Joshua 22:10 – 34 “When they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan. And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side, the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.
So the Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead—to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. With him they sent ten of the chief men, one from each of the tribes of Israel, each the head of a family division among the Israelite clans.
When they went to Gilead—to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh—they said to them: “The whole assembly of the Lord says: ‘How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the Lord and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now? Was not the sin of Peor enough for us? Up to this very day we have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the community of the Lord!And are you now turning away from the Lord?
“‘If you rebel against the Lord today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel.If the land you possess is defiled, come over to the Lord’s land, where the Lord’s tabernacle stands, and share the land with us. But do not rebel against the Lord or against us by building an altar for yourselves, other than the altar of the Lord our God. When Achan son of Zerah was unfaithful in regard to the devoted things, did not wrath come on the whole community of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin.’”
Then Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel: “The Mighty One, God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows! And let Israel know! If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the Lord, do not spare us this day.If we have built our own altar to turn away from the Lord and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the Lord himself call us to account.
“No! We did it for fear that someday your descendants might say to ours, ‘What do you have to do with the Lord, the God of Israel?The Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you—you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no share in the Lord.’ So your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the Lord.“That is why we said, ‘Let us get ready and build an altar—but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.’ On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the Lord at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no share in the Lord.’
“And we said, ‘If they ever say this to us, or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica of the Lord’s altar, which our ancestors built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.’ “Far be it from us to rebel against the Lord and turn away from him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings and sacrifices, other than the altar of the Lord our God that stands before his tabernacle.”
When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community—the heads of the clans of the Israelites—heard what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased.And Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, said to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, “Today we know that the Lord is with us, because you have not been unfaithful to the Lord in this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the Lord’s hand.” Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders returned to Canaan from their meeting with the Reubenites and Gadites in Gilead and reported to the Israelites. They were glad to hear the report and praised God. And they talked no more about going to war against them to devastate the country where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived. And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us—that the Lord is God.”
PEOPLE HAVE SHORT MEMORIES!!! The Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh had crossed the Jordan River ahead of the other Israelites and had been in the vanguard of every battle in Canaan. But now these men were returning to their homes on the east side of the Jordan. Suddenly these men realized that with a river between them, it would be very easy for the rest of the Israelites to forget all their struggles during the conquest of Canaan and to disown them, cutting them off from Israel.
Perhaps these tribes should have discussed it with the others, but after they crossed the Jordan, they erected a huge altar, presumably made from uncut stones. The Israelites on the west side of the Jordan were understandably worried; were these tribes already trying to separate themselves from the nation of Israel? At this point, the Tabernacle had been erected in Shiloh, and Shiloh had become the focus for worship. What were these men trying to do?
The passage is a little long; however, the story is worth examining. This altar was actually a memorial, sort of a giant collection of standing stones. The altar had to be large enough to be seen from the opposite side of the Jordan, even when the Jordan was in flood, and it had to be built far enough away from the river bank that floods would not carry away those stones. Once the other Israelites had fully investigated, they realized that this altar was merely a memorial and not something more sinister.
APPLICATION: Are memorials a good idea? People have been erecting memorials of some kind for thousands of years. Memorials commemorate major battles, major achievements, major historical figures, etc. Recently, there has been a move to destroy memorials in the U.S.; however, such moves are foolish. Rather than destroying memorials, it would be far better to teach the history surrounding those memorials, even if succeeding generations have come to realize that the men and women depicted might not have been as heroic as previously assumed. You do not wipe out evil simply because you destroy a statue or a plaque.
The tribes on the east side of the Jordan had a valid worry. Even when there are memorials, unless succeeding generations learn the meaning of those memorials, people’s memories fade. “Out of sight, out of mind” is still quite true. The only way the tribes on the east side of the Jordan were really going to be able to remain part of Israel was by taking an active part in worship. Moses had commanded the men to come together at least three times a year, and each time Reubenites, Gadites, and Manassehites from the east side of the Jordan came to worship, they would be able to reinforce the idea that they too were Israelites.
These tribes on the east side of the Jordan had made enormous sacrifices, risking their lives to help the other tribes. Sadly, there is no indication that the other tribes ever fully appreciated what had been done for them. Sometimes God calls us to make sacrifices, not so that someone will erect a memorial or praise us, but so that His kingdom can go forward. Our task is to follow God, for if we do, one day He will commend us.
PRAYER: Father God, help us to be faithful and to do Your perfect Will, even when those who are benefiting don’t notice. Help us to remember that we are working for You and You alone. Thank You for calling us to Your kingdom work. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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