Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,
The fighting is over and the land is divided. Joshua now calls together the three groups whose homes lay on the far side of the Jordan. Their journey home raises the question the chapter answers: what does it cost to settle outside the place God gave?
Joshua names Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh on their own. They had asked for land east of the river before Israel ever crossed, in a place that suited what they owned. One writer draws the line between fighting for God and living near Him:
Like many Christians today, they were ready to fight the battles of the Lord. But they did not want to live where the Name of the Lord was set. They were content to have their inheritance in a place that suited their earthly possessions. But they came short of God's thoughts for the good of His people.
This call is not a rebuke. They had kept their part to the end:
To their credit, the warriors from Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh had stayed faithfully with the other tribes in the fight until they had broken all the enemy's power. Joshua now speaks to them. He commends their obedience to Moses and to him (v.2), since they did not leave their brothers during these many days of war. So he tells them they are free to go home to the east side of Jordan. That was the possession God had granted them before Israel crossed the river (v.4).
The word that releases them carries a weight, because of where it sends them:
He blessed them, and sent them away: "Return to your tents with much wealth and with very much livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and with much clothing. Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers." There is a blessing for any child of God who follows the Lord with a true heart, even if he does so only for one day. There is always spoil for such a person to divide with those who stay at home and keep the baggage. But "Return" is a solemn sentence.
The same writer notes that God did not abandon them in the place they had chosen:
Turning away from any degree of zeal for God, or nearness to God, is a grievous thing. The forty thousand found this out as they returned from the battlefields and left Shiloh, the place of worship. In a sense, it may be that the Lord accepted them in the position they had chosen (see the end of verse 9). He acts towards His people by His own standard of faithfulness, even when they are in a false position. "He remains faithful."
Before they go, Joshua presses on them the command Moses gave. One writer ties the urgency of that charge to where they were going:
However, he urgently warned them to keep with care the commandment and the law that Moses had given them. They were "to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and to cling to Him and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul" (v.5). Joshua had a special concern for these tribes. They had chosen to take the territory east of Jordan, so a natural boundary separated them from the rest of Israel.
His concern proved right. Back home, these tribes built a large altar by the Jordan to witness that they too belonged to Israel. Their need for it was the telling thing:
They raise the altar and call it "Ed," a witness that Israel's God was their God. But why all this? Had they stayed in Canaan, where the ark and tabernacle of God were, they would not have needed it. But they were not there. Shiloh was not in view... They had to give themselves some artificial help — a crutch for their souls, so to speak. It supported the confidence and joy of their hearts that, as Israelites, they shared fellowship and common interests and calling with their brothers.
Their instinct about unity was right. Their reading of the danger was not:
They are right in realising that their one Lord is the bond of unity. They do not foresee that their danger, in fact, is not from their brothers, but in themselves. Their own slipping away from the LORD is what leads to their dispersion and captivity in other lands.
- Choice. They asked for land east of the Jordan because it suited what they owned. They would fight for the Lord, but not live where His Name was.
- Kept. They stayed with their brothers through many days of war, until the enemy's power was broken.
- Commended. Joshua calls them, praises their obedience, blesses them and sends them home with a share of the spoil.
- Charged. Their border cut them off from the rest of Israel. So Joshua presses them to love, obey, cling to and serve the Lord with all their heart.
- Cost. The altar they built shows what it cost. They needed that witness only because they had settled short. And the danger came, in the end, from themselves.
and said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, and have hearkened to my voice in all that I commanded you.
Joshua's last word to the men of Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh opens with praise: they had kept every command of Moses and obeyed Joshua without fail. Yet the praise is only half the story, because the next sentence sends them home to the land they chose for themselves east of the Jordan.
The obedience Joshua praises reaches back years. These tribes picked their land before Israel ever crossed the river, and that choice came with a condition.
