Joshua 1:10-18, Numbers 32 - Reuben, Gad & The Half Tribe of Manasseh
Morning by morning, great is your faithfulness to me. There is something good about not just singing that in my car by myself, but singing that with the body—singing that with you together as the church and proclaiming what we know to be true. It is appropriate as we open up the book of Joshua for our fourth message in this series that we are talking about being faithful to a faithful God. That is the theme of the book of Joshua in so many ways: what God was teaching His people then, and what He is teaching us now.
If you have your Bible, open up to Joshua chapter one. We are going to finish this first chapter today by looking at verses 10 through 18. If I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you yet, my name is Mike, and I’m one of the teaching pastors here at The Well. For those of you who are new to our community or new to the things of God, we are thrilled you’re here. We are essentially rolling through a book of the Bible to glean from God’s Word what this means for our lives.
Over the last three weeks, we started in Genesis and painted a picture of a faithful God—a God who is not necessarily “safe,” but who is good. He is a God who keeps His promises of land, descendants, and blessing. He led His people out of bondage in Egypt, cared for them in the desert for forty years, and gave them miraculous victories. Last week, Brad reminded us of the command given to Joshua: to be strong and courageous and to put his trust in the Word of God. The question that remains for us today is: will he? Joshua has been told to lead, but faith without works is dead. He needs to demonstrate his belief by taking action.
Stepping Out in Faith
Let’s pick up in verse 10 and look at Joshua’s response to the Lord’s encouragement.
Joshua 1:10-11 (NASB)
Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, ’Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you are to cross this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you, to possess it.’’
Joshua responds with 100% obedience. He tells the people to prepare because in three days, they are crossing the Jordan. There is clarity, conviction, and belief. Now, keep in mind, Joshua hasn’t been told how they are going to cross. He was there for the Red Sea crossing as a young man, so he knows what God can do, but God hasn’t given him the technical manual for this specific miracle yet. God simply says, “Trust me. Walk with me.”
As God so often does, He picks the most difficult season to perform this miracle. We will see later that they cross during the Passover in the spring, when the Jordan River is at flood stage. It could have been anywhere from 200 yards to a mile wide with a rapid current. God often stacks the deck against Himself to show His power.
There are so many similarities here between Moses and Joshua. Both faced massive obstacles at the start of their leadership—the Red Sea for Moses and the Jordan for Joshua. These problems were far too big for human solutions. God was asking Joshua to be in a place of total dependence. Joshua, in your human power, this makes no sense. But if you lean on Me, I will bring you to the end of your rope so that you will find Me. I will do what I said I would do.
We find ourselves there sometimes, don’t we? We reach the end of our own means to solve a problem, and God says, “Great, Mike. That’s exactly where I want to meet you.”
The Tribes of the Transjordan
After Joshua provides clarity to the people, he addresses a very specific group: the two and a half tribes who settled on the East side of the Jordan.
Joshua 1:12-15 (NASB)
To the Reubenites and to the Gadites and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, ’Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, ‘The LORD your God gives you rest and will give you this land.’ ‘Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle shall remain in the land which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but you shall cross before your brothers in battle array, all your valiant warriors, and shall help them, until the LORD gives your brothers rest, as [He gives] you, and they also possess the land which the LORD your God is giving them. Then you shall return to your own land, and possess that which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.’
He is speaking to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. These tribes settled in the “Transjordan”—the land toward the sunrise. If you look at the map of the promised land, nine and a half tribes settled on the West side, but these three stayed on the East. To understand why Joshua is addressing them this way, we have to look at the backstory in Numbers and Deuteronomy.
As the Israelites journeyed toward the promised land, they tried to take the easy route through the territory of the Edomites and Moabites. Interestingly, God told the Israelites not to provoke those nations. He said, “I have given that land to the descendants of Esau and Lot. It is their possession.” Even with pagan nations, God is sovereign over who lives where.
However, when they reached the land of the Amorites, they encountered King Sihon and King Og. These kings weren’t just unfriendly; they initiated a battle against Israel.
Numbers 21:23-24 (NASB)
But Sihon would not permit Israel to pass through his border. So Sihon gathered all his people and went out against Israel in the wilderness, and came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. Then Israel struck him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the sons of Ammon; for the border of the sons of Ammon [was] Jazer.
Israel didn’t come for a fight, but God defended His people. They defeated Sihon and then Og, the King of Bashan—a man whose coffin was thirteen and a half feet long! These were giants in the land, and God gave Israel the victory. Because these kings attacked, their land became Israel’s territory.
