Joshua 22:1 ¶ Then Joshua
called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, 2 And said unto them, Ye have kept all that
Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all
that I commanded you: 3 Ye have not left
your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the
commandment of the LORD your God. 4 And
now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them:
therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the land
of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other
side Jordan. 5 But take diligent heed to
do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged
you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his
commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and
with all your soul. 6 So Joshua blessed
them, and sent them away: and they went unto their tents. 7 Now to the one half of the tribe of
Manasseh Moses had given possession in Bashan: but unto the other
half thereof gave Joshua among their brethren on this side Jordan westward. And
when Joshua sent them away also unto their tents, then he blessed them, 8 And he spake unto them, saying, Return with
much riches unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with
gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment: divide the
spoil of your enemies with your brethren. 9
And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of
Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh,
which is in the land of Canaan, to go unto the country of Gilead, to the
land of their possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the word of
the LORD by the hand of Moses.
Briefly, I just want to say that the
Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh did what they were
supposed to do and have been released by Joshua to return to their possessions,
but conflict caused by a misunderstanding is brewing as conflict often does
when one does not understand the intentions of another.
Joshua 22:10 ¶ And when
they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan,
the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh
built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to. 11 And the children of Israel heard say, Behold,
the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh
have built an altar over against the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan,
at the passage of the children of Israel. 12
And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole
congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh,
to go up to war against them. 13 And the
children of Israel sent unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of
Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas the
son of Eleazar the priest, 14 And with
him ten princes, of each chief house a prince throughout all the tribes of
Israel; and each one was an head of the house of their fathers among the
thousands of Israel. 15 And they came
unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe
of Manasseh, unto the land of Gilead, and they spake with them, saying, 16 Thus
saith the whole congregation of the LORD, What trespass is this that ye
have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following
the LORD, in that ye have builded you an altar, that ye might rebel this day
against the LORD? 17 Is the
iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed until this
day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD, 18 But that ye must turn away this day from
following the LORD? and it will be, seeing ye rebel to day against the
LORD, that to morrow he will be wroth with the whole congregation of Israel.
19 Notwithstanding, if the land of your
possession be unclean, then pass ye over unto the land of the
possession of the LORD, wherein the LORD’S tabernacle dwelleth, and take
possession among us: but rebel not against the LORD, nor rebel against us, in
building you an altar beside the altar of the LORD our God. 20 Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a
trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of
Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.
The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have
built an altar for a memorial, a remembrance, and a reminder of who they are to
serve, in the border of Jordan as we will see in the next passage but the rest
of the tribes are incensed believing they are committing idolatry, something
they will do eventually.
Joshua 22:21 ¶ Then the
children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh
answered, and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel, 22 The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods,
he knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in
transgression against the LORD, (save us not this day,) 23 That we have built us an altar to turn from
following the LORD, or if to offer thereon burnt offering or meat offering, or
if to offer peace offerings thereon, let the LORD himself require it;
24 And if we have not rather done
it for fear of this thing, saying, In time to come your children might
speak unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with the LORD God of
Israel? 25 For the LORD
hath made Jordan a border between us and you, ye children of Reuben and
children of Gad; ye have no part in the LORD: so shall your children make our
children cease from fearing the LORD. 26
Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for
burnt offering, nor for sacrifice: 27
But that it may be a witness between us, and you, and our
generations after us, that we might do the service of the LORD before him with
our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings;
that your children may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no part
in the LORD. 28 Therefore said we, that
it shall be, when they should so say to us or
to our generations in time to come, that we may say again,
Behold the pattern of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for
burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between us and
you. 29 God forbid that we should rebel
against the LORD, and turn this day from following the LORD, to build an altar
for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, beside the altar of
the LORD our God that is before his tabernacle.
The significance of this altar as a witness to their fidelity and
of their belonging to the whole people of Israel. They reaffirm their part in
the worship of the one true God.
Joshua 22:30 ¶ And when
Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation and heads of the
thousands of Israel which were with him, heard the words that the
children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spake,
it pleased them. 31 And Phinehas the son
of Eleazar the priest said unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of
Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we perceive that the LORD is
among us, because ye have not committed this trespass against the LORD: now ye
have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD. 32 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest,
and the princes, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children of
Gad, out of the land of Gilead, unto the land of Canaan, to the children of
Israel, and brought them word again. 33
And the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel
blessed God, and did not intend to go up against them in battle, to destroy the
land wherein the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt. 34 And the children of Reuben and the children
of Gad called the altar Ed: for it shall be a witness between us
that the LORD is God.
Phinehas had turned away God’s wrath in Numbers 25 by killing an
Israelite and the Midianitish woman he was consorting with. Here, he is happy
to report that apostasy has not taken place and that these tribes have not
defied the Lord God.
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