Their selfish choice in picking their portion on this side of the Jordan is recorded in Numbers. Even so, they had to cross the Jordan with the other tribes and help them in the fight (chapter 1:12-18). They kept their promise carefully, and the time had come for them to return home.
What Joshua commends cost them years of fighting far from the land they had chosen. One writer presses the same point on believers today.
They wanted to settle in an area short of crossing the Jordan. Even so, they were not excused from the unity of bearing the same conflict that the rest of Israel bore. It is the same today. Some believers do not have the spiritual energy and faith to enter fully into the blessings of our inheritance in heavenly places. They are still expected to take part in fighting "the good fight of the faith" (1 Tim. 6:12). That conflict identifies them with all the people of God, and not with an ungodly world.
Joshua's words leave nothing to criticise in their record. One writer looks deeper and asks where their hearts were.
They had been faithful to the commands of Moses and Joshua, had kept the commandment of the Lord, and had not abandoned their brothers. Obedience to clear commands, and love for their brothers, marked them the whole time they were away from the land of their own possession. There seemed to be nothing to find fault with in them, but as we saw in Joshua 1, their hearts (I do not say their thoughts) were not set on heavenly things. Their cattle were their starting-point.
Read the speech as a whole and the tone shifts. One writer hears more than approval in it.
Joshua recounts everything commendable in them, but clearly with some misgiving. He blessed them and sent them away, saying, "But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses, the servant of the Lord, charged you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways... and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul."
That charge explains Joshua's unease. A record of kept commands can be real and still lack the one thing that keeps it going.
Obedience to known commands, and brotherly love, are not enough to keep us going for any length of time. Conduct, obedience, devotedness and service should flow from love, and unless love is in exercise our activity soon comes to an end. A child can make a hoop roll with the first stroke of its stick, but it soon stops unless the push is renewed.
Their service was not wasted. They went home with spoil and with a blessing. But the word Joshua used to send them away carried its own weight. Older translations read it as "Return."
He blessed them, and sent them away. There is a blessing for any child of God who follows the Lord with a true heart, even if he does so only for one day, and there is always spoil for such to divide with those who stay at home and keep the supplies; but "Return" is a solemn sentence.
"Return" from the scene of hardship and of victory to the shepherd's tent! "Return" from Canaan to Gilead! "Return" from the promised possession to the inheritance of your choice! Turning back from any degree of zeal for God, or nearness to God, is a grievous thing... In a sense, it may be, the Lord accepted them in the position they had chosen, for He acts towards His people according to His own standard of faithfulness, even when they are in a false position. "He remains faithful."
- Promise — These tribes pledged to fight for their brothers before settling down. Joshua's praise says they kept that pledge to the last day.
- Cost — Choosing less than the full inheritance did not excuse them from the conflict. They stayed at war, far from the land they had chosen.
- Gap — Nothing in their conduct could be faulted. Yet one writer says their hearts rested on their cattle, not on heavenly things.
- Fuel — Obedience and love for one another cannot last on their own. Like a hoop that stops unless the stick strikes again, service must keep flowing from love for God.
- Return — They go home blessed and rich, because even one day of true-hearted following brings reward. Yet the same word sends them back from Canaan to the ground they chose — where the Lord still deals with them in His own faithfulness.
Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, and ye have kept the charge of the commandment of Jehovah your God.
Joshua finally sends the fighting men of Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh home. He praises them as they go: through a long war they never left their brothers, and they kept what the Lord commanded. Yet some commentators read the scene with unease. These are the tribes who had already chosen their land east of the Jordan.
The praise looks back to a deal made before Israel crossed the river. One writer describes how far these men went to keep it:
To their credit, the warriors from Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh kept fighting beside the other tribes until the enemy's power was completely broken. Joshua now speaks to them. He praises them for obeying Moses and himself (v.2), and for not leaving their brothers through these many days of war.
