Joshua 22:1-34
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.
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 chiefa 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.
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.
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 pleasedb 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: nowc 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.
Joshua 22:10. A great altar to see to. See on Numbers 32. The object of this mount or tumulus was to show that they belonged to the Hebrew nation, and had hope in the Messiah. It was a sudden ebullition of thought, and the army executed the work in a few days. The ancients were accustomed to works of this kind from the earliest traces of society. At Marlborough we have two mounts, raised at different times by an army, for sepulchral honours and memorials of victory. In America there are great mounds, whose history is now lost; these were visited by Count Chateaubriand. So in Sweden also.
Joshua 22:34. Ed; a witness that we are worshippers of the same God, and of the same religion as the Israelites. It is good for families to keep records of the piety of their ancestors.
REFLECTIONS.
The war being now closed, after the various conflicts and toils of seven years, Joshua called the remains of the forty thousand men of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, and applauded them for their piety, their discipline, and fidelity to the covenant made with Moses. Applauses of this nature proceeding from a prince, and accompanied with correspondent rewards, are among the highest honours attendant on merit. At the same time he delivered a charge, that they should return to their brethren, not as vagabonds and idle wicked men, but to cultivate the habits of social life with a fidelity equal to that with which they had executed the duties of war.
Joshua sent them home very much enriched with the cattle, and spoil of the devoted nations. The rewards of successful warfare made them nearly equals perhaps to those, who had cultivated their lands at home. Joshua here set a fine example to future princes. The soldier blanched in the service, who has won battles, guarded colonies, and endured the extremes of cold and heat, and every hardship by sea and land, ought not to be sent home to beg his bitter bread. The country which is grateful to those only who have friends in courts, and is negligent of humble merit, may alienate the affections of the poor to whom it is indebted for defence. But however forgetful earthly princes may be of their companions in the toils of war, it is not so with Jesus Christ. He crowns the conqueror with glory, and gives him a throne and a kingdom at his right hand: and he says to every one yet remaining in the conflict, I am thy shield and exceeding great reward.
These brethren and companions in war returned from the conquest, with a mind deeply impressed with the hand of God, and a spirit highly national. Hence they built an altar; say rather, a monument to apprize posterity, that they belonged to the Israel of God, who had achieved all these wonders. This pile being the work of an army, it presently raised its proud summit to overlook the plains, and it exhibited a sightly appearance when viewed from the distant hills.
The elders at Shiloh, by its sudden rise, took the alarm, for they supposed it to be a revolt of the Reubenites, and against the altar of JEHOVAH. Hence they instantly assembled in arms to punish the offenders. The people on the left bank of the river were imprudent in not acquainting their brethren with their design, unless they thought, as is highly probable, that no particular notice would be taken of their stupendous work. There was rashness also in the people on the right bank of the river, in not asking the purport of the pile before they assembled in arms. We seldom lose time by stopping a moment for reflection.
The offended party had however the prudence to send a very honourable deputation to their brethren, before they acted in a hostile manner. Phinehas the son of Eleazar, and ten princes of each tribe composed the embassy. Phinehas expostulated with them in a bold tone, for he was a man of great courage. Divested of all fear, he enumerated the consequences of past sins, to deter them from future presumption; arguments in themselves very weighty; but he had neglected to enquire of God before he entered on so serious a mission. Hence we should learn at all times, and especially in religious concerns, not to be led away with the impetuosity of passion.
On the other hand, the defence of the accused brethren is highly impassioned. They twice appeal to JEHOVAH, the God of gods; they simply unfold their design, and the noble motives which animated their conduct; and their eloquence carried conviction to the embassy. Just so, in religious society, when our conduct is suspected, or our motives thought not pure, let us be both ready and willing to give our brethren satisfaction on that head, because they are our brethren; and they ought at all times to be dearer to us than a mere opinion, so we shall become the more attached to one another after explanation; for many actions deemed at first sight reprehensible, are on investigation, like the altar of Reuben, laudable deeds. But though the Israelites on the west were blameable for their haste, they were certainly commendable for their zeal in the support of their national covenant, and the true religion. The God of their fathers was dearer to them than their brethren in the flesh. And had the children of future ages manifested the same zeal against the city, or the family which first introduced an idol, or bowed the knee to Baal, the covenant and glory of Israel would have remained for ever. Let the christian world learn hence never to suffer any apostasy from the form of sound words, handed down to us in the sacred writings. He who shall dare to invalidate the doctrines of truth sealed with the blood of Jesus, and the martyrdom of his apostles, accounts in fact the blood of the covenant an unholy thing, and there remains nothing for him but a certain fearful looking for of judgment, and of the fiery indignation of the Lord, which shall devour the adversaries.