Remember those Eastern Tribes? The ones that wanted to live on the other side of the Jordan? They had permission, but only after they finished helping Israel do battle. So now they are finished. And Joshua says that they can go back home. When they got there, it says they built an IMPOSING altar. Dictionary.com describes imposing as "very impressive because of great size, stately appearance, dignity, elegance". So it was really cool and big. When the other Israelites heard, they all cried "Oh, no!" and rushed over to see what the deal was.
They said, "How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the LORD and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now? Was not the sin of Peor enough for us? Up to this very day we have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the community of the LORD! (That was the place where they had worshipped a Baal) And are you now turning away from the LORD? If you rebel against the LORD today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel. If the land you possess is defiled, come over to the LORD's land, where the LORD's tabernacle stands, and share the land with us. But do not rebel against the LORD or against us by building an altar for yourselves, other than the altar of the LORD our God. When Achan son of Zerah acted unfaithfully regarding the devoted things, did not wrath come upon the whole community of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin."
Reuben, Gad and Manasseh said, "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 out 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 someday your descendants might say to ours, 'What do you have to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? (Seeing as they don't even live in the land where the tabernacle is) You have no share in the LORD.' So your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the LORD.
That is why we said, 'Let us get ready and build an altar - but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices. On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the LORD at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, 'You have no share in the LORD.' " So it was like a monument. They were worried that they might get scoffed at later for not being in God's land, so they built an altar as a witness and they called it: A Witness Between Us that the LORD is God.
Wow. Talk about caution and forethought!!! I had never read this part before! Thought it was pretty neat.
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