Their choice of land never excused them from the fight. The terms went back to Moses:
Their choice did not excuse them from the war. Moses had made it clear to them that they could settle east of Jordan, and their wives, children and livestock could stay there. But every able-bodied man had to go with the rest of Israel into Canaan to help them conquer the enemy. These warriors were not to return to their land east of Jordan until all Israel was settled in peace. This was to be a powerful testimony to the unity of Israel. We too should care this much about the blessing of all the children of God.
The verse names two things, not one. Staying with your brothers is one. Keeping the Lord's charge is the other. One commentator sets both down as the marks of these men, then adds what lay behind them:
They had been faithful to the commands of Moses and Joshua. They had kept the commandment of the Lord, and they had not abandoned their brothers. Obedience to plain commands, and love for their brothers, marked them the whole time they were away from the land they owned. There seemed to be nothing to find fault with in them. But as we saw in Joshua 1, their hearts (I do not say their thoughts) were not set on heavenly things.
Joshua does not stop at praise. He goes on to appeal to them in verse 5. The same commentator finds a warning in that appeal:
Joshua's appeal in Joshua 22:5 again points to the danger of a lowered Christianity. The real backbone of all Christian conduct was missing. Obeying known commands, and loving your brothers, are not enough to keep us going for long. Conduct, obedience, devotion and service should flow from love. Unless that love is at work, our activity soon comes to an end. A child can make a hoop roll with the first stroke of its stick, but it soon stops unless the push is renewed.
Their families, herds and homes stayed east of the river the whole time. One writer weighs what that meant for the men who crossed:
All through their wars in Canaan, these forty thousand were fighting for others, not for themselves. It is a very solemn thing when Christians in spiritual warfare are only support troops, as it were. Real Christian soldiers are very rare; they are soldiers for life… All God's people must fight the spiritual battle. But like the forty thousand, many fight the fight of faith while expecting to go back to their comfort and pleasures here.
Joshua sent them home with a blessing and a share of the spoil. The same writer weighs both sides of that ending:
There is a blessing for any child of God who follows the Lord with a true heart, even if he does so for only one day. And there is always spoil for such a person to share with those who stay at home and guard the supplies. But "Return" is a solemn sentence to hear.
- Promise. Verse 3 measures them against terms set long before. Their soldiers had to cross over with Israel. Only when all Israel had rest could they go home.
- Perseverance. The praise is for how long they kept going: many days without leaving their brothers, and without dropping the Lord's charge.
- Unity. The plan was meant to show that Israel was one people. Today that means caring about the blessing of all God's people, not just your own.
- Backbone. Obedience and love for your brothers were real, but they cannot carry a person for long. Conduct has to flow from love, or it stops.
- Return. God rewards even one day of whole-hearted following. Yet to be sent back to the side of the river you chose is a solemn end.
And now Jehovah your God hath given rest to your brethren, as he said unto them; and now return, and get you unto your tents, unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave you beyond the Jordan.
The fighting is over, and Joshua sends the men of Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh home. But their home lies back across the Jordan, outside the land Israel had just fought to win.
They leave with praise, not just permission.
To their credit, the warriors from Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh stayed with the other tribes in the fight until all the enemy's power was broken. Joshua now speaks to them. He commends them for obeying Moses and himself (v.2) and for not leaving their brothers during these many days of war. So he tells them they are free to go home to the east side of the Jordan — the possession God had granted them before they crossed the river (v.4).
They go home because God kept His promise of rest. But the word Joshua uses to send them off is a solemn one.
The Lord had now given rest to Israel, just as He had promised. So Joshua said to these warriors, "Return." He commended their faithfulness and obedience, and earnestly urged them to be wholehearted for the Lord. He begged them to love the Lord, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all their heart and soul. Then he blessed them and sent them away... There is a blessing for any child of God who follows the Lord with a true heart, even if he does so only for one day... but "Return" is a solemn sentence.
Why did their possession lie beyond the Jordan? They had asked for it there.
