[055] Reuben and Gad-Activity Worksheets

It is a sad thought that the two and a half tribes of Israel could not see the value of the land that God had chosen for them. That Israel was a nation of people was due to the direct providence of God. It was God who blessed the family of Jacob until they became a great multitude. Now Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, because they had much cattle, desired the regions of Gilead and Bashan.

Even the fact that they owned cattle was through the goodness and mercy of God’ yet even this did not seem to deter them from their decision. The lands of Gilead and Bashan were good for cattle, but were not the land that God wanted them to have. There was plenty of evidence that Canaan was as fruitful a land as God had said it was, and very good for all their needs. Yet they could not be turned from their decision. The tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh received their choice; but we learn from the Bible that it was a poor choice; and it was to the detriment of their own souls that they occupied Gilead and Bashan.