The Covenantal Obligation of the Armed Men Text: Numbers 32:16-19
Introduction: The Temptation of a Comfortable Inheritance
We come now to a critical moment in the life of Israel. They are on the very cusp of the Promised Land. Forty years of wandering, judgment, and divine patience have brought them to the east bank of the Jordan. The goal is in sight. The inheritance for which Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob longed is just across the river. But at this moment, a temptation arises, and it is a temptation that is as modern as it is ancient. It is the temptation to settle for a comfortable inheritance, a good-enough portion, and to let your brothers go fight the hard battles without you.
The tribes of Reuben and Gad, along with half the tribe of Manasseh, saw that the land of Gilead was good. It was good for livestock, and they had a great deal of livestock. Their reasoning was entirely pragmatic, entirely sensible from a worldly point of view. "This land is good. We like it. Let us have it, and you all can go on your way." This is the spirit of our age. It is the desire for a private peace, a personal prosperity, a customized Christianity that allows us to build our sheepfolds and secure our little ones while the great spiritual war for the inheritance rages on elsewhere. It is the temptation to say, "I've got my doctrine sorted out, my family is in a good place, my church is solid. Let the rest of the world burn."
Moses, a man who had seen an entire generation perish in the wilderness for their faithlessness, immediately recognized the poison in this request. He saw it as a reenactment of the sin of the spies at Kadesh Barnea, a sin of discouraging the hearts of their brethren. "Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here?" (Num. 32:6). This is the crucial question. It is a question that cuts to the very heart of our covenantal obligations to one another. The Christian life is not a solo expedition. The church is not a collection of individual spiritual consumers who have all chosen the same brand. We are an army. We are a body. And when one part of the body refuses to engage in the fight, the whole body is endangered.
The response of the Reubenites and Gadites in our text today is their attempt to correct their error. They hear Moses' righteous rebuke, and they propose a compromise. They make a vow. And in this vow, we see the principles of covenant faithfulness, the priority of corporate responsibility, and the nature of a true, God-honoring inheritance. This is not just a dusty border dispute from the Bronze Age. This is a living word that confronts our individualism, our love of comfort, and our frequent desire to enjoy the blessings of the covenant without fulfilling its obligations.
The Text
Then they came near to him and said, “We will build here sheepfolds for our livestock and cities for our little ones; but we ourselves will be armed ready to go before the sons of Israel, until we have brought them to their place, and our little ones live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. We will not return to our homes until every one of the sons of Israel has possessed his inheritance. For we will not have an inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond because our inheritance has fallen to us on this side of the Jordan east.”
(Numbers 32:16-19 LSB)
Securing the Home Front (v. 16)
The response begins with a practical plan that acknowledges their responsibilities.
"Then they came near to him and said, 'We will build here sheepfolds for our livestock and cities for our little ones;'" (Numbers 32:16)
Their first thought is for their possessions and their families, their livestock and their little ones. This is not, in itself, a wrong impulse. The Scripture teaches that a man who does not provide for his own household has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (1 Tim. 5:8). A man's domain is his household, and he is responsible for its protection and provision. They recognize that they cannot simply abandon their families and their livelihood to the dangers of the land. They need to establish a secure home base.
They propose to build sheepfolds and fortified cities. This is an act of responsible dominion. They are not asking for a life of ease, but for a secure foundation from which to operate. They understand that the "inhabitants of the land" are a real threat. Leaving their families vulnerable would be irresponsible. So, they lay out a plan to secure the home front first. This is a necessary prerequisite for any successful campaign. An army that is constantly worried about the safety of their homes is an army that cannot fight with its full strength. For us, this means we must be diligent to order our own households in the fear of the Lord. Our families should be little garrisons, fortified cities of faith, from which we go out to do battle in the world.
The Vow of the Vanguard (v. 17-18)
Having addressed the issue of their families, they now make a solemn vow concerning their own participation in the coming war.