"Do not bring us over the Jordan" had been the settled decision of the two and a half tribes. God had greatly enriched them on their way to the promised land. They preferred to settle down and enjoy their riches rather than press on to the inheritance. Convenience, not faith, guided them. The cities of Gilead attracted them more than the soldiers' tents across the Jordan. Settling down, whatever form it takes, is a sorrowful thing.
What they left behind mattered more than the miles. The ark was the chest that held God's covenant and marked His presence with Israel. It had crossed the river and stayed there.
The ark had gone over. The feet of the priests carrying it had divided the waters of the Jordan. The ark had gone over, leading and sheltering the Israel of God. It is true that Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had gone over too. But Israel and the ark stayed there, and the two and a half tribes return. They return to settle where their brothers had only wandered... and to find a home where the ark had never rested.
Their record was clean. What was missing lay deeper than conduct.
They had been faithful to the commands of Moses and Joshua, had kept the commandment of the Lord, and had not forsaken their brothers... There was nothing to find fault with in them, as far as anyone could see. But as we saw in Joshua 1, their hearts (I do not say their thoughts) were not set on heavenly things. Their cattle were their starting-point.
Living far from the centre of the nation changed nothing for them.
And if any of them lived far from the centre of the nation's life and worship, the word was still to be their rule there.
Every step home took them away from the place of victory. Yet that did not change how God dealt with them.
"Return" from the scene of hardship and of victory to the shepherd's tent! "Return" from Canaan to Gilead! "Return" from the promised possession to the inheritance of your own choice! Departure from any degree of zeal for God, or nearness to God, is grievous... Perhaps, in a sense, the Lord accepted them in the position they had chosen (see end of v. 9). He acts toward His people by His own standard of faithfulness, even when they are in a false position. "He remains faithful."
- Rest earned — these men fought on until the enemy's power broke. Joshua praises their obedience, then sends them home.
- Rest given — they go home because God kept His word and gave Israel rest.
- Rest relocated — they take that rest back over the Jordan, to land of their own choosing, where the ark had never rested.
- Rest without heart — no one could fault their conduct, yet their cattle, not the inheritance, was their starting-point. Joshua's answer is a call to love God and hold fast to Him.
- Rest still under the word — distance changed nothing. God's word was to rule them there, and He stays faithful even to people in a false position of their own choosing.
Only, take great heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, to love Jehovah your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
The men of Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh had kept their promise: they crossed the Jordan, fought beside their brothers, and may now go home. Joshua praises them, but before he lets them go he presses one thing on them — not more warfare, but love.
The commendation in the previous verses is real, yet Joshua does not stop there. Commentators connect the urgency of his charge with where these tribes were going.
He urgently warned them to take careful heed to keep the commandment and the law that Moses had given them (v.5). Joshua had a special concern for these tribes. They had chosen to take the territory east of Jordan, so a boundary naturally separated them from the rest of Israel. Still, they went home with Joshua's blessing (v.6).
Their record so far had been good. One writer notes that even so, something was missing at the root of it.
Joshua's appeal in Joshua 22:5 again points to the danger of a lowered Christianity. The real backbone of all the conduct of the Christian was lacking. Obedience to known commands, and brotherly love, are not enough to keep us going for any length of time. Conduct, obedience, devotedness and service should flow from love. Unless love is at work, our activity soon comes to an end. A child can make a hoop roll with the first stroke of its stick, but it soon stops unless the stick strikes again.
The word behind "cling to him" is not a religious term. It comes from the closest human bond there is.
To cleave is the word God used at the beginning of human history. It expresses the undivided and unchanging affection a man should keep for the wife of his choice (Gen. 2:24). This love is so close and unifying that by cleaving the "two shall be one flesh" (Eph. 5:31). Cleaving also expresses the loving obedience and worshipping service which should mark the people of God. Six times Moses and Joshua urged the children of Israel to cleave to the LORD their God (Deut. 10:20; Deut. 11:22; Deut. 13:4; Deut. 30:20; Joshua 22:5; Joshua 23:8).
