Joshua 22:21-34
21 Then the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered and spoke to the heads of the families of Israel.
22 “The Mighty One, God, the Lord, the Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows, and may Israel itself know. If it was in rebellion, or if in an unfaithful act against the Lord, do not save us this day!
23 If we have built us an altar to turn away from following the Lord, or if to offer a burnt offering or grain offering on it, or if to offer sacrifices of peace offerings on it, may the Lord Himself demand it.
24 But truly we have done this out of concern, for a reason, saying, ‘In time to come your sons may say to our sons, “What have you to do with the Lord, the God of Israel?
25 For the Lord has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you sons of Reuben and sons of Gad; you have no portion in the Lord.” So your sons may make our sons stop fearing the Lord.’
26 “Therefore we said, ‘Let’s build an altar, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice;
27 rather, it shall be a witness between us and you and between our generations after us, that we are to perform the service of the Lord before Him with our burnt offerings, our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings, so that your sons will not say to our sons in time to come, “You have no portion in the Lord.”’
28 Therefore we said, ‘It shall also come about if they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, then we shall say, “See the copy of the altar of the Lord which our fathers made, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice; rather, it is a witness between us and you.”’
29 Far be it from us that we should rebel against the Lord and turn away from following the Lord this day, by building an altar for burnt offering, for grain offering, or for sacrifice, besides the altar of the Lord our God which is before His tabernacle.”
30 So when Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the congregation, that is, the heads of the families of Israel who were with him, heard the words which the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and the sons of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them.
31 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and to the sons of Manasseh, “Today we know that the Lord is in our midst, because you have not committed this unfaithful act against the Lord; now you have saved the sons of Israel from the hand of the Lord.”
32 Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned from the sons of Reuben
and from the sons of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the sons of Israel, and brought back word to them.
33 The word pleased the sons of Israel, and the sons of Israel blessed God; and they did not speak of going up against them in battle to destroy the land in which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad were living.
34 And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad called the altar Witness; “For,” they said, “it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.”
Solution to the Problematic Altar
Explanation
The tribes of Rueben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh made their case to Phinehas and the elders. “The Mighty One, God, the Lord, the Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows […]” (v. 22). They began with their confession of faith, through which, they stated that they have not turned from God of Israel, nor had any rebellious intention. Speaking the name of God in vain is a sin. However, there was truthfulness in this confession and must have opened the hearts of Phinehas and the elders who heard it. They feared that in their children’s generation, the tribes in the east of the Jordan River may be estranged from the rest of the nation. In other words, there was the possibility of being excluded from the nation that worships the Lord. Moses, too, died on the east side of the Jordan River and was unable to enter the promised land. With that in mind, their fear seems to be a legitimate one. So, they constructed a large altar that was visible even from afar, to resolve such a fear. This altar was not to offer sacrifices, but rather for remembrance.
Solution
The explanation of the two-and-a-half tribes pleased Phinehas and the elders. It was truly fortunate that both parties had the heart to seek peace. The Western representatives were convinced and returned home west of the Jordan River. They went back to the Israelites and reported all that they saw and heard. The Israelites who received the report also were satisfied and praised God. Then they named the altar “Witness,” which meant “it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.” This event, which could’ve become a great consequence, turned out to be an opportunity to experience that God is amongst them. We, too, can turn problems into blessings, if we ask the Lord for His help. Blessed are those who humble themselves and seek peace with their neighbors. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matt. 5:9).
Today's prayer
God of all knowledge and power, please intervene in the problems I face in life, and turn these problems into blessings. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.