Why Build an Altar?

In their fear of exclusion from the worship of God before the altar at Shiloh, the remote, eastern tribes of Israel considered how they might symbolize their inclusion in the covenant and assert their right to bring their sacrifices to God. They settled on construction of a replica of the altar, “ ‘not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice, but that it may be a witness between you and us and our generations after us.’ ”

God had commanded Israel to make sacrifices to Him only at the altar of His choosing. When the eastern tribes built their altar beside the Jordan, the western tribes suspected they were preparing to make sacrifices at an alternative location. In fact, however, they were building an altar that, by sitting unused, would serve as a “ ‘witness.’ ” First of all, it would symbolically state the belief of the Reubenites, Gadites, and Manassehites that God was to be worshiped at His altar and that they, like all the Israelites, were duty-bound to obey Him in that way. Second, however, the disuse of the new altar would demonstrate their affirmation that Shiloh was the place for sacrifices to God. Thus, it would serve as a reminder to the succeeding generations of the eastern tribes that they must go to the tabernacle at Shiloh (or wheresoever God might designate). But it also would serve as a tangible symbol that the succeeding generations might point to should the western tribes question their status as full participants in the covenant. “Having this copy of the altar in their custody, it might be produced as an evidence of their right to the privileges of the original.” Matthew Henry writes in his commentary. “Everyone that saw this altar, and observed that it was never used for sacrifice and offering, would inquire what was the meaning of it, and this answer would be given to that inquiry, that it was built by those separate tribes, in token of their communion with their brethren and their joint-interest with them in the altar of the Lord.”

The eastern tribes close their response to the delegation from the west with a statement that clearly expresses their abhorrence at the suggestion they have built a rival altar. “ ‘Far be it from us that we should rebel against the LORD [in this way],’ ” they say. They clearly recognize that the altar of God at the tabernacle is the only legitimate place for an Israelite to make sacrifices to Him.