Joshua asks for the whole heart and the whole soul. One writer explains why such a demand is not a burden.
Walking in the way of the divine commandments was all for their real good, their deep, full blessing. The path of whole-hearted obedience is the only path of true happiness. Blessed be God, those who love the Lord can always walk this path.
Later in the same chapter these tribes stop at the river and build a great altar. One writer asks what such an altar was really for.
What a poor thing was their altar of Ed! It was not for worship. They never meant to place any "burnt offering, or grain offering, or peace offering" on it. What then was this great altar for? "To see to!" To recall the brilliant past! To witness that, in days gone by, those who built it were soldiers in Canaan and worshippers at Shiloh! How often the Christian builds his altar of Ed. People talk of what they used to be, how they served God, how they enjoyed seasons of heartfelt worship. By that sign from the past they would prove that they are sound now. Traditions and memories hold such souls, not the living energy of the present.
The same lesson has a positive side. One writer turns it into a prayer.
May we, in the language of Joshua 22, so carry ourselves that we need no altar to see to. May we need nothing to declare where we belong, where we worship, whose we are and whom we serve. Then everything about us will be clear and beyond question. Our testimony will be distinct, and the sound of our trumpet certain.
- Love first. Obedience and loyalty to your brothers are not enough on their own. Conduct, obedience, devotedness and service must flow from love, or the movement stops like a hoop nobody strikes again.
- Love clings. To cleave is the marriage word: undivided, unchanging affection. Moses and Joshua urge Israel to it six times.
- Love walks. Walking in all His ways and keeping His commandments is the shape love takes. God asks it for their good, not against it.
- Love is whole. God asks for all the heart and all the soul. Whole-hearted obedience is the only path of true happiness, and those who love the Lord can always walk it.
- Love needs no monument. Live this verse and you need no great altar "to see to" to prove whose you are. Everything about you will be clear, and your testimony distinct.
And Joshua blessed them, and sent them away; and they went to their tents.
The war is over, and Joshua sends the two and a half tribes home with his blessing. But their home lies outside the land, across the Jordan — so can a blessing rest on a man who settles for less than God gave him?
The blessing comes at the end of a long obedience.
To their credit, the warriors from Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh kept on faithfully with the other tribes in the fight against the enemy, until the enemy's power was completely broken. Joshua now speaks to them. He commends them for obeying Moses and himself (v.2), and for not leaving their brothers during these many days of war. So he tells them they are free to go home to the east side of the Jordan. That was the possession God had granted them before they crossed the river (v.4).
Joshua does not send them away with praise alone. He gives them a charge first, and one writer turns it on the reader.
Joshua commends them for their faithfulness. He urges them to love the Lord, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him and to serve Him. May we also heed these words. We can only enjoy the fellowship and the spiritual blessings that belong to us as we walk in all His ways and obey His Word.
Why does love come first? Without it, one writer says, service soon stops.
Joshua's exhortation (Joshua 22:5) again points clearly to the danger of a lowered Christianity. The real backbone of all the conduct of the Christian was lacking. Obedience to known commands, and brotherly love, are not enough to keep us for any length of time. Conduct, obedience, devotion and service should flow from love. Unless love is at work, our activity soon comes to an end. A child can make a hoop roll with the first stroke of its stick, but it soon stops unless the push is renewed.
God does not overlook real service, however short it is.
There is a blessing for any child of God who follows the Lord with a true heart, even if he does so only for one day. There is always spoil for such a person to divide with those who stay at home and guard the supplies. But "Return" is a solemn sentence.
"They went to their tents" points backwards. The same writer weighs what that one word cost them, and how God treated them even so.
"Return" from the scene of hardship and of victory to the shepherd's tent! "Return" from Canaan to Gilead! "Return" from the promised possession to the inheritance of your own choosing! Departure from any degree of zeal for God, or nearness to God, is grievous… In a sense, it may be, the Lord accepted them in the position which they had chosen. He acts towards His people according to His own standard of faithfulness, even when they are in a false position. "He remains faithful."
