Your sin will find you out— The LXX render this, and ye shall know your sin, when evils fall upon you; which is not the meaning of the Hebrew. The sense is, the punishment of your sin will sooner or later overtake you; or, ye shall not continue unpunished. The heathens themselves had the same idea. Sooner or later God justifies his providence in punishing the wicked. See Homer, Iliad iv. ver. 160. Odyss. ii. ver. 31. Horace, Carm. lib. iii. Ode 3.
REFLECTIONS.—Though Moses had just suspicion for his fears, yet their reply seems to shew that they were groundless. A faithful minister watches with godly jealousy over the people; and his care and love of them appear even in suspicions which may arise from mistake or misinterpretation.
1. They engage to follow their brethren, and never to forsake them till they are comfortably settled: yea, offer to go before them; so far are they from being cowards or discouraging them. Only they would secure their wives and children, and cattle, till their return; and, content with their present lot, desire no part beyond Jordan. Note; It is always good to hear before we judge. Men may be actuated by the noblest motives, whose conduct, nevertheless, may be liable to such misrepresentation.
2. The proposal is consented to on these conditions: they shall go armed before the Lord to fight his battles, and never think of quitting the camp till the land is subdued; otherwise, sin would overtake them and punish them accordingly. Note; Sin will find us out if we are false and faithless, and we shall surely suffer for it.—Thus the matter is compromised, and they engage for ready obedience and punctual performance of the agreement. The most serviceable, about 40,000 men, accordingly followed Israel into Canaan till the land was divided, whilst the rest, by consent no doubt, were left as a guard to the country which they occupied.