This brings us to the request of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. They saw that this newly conquered land was great for livestock, so they went to Moses with a request.
Numbers 32:5 (NASB)
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.’
Moses’ initial response was frustration. He asked, “Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here?” He was worried they were discouraging the rest of the nation, just like the ten spies did at Kadesh Barnea forty years earlier. But the tribes clarified their intent.
Numbers 32:16-18 (NASB)
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, while 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.
They promised that while their families stayed in the East, their warriors would cross the Jordan and fight in the front lines until every tribe had their inheritance. Moses agreed to this deal. Now, years later, Joshua is holding them to that promise. He is saying, “Moses is dead, but your promise to God and your brothers is still alive.”
A Community of Courage
Look at how these tribes respond to Joshua.
Joshua 1:16-18 (NASB)
They answered Joshua, saying, ’All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. ’Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you; only may the LORD your God be with you as He was with Moses. ‘Anyone who rebels against your command and does not obey your words in all that you command him, shall be put to death; only be strong and courageous.’
They are 100% in. They recognize Joshua as their leader and remind him of the very thing God told him: “Only be strong and courageous.” It is a beautiful moment of communal encouragement. They are saying, “Be who God called you to be. We are behind you.”
As chapter one concludes, we see Joshua believing God and putting “shoe leather” on those commands. He isn’t just hearing the Word; he is doing it. The tribes are remaining faithful to their word. Everyone is moving forward together to be faithful to a faithful God.
But why does this matter to us today? We aren’t clearing out physical land or fighting ancient kings. How do we understand this through the lens of the Gospel? If all Scripture is God-breathed and profitable, what is the “hint” here for us?
The Greater Story: Finding Our Rest
There is a keyword that appears twice in this passage: rest.
Joshua 1:13 (NASB)
’Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, ‘The LORD your God gives you rest and will give you this land.’
Joshua 1:15 (NASB)
until the LORD gives your brothers rest, as [He gives] you, and they also possess the land which the LORD your God is giving them. Then you shall return to your own land, and possess that which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.’
God was leading His people to a destination, but the land wasn’t the ultimate goal—rest was. Now, this doesn’t mean an easy life. They still had to go to battle and do hard things. But God was promising that if they walked with Him, they would find a rest they had never known.
For 400 years, they were slaves to a terrible master in Egypt. They cried out in bondage, and God heard them. He raised up a deliverer, executed judgment on false gods, and led them through the Red Sea. He closed the water behind them as if to say, “That season is over. You will never return to that bondage.”
But then came forty years of a “hot mess” in the wilderness. They struggled to trust God’s provision. They complained about the manna. They even looked back at Egypt with rose-colored glasses, remembering the “free fish and cucumbers” while forgetting the whips and the chains. They built golden calves and put their trust in lesser things that could never satisfy. Yet, through all their waywardness, God remained faithful.
Does that story sound familiar? It should, because it is my story and it is your story. It is the story of everyone who names Jesus Christ as Savior. We were all enslaved to a terrible master—not a physical king, but the spiritual reality of sin. Sin is part of our DNA, and we were powerless to save ourselves. King Sin promised us happiness but brought only pain, loneliness, and death.
But God, being rich in mercy, brought a Deliverer. His name is Jesus. He freed us from the chains of sin. He opened a way for us and closed the door on our past so that we never have to return to serving empty idols.
We are now free to follow a new and glorious Master. We are in our own “wilderness” season now, learning how to do life with God. This is why we talk so much about the practice of “embracing the Gospel.” The Gospel isn’t just a one-time event that saves us; it is a daily, hourly, moment-by-moment dependence on Christ. We need the Holy Spirit to walk through this life, to keep us from returning to old habits, and to help us quickly confess when we go off the rails.
This story in Joshua is a picture of our faithful God. He redeems those He loves. If you are new to church, this is the “good news” we proclaim: we are sinners in need of grace, and Jesus is the one who removes the yoke of slavery.
If you have never met this God, know that He is so loving that He can pass over your sins and offer you true rest. As Jesus said:
Matthew 11:28 (NASB)
’Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
We all yearn for rest. You will find it in the person of Jesus Christ. Let’s be a people who walk faithfully with our faithful God, resting in His finished work.
Father, we thank You that the work is complete. There is nothing we need to do to earn Your love and nothing we have done to deserve it. We simply respond in belief and trust. Help us to be a people who walk faithfully, who rest in You, and who trust in the Hero of our story. We celebrate the finished work of Jesus on the cross, in whose name we pray. Amen.