One writer traces their choice back to their cattle.
Notice what keeps the two tribes east of the Jordan, on the wilderness side: their cattle. We might say they border closely on the world. How often do business and earthly interests hold the children of God from entering fully and practically into their heavenly calling!
The choice also cost their families.
The two and a half tribes found themselves obliged to build sheepfolds for their cattle and walled cities to protect their families, and to leave their wives and children for many long years — which also robbed those families of the blessing of seeing the wonders the Lord displayed for His people.
Settling short had consequences, and they began to feel them.
These tribes staying on the east led to difficulty. By the border of the Jordan they built a great altar "to look at". Later they explained it as a witness that they had a part in the Lord. They were beginning to feel the consequences of having fallen short of God's calling, and of taking lower ground.
- Served — they stayed in the fight to the end, and Joshua commends them for never deserting their brothers.
- Charged — before the blessing comes the command: love Him, walk in His ways, hold fast, serve with the whole heart.
- Loved — duty alone slows like a hoop with no fresh stroke. Love is the backbone that keeps service going.
- Rewarded — anyone who follows the Lord with a true heart, even for one day, has blessing and spoil to share.
- Returned — going back to their tents was a step back to a portion they chose for themselves. It ended in an altar built to prove they still belonged. Even then, God dealt with them by His own faithfulness.
And to half the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given [inheritance] in Bashan, and to the other half thereof had Joshua given among their brethren on this side the Jordan westward. And when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them also,
Manasseh is the one tribe with land on both banks of the Jordan. Moses gave one half Bashan in the east, Joshua gave the other half land in the west, and now Joshua sends the eastern soldiers home with a blessing.
One writer finds the double portion fitting, and reads it as a hint of a day still to come:
How fitting that Manasseh, the one who is "forgetful" of the things behind, should have the kingdom of Og in Bashan put into their hands! The things of the world can only be rightly used by someone who is pressing on to another. This is the only one of the tribes found on the east side of Jordan that in fact inherits on both sides of the river. Even so, the oneness of the tribe stands out. And so Manasseh comes nearer the final division in the day still to come. Then each tribe receives its inheritance on both sides, with the boundary lines running east and west across the river.
One writer notes how long these eastern tribes stayed in the fight:
To their credit, the warriors from Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh stayed faithfully with the other tribes in the conflict. They fought on until they had broken all the power of the enemy. Joshua now speaks to them. He commends them for obeying Moses and himself: they did not leave their brothers during these many days of warfare. So he tells them they are free to return to their homes on the east side of Jordan. God had granted them that possession before they crossed the river.
Joshua's blessing carries a charge, and one writer turns it on the reader:
Numbers records their selfish choice in picking their portion on this side of Jordan. Still, they had to cross the Jordan with the other tribes and help them in the conflict. They kept their promise carefully, and the time to return home had come. Joshua commends them for their faithfulness. He urges them to love the Lord, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him and to serve Him. May we also heed these words. We can only enjoy the fellowship and the spiritual blessings that belong to us as we walk in all His ways and obey His Word.
Joshua had a reason to press this charge on these tribes:
He urgently warned them to take careful heed to keep the commandment and the law that Moses had given them. Joshua was especially concerned about these tribes. They had chosen to take the territory east of Jordan, and that gave them a boundary which naturally separated them from the rest of Israel.
The verse says Joshua sent them away to their homes; an older translation reads "to their tents." One writer sets the reward and the word "Return" side by side, and finds the second sobering:
There is a blessing for any child of God who follows the Lord with a true heart, even if he does so only for one day. Such a person always has spoil to divide with those who stay at home and keep the supplies. But "Return" is a solemn sentence. Return from the scene of hardship and of victory to the pastoral tent! Return from Canaan to Gilead! Return from the promised possession to the inheritance of your choice! Departure from any degree of zeal for God, or nearness to God, is grievous.
