I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

Joshua 22. “You have done all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded,and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded. For a long time now—to this very day—you have not deserted your fellow Israelites but have carried out the mission the Lord your God gave you. Now that the Lord your God has given them rest as He promised, return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan. But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to Him, to keep His commands, to hold fast to Him and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Verses 2-5). The tribes that settled on the outside of the Jordan kept their promise. They fought along side Israel until the entire promise was realized. They did not complain, nor did they sneak away, they remained faithful to their vow. Joshua not only allows them to go home, but he sends them away with great wealth. What happens next? “So the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in Canaan to return to Gilead, their own land, which they had acquired in accordance with the command of the Lord through Moses. When they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan. And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side, the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them” (Verses 9-12). On their way home, at the border they stop and built not just an altar, but an IMPOSING altar. I am guessing that means it was extra, extra BIG. Israel gears up for war. Why? Because they believed that their brothers had fallen outside of God’s law, and that the alter was for some other god, not the Lord God. Side note: I like Israel’s quick action toward possible sin. It is an example to us. Sin should not be allowed to linger, the moment we see it, it needs to be dealt with (this is for me as well). However, “Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel: ‘The Mighty One, God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows! And let Israel know! If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the Lord, do not spare us this day. If we have built our own altar to turn away from the Lord and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the Lord Himself call us to account. No! We did it for fear that some day your descendants might say to ours, What do you have to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? The Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you—you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no share in the Lord. So your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the Lord'” (Verses 21-25). It was not an altar to a false god, but a memorial to the greatness of the Lord God. A reminder to Israel that they had brothers on the other side of the Jordan. Sometimes we get settled in our Christianity, so settled that those who are not like us, are seen as less than. The Reubenites and the Gadites wanted Israel to be mindful that they served the same God, loved the same God, and obeyed the same God… even if they were not the same as Israel. “Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders returned to Canaan from their meeting with the Reubenites and Gadites in Gilead and reported to the Israelites. They were glad to hear the report and praised God. And they talked no more about going to war against them to devastate the country where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived. And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us—that the Lord is God” (Verses 32-34). Israel returned with the good report, and the people praised God. Then the Reudenites and the Gadites name the place A Witness Between Us-That The Lord is GOD. A witness that the Lord is God. It’s not just a reminder for then, it is a reminder for now as well. Remember who Christ is… He is the Lord God.