with a spreadsheet and a cost-benefit analysis. He appeals to our desire for security, for prosperity, for a life free from unnecessary conflict. He offers us Gilead when God has promised us Canaan.
The choice of Reuben and Gad is the choice between the partial and the whole, between the immediate and the ultimate, between a blessing that can be seen with the eyes and an inheritance that must be taken by faith. It is the choice that confronts every Christian. Will we cross the Jordan? Will we press on into the full inheritance that Christ has won for us, with all the spiritual warfare that entails? Or will we find a comfortable spot on the east bank, build pens for our livestock, and settle for a Christian life that is "good enough?"
The Text
Now the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had an exceedingly large number of livestock. And they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that it was indeed a place suitable for livestock, so the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben came and spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, the land, which Yahweh struck 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 as a possession; do not take us across the Jordan.”
(Numbers 32:1-5 LSB)
The Snare of Abundance (v. 1)
The story begins not with a problem, but with a blessing. And therein lies the danger.
"Now the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had an exceedingly large number of livestock. And they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that it was indeed a place suitable for livestock." (Numbers 32:1)
Their livestock was not just numerous; it was "exceedingly large." This is the language of immense blessing. God had prospered them, even in the wilderness. But a blessing that is not stewarded with a heavenly mindset can quickly become an idol. Their great wealth became a lens through which they viewed the world. When they looked at the land, they did not first see it as part of God’s promised inheritance; they saw it as a "place suitable for livestock." Their possessions began to possess them. Their wealth was starting to dictate their calling, rather than their calling dictating the use of their wealth.
Notice the verb: "they saw." This is the same verb used of Eve when she "saw that the tree was good for food" (Gen. 3:6), and of Achan when he "saw among the spoils a beautiful mantle" (Josh. 7:21). It is the temptation of sight-based living. They were making a decision based on what their eyes could see and what their business sense could calculate. The land of Gilead was good. It was fertile. It was perfect for their needs. But God's promise was on the other side of the river. God had not called them to a place that was merely "suitable," but to a place that was promised.
This is a profound warning for us. Our culture is obsessed with the pragmatic, the suitable, the thing that "works." We choose churches, careers, and even spouses based on what we see as suitable for our needs. But the Christian life is a walk of faith, not of sight. God frequently calls us to leave the suitable place in order to take by faith the promised place. He called Abraham out of the suitable civilization of Ur. He called Moses out of the suitable comfort of Midian. And He calls us to leave the suitable comforts of the world to take up our cross and follow Him into a kingdom that cannot be seen with the eyes.
A Respectful, Rational Request (v. 2-4)
Having made their calculation, they approach the leadership. Their request is cloaked in the language of respect and sound reasoning.
"so the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben came and spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, 'Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer... the land, which Yahweh struck before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.'" (Numbers 32:2-4)
They do everything by the book. They don't rebel; they negotiate. They come to Moses, the priest, and the leaders. They are respectful. They are organized. They present a logical case. They even frame it in theological terms. They acknowledge that it was "Yahweh" who struck the land before them. They are essentially saying, "Look, God has already given us this victory. The land is empty. It's perfect for our needs. We have the livestock to fill it. This just makes sense. Surely this is God's provision."
This is how spiritual compromise almost always works. It presents itself as sanctified common sense. It takes a truth, God's provision, and twists it to justify a departure from God's full command. They were using God's past blessings to excuse themselves from God's future commands. Yes, God did conquer the land of Gilead for them. But He conquered it as a staging ground, not as a final destination. He gave them that victory to propel them across the Jordan, not to tempt them to settle before the job was done.
They list the cities, showing they have done their homework. They have scouted the territory. Their logic is impeccable from a worldly standpoint: we have a need (pasture), here is a supply (Gilead), therefore, we should stay. The only flaw in their logic was the one thing that mattered most: the command of God to possess the land on the other side of the Jordan. They had a business plan, but God had a battle plan.
The Heart of the Matter (v. 5)
Finally, they get to the core of their request, the punchline of their entire presentation. And it is a request for an exemption.
"And they said, 'If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession; do not take us across the Jordan.'" (Numbers 32:5)
"Do not take us across the Jordan." Here it is. The desire to stop short. The desire to be excused from the conflict. The desire to enjoy the fruit of the conquest without participating in the fullness of the war. They wanted their inheritance now, on their own terms, in a place of their own choosing. They wanted to settle down while their brothers were gearing up for war.
This is the essence of what we might call "borderland Christianity." It is the desire to be close enough to the kingdom to get the benefits of fire insurance and a decent moral framework, but not so close that it requires us to actually go to war. It wants the blessings of salvation without the fight of sanctification. It wants the peace of God without the warfare against sin. It wants to settle in the rich pastures of Gilead while the rest of the army is taking on the giants in Canaan.
Their request, "let this land be given to your servants as a possession," reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of inheritance. An inheritance from God is not a piece of real estate that you can take and then retreat to. It is a shared responsibility within a covenant community. Their inheritance was inextricably tied to the inheritance of their brothers. By seeking to secure their portion separately, they were threatening the unity of the entire nation, as Moses immediately recognizes in the verses that follow.
Conclusion: Crossing Your Jordan
The story of Reuben and Gad is our story. God has blessed us in Christ with an exceedingly great number of spiritual blessings. He has given us victory over our enemies. He has brought us to the border of a land of promise, the Christian life of maturity, faithfulness, and fruitfulness.
And the temptation is to look around at the blessings we have already received, at the comfortable life we have built, and say, "This is good enough. Do not take me across the Jordan." Do not ask me to engage in the hard work of evangelism. Do not ask me to fight the giants of sin in my own heart. Do not ask me to take up my cross in the culture war. Do not ask me to sacrifice my comfort for the sake of the kingdom. Let me stay here, in the green pastures of my own private spirituality, with my family and my livestock.
But the call of Christ is a call to cross the river. It is a call to leave the "good enough" for the sake of the promised best. The Christian life is not a defensive crouch in Gilead; it is an invasion of Canaan. We are called to take ground, to fight battles, and to possess the inheritance that Christ has won for us and for all His people.
Later, Moses will work out a compromise with these tribes. They can have their land, but only after their men of war cross the Jordan and fight alongside their brothers until the entire land is subdued. The principle stands. There is no private inheritance. There is no settling down while the war still rages. We are in this together.
So the question for us this morning is simple. Where is your Jordan? What is the next step of faith, of obedience, of warfare that God is calling you to? What comfortable, suitable, pragmatic piece of Gilead are you tempted to settle in? Let us not be those who see God's blessings as a reason to retire, but as fuel for the fight. Let us, by faith, cross the river and take possession of the land. For our inheritance is not ultimately a piece of ground, but Christ Himself, and He is worth whatever giants we must face to possess Him more fully.