Back in their own land, these tribes set up something to reassure themselves. One writer asks why they needed it:
They raise the altar and call it "Ed," a witness that Israel's God was their God. But why all this? Had they remained in Canaan, where the ark and tabernacle of God were, they would not have needed this. They had to give themselves some artificial help — a crutch for their souls, so to speak. It supported the confidence and joy of their hearts that as Israelites they shared fellowship and common interests and calling with their brothers.
- Both sides. Manasseh alone inherited on both banks. That points ahead to a day when every tribe holds land on both sides of the river.
- Faithful. The eastern warriors fought on until they had broken all the enemy's power. Joshua commends them for not leaving their brothers.
- Blessed. Their dismissal comes with a blessing and with spoil to share — real reward for real obedience.
- Warned. The blessing carries a charge: love Him, obey Him, hold fast to Him. Joshua pressed it because the Jordan now separated them from the rest.
- Costly. Settled beyond the river, they soon needed an altar as a witness. It was a crutch they would never have needed in Canaan, where the ark and tabernacle were.
and spoke to them, saying, Return unto your tents with much wealth and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with copper, and with iron, and with clothing, in very great quantity; divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.
Joshua sends the fighting men of Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh home after years of war west of the Jordan. They go loaded with plunder, and with one instruction: this wealth must not stay in their own tents.
These riches were not a windfall. The men who stood in the fight stripped them from defeated enemies.
Joshua approved of their taking home much wealth, won as spoil from the enemies they had defeated (v.8). In the same way, if conflict with spiritual enemies enriches believers today with the knowledge of the truth of God, they have plenty to share with their loved ones and neighbours.
A victory that only pushes the enemy back leaves you no richer. Spoil means the fight itself produced gain.
The victory is not just a pushing back of the enemy. It is a real gaining of fresh stores. Faith, no doubt, always gathers fresh riches from every conflict. The spoil of the enemy does not belong by right to them, but to those who overcome them. This spoil may well remind us of those fresh views of Christ which we gain from the very conflict we have fought for Him.
The men who carried the spoil east had earned it. The families waiting at home had not. Joshua still says: divide it.
There is a blessing for any child of God who follows the Lord with a true heart, even if he does so for only one day. And there is always spoil for such a person to divide with those who stay at home and keep the supplies.
One writer applies this share-out to the whole church. The reward reaches well past the front line.
All that has been gained in the Church by warfare for the Lord will be shared by all. Those who are foremost in the battle — apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists, and others — will receive a full reward. But those less prominent will not be forgotten. The Lord too will receive His place of true recognition. He gave the victory, and He alone enables His saints for every work for Him. Yet He delights to share the spoils with all who love Him.
There is a shadow over this scene. It goes back to a request these same tribes made to Moses years earlier.
Two tribes, Reuben and Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh asked Moses to let them settle on the conquered lands east of the Jordan. They would not take their portion in what was definitely the land of God's promise. What moved them to want this was the large number of cattle they had gained. The good things that God had granted took away their desire for Canaan.
Joshua's send-off is generous. But the direction it sends them is backwards.
"Return" from the scene of hardship and of victory to the shepherd's tent! "Return" from Canaan to Gilead! "Return" from the promised possession to the inheritance of your own choosing! Departure from any degree of zeal for God, or nearness to God, is grievous... It may be that in some sense the Lord accepted them in the position they had chosen. He acts towards His people by His own standard of faithfulness, even when they are in a false position. "He remains faithful."
- Fight — this wealth is spoil, so it exists only because there was a battle. The victory did more than push the enemy back; it brought home fresh stores.
- Spoil — what the enemy loses belongs by right to the one who overcame him, and it pictures the fresh views of Christ that faith gathers from every conflict.