"but we ourselves will be armed ready to go before the sons of Israel, until we have brought them to their place, and our little ones live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. We will not return to our homes until every one of the sons of Israel has possessed his inheritance." (Numbers 32:17-18 LSB)
This is the heart of their covenantal commitment. They do not say, "We will come along and help if you need us." They say, "we ourselves will be armed ready to go before the sons of Israel." They volunteer for the vanguard. They offer to be the tip of the spear. The men who wanted to settle down first are now pledging to be the first into the fight. This is what true repentance looks like. It does not just correct the error; it swings to the opposite virtue. They were in danger of becoming laggards, so they commit to becoming leaders in the battle.
Their commitment is not open-ended or vague. It is defined by the success of their brothers: "until we have brought them to their place." And again, "We will not return to our homes until every one of the sons of Israel has possessed his inheritance." This is a profound statement of corporate solidarity. Their personal peace and comfort are now made secondary to the corporate success of the entire nation. They are tying their own rest to the rest of their brethren. They will not put their feet up in Gilead while their brothers are still fighting for their own portions in Canaan. They understand that their inheritance is only truly secure when all of God's people have secured theirs.
This is a direct rebuke to the every-man-for-himself spirit that so often infects the church. We are our brother's keeper. We are commanded to bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2). We cannot be content with our own spiritual prosperity while other parts of the church are embattled, struggling, and have not yet entered into their inheritance. The fight in another city, another state, another country against the forces of darkness is our fight. We are to arm ourselves and go before them in prayer, in support, and in action, and we do not have the right to "return to our homes" and rest easy until the entire body of Christ is victorious.
The Renunciation of a Double Portion (v. 19)
Finally, they state the logical consequence of their choice. By taking their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan, they formally renounce any claim to the land on the west side.
"For we will not have an inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond because our inheritance has fallen to us on this side of the Jordan east." (Genesis 32:19 LSB)
They are making a clear choice. They are not trying to have it both ways. They are not seeking to secure a comfortable portion for themselves and then also claim a share of the spoils that their brothers win. They understand that their decision has consequences. Their lot has been cast, and they will live with it. This demonstrates integrity. They are saying, "This is our choice, and we will stand by it. We will fight for your inheritance, not because we expect a piece of it, but because it is our covenant duty to do so."
This is a crucial point. Their fight is now entirely altruistic. They are fighting for their brothers' inheritance, not their own. This purifies their motives. They are not mercenaries; they are kinsmen. This is the model for Christian service. We fight for the kingdom, we labor for the church, we contend for the faith, not primarily for our own reward, but for the glory of our King and the good of our brethren. Our reward is in Heaven, and our inheritance is Christ Himself. Therefore, we can afford to pour ourselves out for the establishment of His kingdom on earth, for the inheritance of our brothers and sisters, without constantly calculating what's in it for us.
Conclusion: Fighting for a Better Inheritance
Moses accepts their vow, but with a stern warning: "if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out" (Num. 32:23). Covenant vows are serious things. God does not take them lightly. And these men were true to their word. The book of Joshua records that the men of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh crossed the Jordan, armed for battle, and fought faithfully until the land was subdued (Joshua 4:12-13; 22:1-6).
But there is a tragic postscript to this story. In the long run, the choice of these tribes to remain outside the proper boundaries of the Promised Land proved to be a disastrous one. Being on the frontier, they were the most exposed to foreign invasion and pagan influence. They were the first tribes to be carried off into captivity by the Assyrians (1 Chron. 5:26). They chose what was good for their livestock in the short term, but it was not what was best for their children in the long term. They settled for the good, and in so doing, they missed out on the best.
Herein lies the warning for us. We are called to fight. We are called to take the whole inheritance that God has promised. That inheritance is not just a ticket to heaven when we die. The meek shall inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5). The promise to Abraham was that he would be the heir of the world (Rom. 4:13). Christ has been given the nations for His inheritance (Psalm 2:8). This is the battle we are in. We are to disciple the nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey all that Christ has commanded.
The temptation is always to settle for a piece of land on the wrong side of the Jordan. The temptation is to build our comfortable sheepfolds, secure our own little tribe, and let the main battle pass us by. But we are under a covenantal obligation. We must arm ourselves and go before our brethren. We must fight, not for our own little piece of turf, but for the full inheritance of the entire people of God. We must not rest until every last enemy has been put under the feet of Christ, and every tribe and tongue has possessed their inheritance in Him. Let us not be content with Gilead when God has promised us Canaan. Let us cross the river.