Two of the tribes, the Reubenites and Gadites, had seen that the pasture land in Gilead, on the east side of the Jordan, would be good for their cattle. They decided they wanted this area for their share of the Promised Land (Numbers 32:1-5). And they wanted to take the time to build villages for their families and sheepfolds for their flocks before crossing the river. They promised that they would go with the men of the other tribes for the conquest of Canaan (32:16-19).

Moses gave a serious warning to the second-generation leaders of the Reubenites and the Gadites, as the children of Israel prepared to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land. He insisted that they must not fail to support the other tribes in the conquest of the Promised Land. If they did not march with the others, he told then, then “you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out” (32:23).

We should notice what was happening here. Moses gave them permission to build houses and sheepfolds for themselves; but also sternly charged them that they must also commit themselves to making sure the other tribes got their inheritance as well. In our individualistic society, it’s easy to think that if we’ve managed to get our share, it’s not our problem if others get left out. But the text insists that the attitude that says “I’ve got mine; I don’t care about you” is a sin.

This is probably not the kind of sin we think of, when we think about what makes somebody a sinner. But there it is. If I got what I wanted early on, it’s actually a sin to sit back in self-satisfaction, pretending it doesn’t matter if some very distant cousins don’t yet have theirs. And Moses warns us: your sin will find you out.

* * * * *

Help us, Lord! We shrug off the struggles of others, telling ourselves “It’s not my problem.” Establish the conviction in our hearts that we cannot rest easy while part of the family is still left out. Teach us repentance and compassion, with the diligence to press on until everyone has a home.