The army commanders told Moses that they wanted to give all the gold they had recovered from the battle to God. Moses and Eleazar accepted it and placed it in the Tent of Meeting.
The Reubenites and the Gadites wanted to have their land right where they were and not cross the Jordan River. Moses negotiated with them and reminded them that this choice was exactly what had angered the Lord when the scouting expedition (Feb 15th entry Numbers 13) returned from their 40 day trip. So they decided it would be ok if they got their flocks, wives and children settled and then led the battle into Canaan. Once the land of Canaan was secure then they would return to their wives, children and flocks.
Chapter 33 gives an account of the locations the Israelites camped during their 40 years in the desert. They were finally going to arrive in the promised land. First they had to drive out all the people who lived there. The Lord promised them that He would show them how to divide the land according to the needs of each family. God warned them that if they did not force out all the people, they would be like a sharp stick in the eye or thorns in their sides. Worst of all, God would treat the Israelites as badly as he had planned to treat the Canaanites.
Tomorrow finish Numbers! Also read Deuteronomy 1:1-15
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