Joshua 1:10-18 comments: Reubenites and Gadites charge

 Joshua 1:10 ¶Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, 11 Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the LORD your God giveth you to possess it.

 

Here is a word we don’t use today; victuals. Victuals, pronounced ‘vidls’, are food and provisions.

Joshus 1:12 ¶And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, spake Joshua, saying, 13 Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, The LORD your God hath given you rest, and hath given you this land. 14 Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side Jordan; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valour, and help them; 15 Until the LORD have given your brethren rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed the land which the LORD your God  giveth them: then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and enjoy it, which Moses the LORD'S servant gave you on this side Jordan toward the sunrising.

Joshua 1:16 ¶And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go. 17 According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only the LORD thy God be with thee, as he was  with Moses. 18 Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of a good courage.

 

At the end of this passage, again, the Israelites are encouraged to stay strong. See that the Israelites promise to follow Joshua as they did Moses. I’m not sure if that is comforting or not considering they way they disobeyed in the wilderness.

 

Please review the previous passages on the command Joshua gives to the Reubenites and the Gadites regarding Moses’ command.

Deuteronomy 3:12 ¶  And this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, and half mount Gilead, and the cities thereof, gave I unto the Reubenites and to the Gadites. 13  And the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, being the kingdom of Og, gave I unto the half tribe of Manasseh; all the region of Argob, with all Bashan, which was called the land of giants. 14  Jair the son of Manasseh took all the country of Argob unto the coasts of Geshuri and Maachathi; and called them after his own name, Bashanhavothjair, unto this day. 15  And I gave Gilead unto Machir. 16  And unto the Reubenites and unto the Gadites I gave from Gilead even unto the river Arnon half the valley, and the border even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon; 17  The plain also, and Jordan, and the coast thereof, from Chinnereth even unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, under Ashdothpisgah eastward. 18  And I commanded you at that time, saying, The LORD your God hath given you this land to possess it: ye shall pass over armed before your brethren the children of Israel, all that are meet for the war. 19  But your wives, and your little ones, and your cattle, (for I know that ye have much cattle,) shall abide in your cities which I have given you; 20  Until the LORD have given rest unto your brethren, as well as unto you, and until they also possess the land which the LORD your God hath given them beyond Jordan: and then shall ye return every man unto his possession, which I have given you.

 

Numbers 32:1 ¶  Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle;  2  The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying, 3  Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon, 4  Even the country which the LORD smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle: 5  Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan. 6  And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here? 7  And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them? 8  Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadeshbarnea to see the land. 9  For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the LORD had given them. 10  And the LORD’S anger was kindled the same time, and he sware, saying, 11  Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me: 12  Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the LORD. 13  And the LORD’S anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed. 14  And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers’ stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the LORD toward Israel. 15  For if ye turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and ye shall destroy all this people.

 

Numbers 32:16 ¶  And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones: 17  But we ourselves will go ready armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 18  We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance. 19  For we will not inherit with them on yonder side Jordan, or forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side Jordan eastward. 20  And Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will go armed before the LORD to war, 21  And will go all of you armed over Jordan before the LORD, until he hath driven out his enemies from before him, 22  And the land be subdued before the LORD: then afterward ye shall return, and be guiltless before the LORD, and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the LORD. 23  But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out. 24  Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which hath proceeded out of your mouth. 25  And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spake unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth. 26  Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead: 27  But thy servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord saith.