But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out.
Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh asked to settle east of the Jordan River, outside the land God had promised. Moses agreed on one condition — and the warning he attached has outlived the moment that produced it.
Why the Request Was Made
The two tribes were not rebels. What pulled them was prosperity.
F. B. HoleTwo tribes, Reuben and Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh asked Moses for permission to settle on the conquered lands east of the Jordan, instead of taking their share in the land that was truly God's promised land. What especially made them want this was the large number of cattle they had gained. The good things that God had granted took away their desire for Canaan.
The Condition Attached
The warning is the second half of an "if." Moses had just told them how to stay blameless. Breaking their word to their brothers would count as sin against the LORD Himself.
Leslie M. GrantMoses agreed to this. He told them that if they kept their promise — sending all their armed men over the Jordan to fight with the rest of Israel until everyone was settled in the land — then they would be blameless, and could return to settle in Gilead. But he warned them that if they did not keep their promise, they had sinned against the LORD, and they could be sure their sin would find them out. God would deal with them in righteous government.
Sin Against the LORD, Not Just Against Others
Breaking the promise would have left their brothers to fight alone — yet Moses calls it sin against God. One writer traces how the small compromise had already been growing.
H. Forbes WitherbyOne false step usually leads to another — evil leads to evil. These tribes started by doing what suited them. That grew into self-will, and self-will grew into division — "We will not inherit with them." To carry out their plan they were ready to split Israel.
Delay Is Not Escape
The verse does not promise a quick discovery. One writer points to a sin that stayed buried for about forty years.
W. T. P. WolstonYou may try and forget your sins, but wait a moment, God has a great memory and a long look-out. Many, many years roll by — in fact, about forty years rolled by before it all came out. But note this, it must come out. "Be sure your sin will find you out," is a God-given word.
What Actually Happened to These Tribes
The later record of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh reads like the warning working itself out — and it does not end there.
The Bible TreasuryTheir tribal history comes down to three main facts: they refused God's land; they went after other gods; Assyria carried them away. The first was bound to lead to the second, and then came judgment. By staying outside the promised land, it was as if they had cut themselves off from the privileges of the temple and from the protection of the LORD's presence among them. Sovereign grace will bring them back at the end.
The Warning Is Meant to Hurt
The sentence is meant to be uncomfortable. One writer said this to a room of children:
C. KnappThe thought that all men's sins will some day be found out and exposed is meant to sting the conscience… Some day, children, all will be found out, though you may now hide them from your parents and teachers.
Found Out Now, or Found Out Later
The sting has a purpose. Being exposed while forgiveness is still open is a very different thing from being exposed when it is not.
J. T. MawsonYou cannot hide your sins from the eye of God; the day is coming when your sins will all be uncovered and exposed. The Scripture says: "Be sure your sin will find you out." And if you miss God's forgiveness through the Name of Christ Jesus, what a terrible finding out it will be!
Summary
- Cattle. Prosperity, not rebellion, kept the tribes short of the promised land. The good things God gave took away their appetite for what He had promised.
- Condition. Moses did not curse them; he set terms. Keep the promise and be blameless, break it and the sin stands against the LORD Himself.
- Creep. Doing what suited them grew into self-will, and self-will into division. One false step usually leads to the next.
- Consequence. Delay is not escape. A sin can stay buried forty years and still come out; these tribes refused God's land, went after other gods, and ended in Assyria — yet sovereign grace will bring them back at the end.
- Cure. The warning is meant to sting your conscience awake now, while forgiveness through the name of Jesus Christ is still open. The alternative is a finding out with nothing left to cover it.