- Share — Joshua's command is to divide it. Anyone who follows the Lord with a true heart, even for one day, has something to give those who stayed behind.
- Reach — in the share-out the most prominent servants get a full reward. The least prominent are not forgotten. The Lord who gave the victory receives His own place.
- Warning — plenty of cattle is what drew these tribes to settle east of the Jordan. Prosperity can cost you the better portion, and God stays faithful even to people in a place they should not be.
And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the country of Gilead, into the land of their possession, of which they had become possessed, according to the word of Jehovah through Moses.
The forty thousand fighting men of Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh had done what they promised. They crossed the Jordan and fought until Israel held the land. Verse 9 is the moment they turn around. They leave Shiloh, where the tabernacle stood, and head for Gilead on the far side of the river.
One writer hears the word "return" three times over, and each one points backwards.
"Return" from the scene of hardship and of victory to the shepherd's tent! "Return" from Canaan to Gilead! "Return" from the promised possession to the inheritance of your own choosing! Turning back from any measure of zeal for God, or nearness to God, is a grievous thing. The forty thousand discovered this as they came back from the battlefields and left Shiloh, the place of worship.
Behind them, on the Canaan side, stood the landmarks of all God had done for Israel.
Remember too what stood on "this side" of the Jordan. There were the twelve memorial stones of the river crossing, the strength of Gilgal, and the camp. There too were the fallen walls of Jericho, the stones at Ebal on which the law was written, the tabernacle, and the cloud.
They had chosen their destination long before this verse. It began with what they saw, and with what their cattle needed.
Their own separate, independent history begins when they see the well-watered plains. Those plains were good for their cattle, on the wilderness side of the Jordan. They think of their cattle rather than of the call of God, and of the pilgrimage of their brothers. Had their hearts been full of Christ, they would not have seen anything until they had crossed the river.
The cost fell on more than the soldiers. They left their families behind while they fought, and where they left them was the real issue.
But where had they left those loved ones? They had left them short of the divine mark. They had deprived them of a place and a portion in the true land of promise. That was the inheritance God had spoken about to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And for what? Just to get good pasture for their cattle.
These men had crossed the Jordan behind the ark. Now they recrossed it, and the ark did not come with them.
The ark had gone over. The feet of the priests carrying it had divided the waters of the Jordan. The ark had gone over, leading and shielding the Israel of God. And it is true that our tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had gone over with them. But the ark and Israel stayed there; that is the difference. The two tribes and a half return, but the ark remains. They leave the place that suits a ransomed people, a people dead and risen, and they go back to settle where Israel had only wandered.
The verse says they had possessed this land themselves — and yet it came to them by command of the LORD through Moses. One writer reads that closing clause as God meeting them where they were.
In a sense, it may be, the Lord accepted them in the position they had chosen (see the end of verse 9). He acts towards His people according to His own standard of faithfulness, even when they are in a false position. "He remains faithful."
Once they reached the land they had chosen, they felt a need their brothers did not feel.
They are not fully at ease; and there is something especially telling in that. They raise an altar, and call it "Ed" — a witness that Israel's God was their God. But why all this? Had they stayed in Canaan, where the ark and tabernacle of God were, they would not have needed this. But they were not there. Shiloh was not in view, and their souls could not hold onto the fact that Shiloh was their common centre with all their brothers. So they had to give themselves an artificial help, a crutch for their souls. It was meant to support the confidence and joy of their hearts — that as Israelites they shared fellowship, common interests and calling with their brothers.
- Choice. They settled the homeward road of verse 9 years earlier, when pasture for cattle weighed more than the call of God.
- Cost. Their families stayed "short of the divine mark," outside the inheritance God spoke of to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
- Crossing. They had entered behind the ark; they left it behind them, settling where Israel had only wandered.
- Care. Even in a position of their own choosing, God still acted toward them by His own standard of faithfulness.
- Consequence. Distance from Shiloh bred unease, and unease built an altar — one they would never have needed in Canaan.