NUMBERS 32
Some people choose to live on the border of God’s blessing. They make their decisions on the basis of material gain and not spiritual blessing. The two and a half tribes did not claim their inheritance in Canaan, though they were very close to it.
They assured Moses that they would help conquer the land, but the tribes still brought division to Israel. In fact, when the land was fully conquered, the two and a half tribes had to put up an altar to let people know, “We belong to Israel!” (See Josh. 22.) Had they gone over the Jordan and claimed their inheritance, everybody would have known their citizenship.
“Do not take us over the Jordan!” (v. 5) is as much an expression of failure as “Take us back to the land of Egypt!” or “Let us die in the wilderness!” When material gain, not the glory of God, governs our decisions, we will make the wrong decisions. (See