Joshua 1:12-15
And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’ Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them, until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.”
Tag: Rest in God’s Promises
In the above passage, Joshua is now the leader. Moses had already promised, with God’s permission, that the tribes of Reuben, Gad and 1/2 the tribe of Manasseh would be allowed to possess and make their home on the side of the Jordon that the entire nation was, at this time, camping. These 2 1/2 tribes would be allowed to set up their homes and settle in, before the rest of the nation even crossed the Jordan, much less conquered the land on the other side of the rivers. Joshua would, indeed, honor Moses’ words to these 2 1/2 tribe, but he would also require them to leave their women and children into the care of God and go with the other 9 1/2 tribes, until their land was all conquered. This probably took 7-10 years to complete. That means the 2 1/2 tribes would have to trust the care and protection of their families (wives, children and anyone not battle ready) into the hands of God. The key in the above passage is ...
“... The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest ...”.
God had promised them “rest.” Only God can give “rest” to us. Jesus promised that for those who put their trust in Him ...
Matthew 11:28
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
In order for the men of the 2 1/2 tribes to go to war with the other warriors of the nation, they would have to trust in God to keep His promises to protect the woman, children and those unable to fight. God would have to surround those left in the cities of the 2 1/2 tribes with protection so that the bandits, marauders, and/or wicked bands of warriors would not observe these defenseless group being alone and vulnerable. God’s promise to them was that HE WOULD GIVE THEM REST. They could go and fight with their brothers because they leaned upon God’s promises and God’s faithfulness to His Word. That is were rest comes from. Not from worrying or struggling in the battle ourselves, but by faith in God’s Word.
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