Numbers 32 records what at first blush seems to be a common-sense and harmless idea by the leaders of two tribes of Israel. Yet as we dig into their request, and as we study the outcome of this decades and even centuries later, we see that it was not a harmless suggestion at all. The decision to live on the fringe apart from the community of faith is rarely a good idea. Living on the fringe can be dangerous to the spiritual welfare of both the individual Christian and to the local church. May God teach us and protect us. We consider this chapter under the following headings: (1) An Indifferent Request (vv. 1–5) (2) An Indignant Rebuke (vv. 6–15) (3) An Innovative Response (vv. 16–32) (4) An Instructive Result (vv. 33–42)