Where is Israel?

The men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, ready for battle, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them.  Joshua 4:12 NIV

Crossed over – The auspicious day has arrived.  The tribes are about to conquer the Promised Land.  God has given them territories to occupy.  Soon the nation of Israel will become a reality.

But something odd happens at this crucial moment.  The tribes of Rueben and Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, don’t cross in order to occupy.  In fact, they have decided to stay on the east side of the Jordan.  The only reason they cross now is because of the deal they made with Moses.

But Moses said to the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben, “Should your brothers go to war while you remain here?

Then they approached him and said, “We will build sheepfolds for our livestock here and cities for our little ones; but we ourselves will be armed, hurrying ahead of the sons of Israel, until we have brought them to their place, while our little ones live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.  We will not return to our homes until every one of the sons of Israel has gained possession of his inheritance. But we will not have an inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan toward the east.”

So Moses said to them, “If you will do this, if you will arm yourselves before the Lord for the war, and all of you armed men cross over the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven His enemies out from Him, and the land is subdued before the Lord, then afterward you may return and be free of obligation toward the Lord and toward Israel, and this land shall be yours as property before the Lord.  Numbers 32:6, 16-22 NASB

The deal is done.  Well, sort of.  You’ll notice that half the tribe of Manasseh, not part of the original deal, decides to stay on the east side as well.  They all do what they are required to do, and once done, they return to the east side of the Jordan and settle there.

All of this raises an interesting question: Where, exactly, is Israel?  We often think of Israel as that territory to the west of the Jordan given to the tribes.  But here we have two and a half tribes who don’t settle in the Promised Land.  They are certainly Israel—politically, religiously, and socially—but they don’t cross into the Promised Land.  Doesn’t this imply that Israel is not geography?  It seems that Israel is wherever God’s people dwell—and even God makes allowances for this.  Geography has little to do with it.  Tribal identity is the true marker of Israel, no matter where they happen to be. Are you able to rethink “Promised Land” in ethnic rather than geographic terms?  Maybe that trip to “Israel” is a lot closer than you imagined.

Topical Index: Promised Land, Gad, Rueben, Manasseh, Jordan, Israel, Joshua 4:12