²⁸ So concerning them Moses commanded Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel:

²⁹ And Moses said unto them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over Jordan, every man armed to battle, before the Lord, and the land shall be subdued before you; then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession:

³⁰ But if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.

Numbers 32:28-30

Explanation:

Moses wasn’t content to just make the agreement and believe that the Reubenites and Gadites would accomplish what they promised. Moses let people know about their agreement so that they could be held accountable for the promise they made. The two he told about are Joshua and Eleazar the priest. This was smart because they were already set up to be the future leaders after Moses was gone.

In letting them know the details, he told them what was expected and promised by the parties in question. Moses had promised that if they passed over into Jordan ready to fight, they would receive Giliead as they promised. If not, they had to dwell in Canaan.

Moses, Joshua, Eleazar, and the leaders of Gad and Reuben now all had the information to hold each other accountable to fulfill those obligations.

Application:

Setting up ourselves and others for accountability is not necessarily a sign of distrust. Setting up ourselves and others for accountability is really making success possible. Like Dad used to say, “People don’t do what you expect. They do what you inspect.” There is some truth to that statement. Accountability gives us the possibility of success. A lack of accountability often leads to undesired outcomes.

Response:

1. Where is there a lack of discipline in your life? It may be a result of a lack of accountability.
2. Who can you bring into your life for accountability?