Joshua 22:10-20
10 When they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, a large altar in appearance.
11 But the sons of Israel heard a report: “Behold, the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar at the frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan, on the side belonging to the sons of Israel.”
12 And when the sons of Israel heard about it, the entire congregation of the sons of Israel assembled at Shiloh to go up against them in battle.
13 Then the sons of Israel sent to the sons of Reuben, to the sons of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest,
14 and with him ten leaders, one leader for each father’s household from each of the tribes of Israel; and each one of them was the head of his father’s household among the thousands of Israel.
15 They came to the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying,
16 “This is what the whole congregation of the Lord says: ‘What is this unfaithful act which you have committed against the God of Israel, turning away from following the Lord this day, by building yourselves an altar, to rebel against the Lord this day?
17 Is the wrongdoing of Peor not enough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, although a plague came on the congregation of the Lord,
18 that you must turn away this day from following the Lord? If you rebel against the Lord today, He will be angry with the entire congregation of Israel tomorrow.
19 If, however, the land of your possession is unclean, then cross into the land of the possession of the Lord, where the Lord’s tabernacle stands, and settle among us. Only do not rebel against the Lord, or rebel against us, by building an altar for yourselves besides the altar of the Lord our God.
20 Did Achan the son of Zerah not act unfaithfully in the things designated for destruction, and wrath fall on the entire congregation of Israel? So that man did not perish alone in his guilt.’”
The Problematic Altar
Construction of an altar
If a problem arises between you and a friend you trust, how will you resolve it? Today’s passage gives us wisdom concerning how we should avoid division. A division occurred between the two-and-a-half tribes that inherited the land east of the Jordan River (Rueben, Gad, and half tribe of Manasseh) and the other tribes that inherited the land west of the Jordan River. This was caused by the former building a large altar, visible even from afar, on the western bank of the Jordan River. Since the Tabernacle was located in Shiloh (the altar as well) at that time, their action seemed like an opposition to the altar in Shiloh. If so, this was a crucial moment, where the community of the twelve tribes of Israel could possibly be divided. There also was a danger of bringing idolatry into the nation. The Israelites (the tribes in the West) gathered in Shiloh and began preparing for battle. It’s always good to act immediately should a problem occur. However, they did not jump to resolve the problem with military power but rather tried to find out the true intention by listening to the other party. This is something we can learn from them.
The word of Phinehas
With Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the high priest, as the leader, ten elders went for negotiation. (1) Phinehas taking authority shows the start of the transfer of the high priestly role from Eleazar to Phinehas. (2) During the incident of Baal-Peor (Num. 25), when the Israelites became idolatrous, enraged Phinehas risked himself to punish the wrongdoer. For a man with such a righteous zeal for the Lord, the construction of this altar was something he could not overlook. (3) He also spoke of Achan’s sin and what came of it, reminding the easterner how the sin of a few could jeopardize judgment upon the whole nation. When there is doubt, we shall not make decisions based on rumors. Meeting and asking the person directly is always the best. Act immediately, avoid hasty decisions, listen to others, and find out the true intent. These are helpful pearls of wisdom even in our lives that the Bible teaches us. What will you learn from the Israelites’ problem-solving method?
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father, may I receive wisdom from You in my daily life. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.