(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Joshua 22:1–9, “Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, And said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you: Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God. And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side Jordan. But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away: and they went unto their tents. Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given possession in Bashan: but unto the other half thereof gave Joshua among their brethren on this side Jordan westward. And when Joshua sent them away also unto their tents, then he blessed them, And he spake unto them, saying, Return with much riches unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment: divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren. And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go unto the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.”
The Lord called on Israel to act as His agents in punishing the Amorites for their sin in debasing the rich and fruitful land that He had given them. At first they refused to obey the Lord because they were afraid of giants. Forty years later, the Lord brought them to the borders of the Promised Land again but two and a half tribes decided that they wanted to stay on the eastern side of the River Jordan because they had herds and flocks and that was good land for their herds and flocks. However, the Lord told these people that they were obliged to take part in the invasion of the Promised Land because it had been promised to the entire nation of Israel. The members of these tribes left their families, their flocks and their herds on the eastern side of the River and took part in the invasion. After the invasion was finished, Joshua told them that they could go back to their own inheritance. This is probably the strongest evidence we have that the Lord was completely satisfied with Joshua and the fact that he fulfilled all the obligation the Lord gave him in his lifetime.
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