In the book of Joshua, we are told how Joshua instructed his commanders to tell the people, “Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, the LORD your God has given you rest, and has given you this land”, and in chapter one and verse fourteen of his book we learn how Joshua said, “your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you” where we read,
Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side Jordan; but you shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valor, and help them;
The verse reads, “Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side Jordan;” Joshua began with the words, “your wives” which means “your, the Reubenites, Gadites and one-half of the tribe of Manasseh’s, female spouses”, “your little ones” or “your, the Reubenites, Gadites and one-half of the tribe of Manasseh’s, small offspring and progeny”, “and your cattle” which means “and your, the Reubenites, Gadites and one-half of the tribe of Manasseh’s, livestock and domestic animals such as cows, sheep and goats”, “shall remain in the land” or “will dwell, be set and stay within the region, district and territory” “which Moses gave you” which means “that Moses whose name means drawing out and was the prophet, lawgiver and leader of the exodus” “on this side Jordan” or “upon this, the east side of, Jordan whose name means descender and refers to the river of Palestine running from the roots of Anti-Lebanon to the Dead Sea a distance of approximately 200 miles (320 km)”. Joshua told “the Reubenites, Gadites and one-half of the tribe of Manasseh” that their female spouses, small children and domestic animals were to stay within the territory that “Moses” granted to them on the eastern side of the Jordan River.
The verse goes on to say, “but you shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valor, and help them;” Joshua continued with the words, “but you shall pass” or “however, nonetheless, notwithstanding and moreover you, the Reubenites, Gadites and one-half of the tribe of Manasseh, will traverse, march over and emigrate” “before your brethren armed” which means “in the presence, face and countenance of your, the Reubenites, Gadites and one-half of the tribe of Manasseh’s, brothers, relatives and kinship harnessed and in battle array”, “all the mighty men” or “each, every and the whole of the strong, brave and valiant male human beings” “of valor” which means “with might, efficiency, ability and force”, “and help them” or “and succor, support and give aid to them, the Reubenites, Gadites and one-half of the tribe of Manasseh’s, brethren”. Joshua told “the Reubenites, Gadites and one-half of the tribe of Manasseh” that every one of their powerful men of war were to march in the presence of their brothers and relatives with battle array upon them and give aid to them in the promise land.
When we think through words in this verse, we see how Joshua charged “the Reubenites, Gadites and one-half of the tribe of Manasseh” to fulfill their promise to fight alongside the other tribes of Israel until their inheritance in the promise land was divided. (See Numbers 32:1-32) God allowed “the Reubenites, Gadites and one-half of the tribe of Manasseh” to inherit the territory on the eastern side of the Jordan River, however, they were to go to battle for the remaining tribes of Israel on the other side. God wants us to keep our commitments to Him, and when we receive His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was resurrected from the dead after three days as our personal “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and lead us into all truth by His Holy Spirit so we not only inherit that which He desires for us, but also are busied with giving aid to others who have not received their inheritance yet.
Next time we see how Joshua charged the Reubenites, Gadites and one-half of the tribe of Manasseh to help the other tribes, “until the LORD have given your brethren rest, as he has given you”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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