Joshua 22:29
"God forbid that
we should rebel against the LORD, and turn this day from
following the LORD, to build an altar. . . for
sacrifices, beside the altar of the LORD our God that is
before his tabernacle."
If you remember, that TWO & A HALF
TRIBES (Reuben, Gad, & the half tribe of Manasseh)
thought so much of the pasture-land found prior to their
crossing over the Jordan River that they wanted to make
that territory their home-base. At first Joshua and the
leaders were disturbed. But the three tribes REASSURED
their leaders that they would leave their families on
this side of Jordan. Then they would the cross the river
and help the rest of the tribes to conquer their land.
This they did. All seemed well and good.
I am not sure how many years it took
Joshua to lead the people in capturing THE PROMISED
LAND. We know that Caleb was forty when he spied out the
land. So we presume Joshua was about that age. Caleb was
eighty-five when he began to claim his mountain. So
Joshua, we assume, may have been around the same age.
Joshua died at one hundred and ten (Joshua 24:29). I
think that for almost all those years from 85 to 110,
Joshua fought in some way or another for possession of
Canaan. For many of those years, the 2 ½ tribes kept
their word and fought with Joshua. Perhaps they returned
home at times to see their families and cattle. I don’t
know–but I presume so.
So after DAYS AND DAYS of fighting
for the land, Joshua instructed those who settled on
"this side of Jordan" to go home. (Joshua said "many
days" in Joshua 22:3.) He proclaimed, "Ye have kept
all that Moses. . .commanded you. . . . Ye have not left
your brethren these many days . . . the LORD your God
hath given rest unto your brethren . . . therefore
return . . . take diligent heed to do the commandment
and the law. . . and to walk in all (of GOD’s) ways."
But what happened as soon as the
two & a half tribes crossed back to their land? THEY SET
UP AN ALTAR! It was right by the Jordan River. (I’ve
seen big monuments by river banks, haven’t you?) This
"altar" greatly disturbed the rest of the children
of Israel. It disturbed Joshua. It disturbed Phinehas,
the Priest for he had the responsibility to keep the
Israelites spiritually in tune. So he and ten tribal
heads jumped into a boat to confront the two and a half
tribes who had built such an altar. What were they
doing?
Had not those altar builders
remembered the iniquity of Peor? If you recall it was
the silver-tonged false prophet, Balaam, who mingled
himself and his doctrines among the Israelites, teaching
them to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit
fornication (Revelation. 2:14). At the time, God had
sent a plague upon Israel and hundreds died. Phinehas
was concerned for, even in his present day, some of that
poisonous teaching was still among them.
The people who had settled on the
wrong side of Jordan explained. They said, "Oh, no!
We have not built this altar upon which to sacrifice!
Oh–no. We have put it here by the Jordan River as a
memorial stone. We want our children and their children
to see it and remember how we are a part of those who
crossed over the river. We want this altar as a WITNESS.
We want our children to remember the True God, etc.,
etc." PRIEST PHINEHAS believed them.
My opinion is that the 2 ½ tribes
meant what they said at the time. They wanted it for a
witness. But, as I read the Scripture, I feel it was
very wrong. It was a step towards apostasy. They had
already prepared an altar for sacrifice at the wrong
place. They had made a provision for the flesh. So many
of us Christians today make such provision. And before
we know it, we are trapped in wrong doctrine, listening
to wrong preaching, reading from wrong bibles, and
desiring wrong friends. We find our daughters marrying
unbelievers and our sons doing the same. All this
compromise is the result of wrong altars built in wrong
places. BEWARE LEST ANY MAN DECEIVE YOU! (ysw)
"ANY
BITTER ROOT–BEWARE!"
(Hebrews 12:15)
Looking
diligently, lest any root of bitterness spring up and
infect others.
This "bitter
root" may spring up any time, any place. Suddenly!
There must be a
"seed" before there is a root–some little
"falling away."
Some little
hurt. Some little slight. A lie!
Some little act
which was not forgotten.
It grew into a
root from which a tree grew and affected others
adversely.
Look diligently
lest we fail of the grace of God in this matter.
Keep alert!
Beware lest!
(GGS)
