Numbers 32:14 –
But here you are, a brood of sinners, doing exactly the same thing! You are making the LORD even angrier with Israel.
In this chapter the tribes of Gad and Ruben were asking for land this side of the Jordan and not in the Promised Land. Initially it sounds acceptable, but the concern was they were repeating the mistakes the previous generation did that left them wandering the desert for 40 years. God was getting angry with them as he sensed them trying to get out of fighting for the Promised Land. On the surface it seemed like they were trying to “weasel” their way out of the fight by settling for this land.
Moses and God quickly found out they really wanted the land and were willing to fight alongside their brothers until the Promised Lands were secure. God and Moses were skeptical, but agreed to their wishes. Now there are two things you need to take from this; the value of their word and the influence on their past with others. First, let’s look at their “word” and the value it has with God. I can’t imagine how many times I have made “vows” with God only to forget them or break them quickly. A persons “word” needs to mean something, not just telling people what they want to hear.
I know many whose “word” can be viewed as nothing more than a way to pacify any immediate criticism before they do what they want. It saddens my heart when this happens, especially with family members … so I can’t imagine how God feels every day. This tied into the value of ones “word”. Actually in this chapter the people of Israel got in trouble for not trusting God in being able to take the Promised Land. They never said they would and chicken out, so God did not have a record of breaking this promise. This did influence God’s perception of their “word” since they had “broke ranks” and ran once before, why would this not be the same. This is where your previous actions influence people perception of you. Hence why following God’s word and direction all the time is critical in your life.