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Joshua 22:10–12
“And when they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan—a great, impressive altar” (Josh. 22:10).
The narrative of the departure of the eastern tribes to their own lands beyond the Jordan now takes a strange turn. The Reubenites, Gadites, and eastern Manassehites journey en masse, tens of thousands strong, from Shiloh to the Jordan. There, these tribes pause to construct “a great, impressive altar.” As we will see, this altar is raised out of zeal for God and His covenant. However, when word of its construction filters back to the other tribes, they react violently and assemble to go to war against their eastern kindred. Ironically, this reaction—though based on a faulty conclusion—is as truly motivated by zeal for God as is the eastern tribes’ construction of the altar.
Why this readiness to launch a civil war? The western tribes believe the easterners have quickly departed from strict obedience to the law. God had said that the Israelites were to “ ‘seek the place where the LORD your God chooses … to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go’ ” to worship (Deut. 12:5). At this point in the nation’s history, that place is Shiloh; the Israelites are to make their sacrifices there. It is only natural, therefore, for the Israelites, seeing an impressive altar rising on the banks of the Jordan, to assume that the eastern tribes are preparing a place of their own for the purpose of worshiping God. “Their suspicion was very excusable, for it must be confessed the thing, prima facie—at first sight, looked ill, and seemed to imply a design to set up and maintain a competitor with the altar at Shiloh,” Matthew Henry writes in his commentary. “It was no strained innuendo from the building of an altar to infer an intention to offer sacrifice upon it, and that might introduce idolatry and end in a total apostasy from the faith and worship of the God of Israel.”
In this light, it is apparent that the western tribes’ reaction flows from pure motives. They wish to prevent their kindred from committing a serious violation of the law that might lead to all sorts of wickedness. Thus, they “showed a readiness, if it were necessary, to put their lives in their hands in defense of the altar of God, and to take up arms for the chastising and reducing of these rebels, and to prevent the spreading of the infection, if no gentler methods would serve,” Henry writes. And so Israel, so recently settled in Canaan, stands on the verge of civil war because of a misunderstanding.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
The western tribes were willing to do something about their brethren’s apparent sin. It is a loving thing to confront an erring brother or sister, but we often fail to act because we are uncomfortable with confrontation. Do you know a fellow Christian who has fallen into sin? Pray about how you might confront him or her, then act.
For further study
- Matthew 18:15–17
- Galatians 6:1
- 2 Thessalonians 3:14–15
- James 5:19–20