The Eastern Tribes' Altar of Witness

 

November 13, 2020

 

Joshua 22:10-19

 

The Eastern Tribes' Altar of Witness

And when they came to the region of the Jordan that is in the land of Canaan, the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, an altar of imposing size.   And the people of Israel heard it said, “Behold, the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built the altar at the frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region about the Jordan, on the side that belongs to the people of Israel.”  And when the people of Israel heard of it, the whole assembly of the people of Israel gathered at Shiloh to make war against them.

 

When your intent is to do good and it was not received in that manner you find people often making knee-jerk reactions.  That is what is taking place, it was massive in size, and the ten tribes on the west side of the Jordan, make an assumption that they were going to do as the pagans and worship other gods.  The 10 tribes gather without anyone asking them to and were ready to go and fight their brothers who had fought many a battle for them.

 

Then the people of Israel sent to the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest,  and with him ten chiefs, one from each of the tribal families of Israel, every one of them the head of a family among the clans of Israel.   And they came to the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, and they said to them, “Thus says the whole congregation of the Lord, ‘What is this breach of faith that you have committed against the God of Israel in turning away this day from following the Lord by building yourselves an altar this day in rebellion against the Lord?   Have we not had enough of the sin at Peor from which even, yet we have not cleansed ourselves, and for which there came a plague upon the congregation of the Lord,  that you too must turn away this day from following the Lord? And if you too rebel against the Lord today then tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.  But now, if the land of your possession is unclean, pass over into the Lord's land where the Lord's tabernacle stands, and take for yourselves a possession among us. Only do not rebel against the Lord or make us as rebels by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of the Lord our God.

 

The ten tribes were ready to go to war on God’s behalf but notice there is no account of them seeking the counsel of God.  But God, once more God must have put in the minds of Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest,  and with him ten chiefs, one from each of the tribal families of Israel, every one of them the head of a family among the clans of Israel, to go ask why.  Why are you building this altar, have you people forgotten the sin of Peor?

 

Now the rest of the story, tomorrow?

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice