10 And when they came to the region of the Jordan which is
in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half
the tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan--a great, impressive
altar.
When we come to Joshua 22, the conquest of the Promise Land
by the twelve tribes of Israel is complete. The battles have been fought and won.
The inheritance of the land has been successfully distributed to all the tribes.
It is at this point, after seven years of battles, that Joshua gives an
honorable discharge to the two tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of
Manasseh (v. 1). In verses 2-8, Joshua commended them for keeping their promise
and being obedient. He gives them permission to go back to their families on
the east side of he Jordan River. He reminds them to love the LORD and keep His
commandments and he blesses them.
As the men of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh
made their way east and passed landmarks that brought back memories of the
great things God had done, their hearts began to disturb them. They were going
home to the land that they had chosen for themselves; but somehow they began to
feel isolated from the nation of Israel.
There's no question that Canaan was God's appointed land
for His people; anything short of Canaan wasn't what He wanted for them. The
two and a half tribes made their decision, not on the basis of spiritual
values, but on the basis of material gain; for the land east of the Jordan was
ideal for raising cattle. Remember the decision Lot made when he pitched his
tent toward Sodom (Gen. 13:10-11). In both instances, the people walked by
sight and not by faith.
By making this decision, the people of Reuben, Gad, and
Manasseh divided the nation and separated themselves from the blessings of the
land of Canaan. They were farther away from the tabernacle and closer to the
enemy. In a previous chat we called them "borderline believers."
You'll recall that Egypt represents the world and Canaan the believer's
inheritance in Christ. The wilderness wanderings represent the experience of
believers who don't enter by faith into the rest God has for them (Heb. 3-4).
The two and a half tribes portray believers who have experienced the blessings
and battles of Canaan, their inheritance in Christ, but prefer to live on the
border, outside God's appointed place of blessing.
How did they decide to solve the problem which they
themselves had created? By building a large altar of stones by the Jordan
River, on the Canaan side, as a reminder to everybody that the two and a half
tribes also belonged to the nation of Israel. Had these tribes been living in
the land of Canaan where they belonged, nobody would have questioned their
nationality. But living outside the land, they gave the impression that they
were not Israelites.
This is now the eighth memorial erected in Canaan (Josh.
4:9, 20-24; 7:26; 8:29-32; 10:27). But it's unfortunate when believers have to
resort to artificial means to let people know they're God's people. In recent
years we've seen a spate of "religious" bumper stickers, jewelry,
decals, and other items (including mirrors and combs with Bible verses on
them), all of which are supposed to help identify the owners with Jesus Christ.
While these things might occasionally open doors of opportunity for witness,
how much better it would be if our Spirit-led conduct and speech made the lost
sit up and take notice. When we're living as God wants us to live, we're salt
and light; and the Lord uses our witness for His glory.
We could call this “great, impressive altar” that they
built on the border of the Jordan “a pretend altar”. It might look attractive
and get attention and make them look “spiritual”, but the only worship God
accepts and that pleases Him, was at the tabernacle at Shiloh!
We are called to live holy lives, not a pretend religion.
God bless!
