Joshua 22:10-34

22:10-12 | When the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh built an impressive altar on their side of the Jordan, the rest of Israel assumed they were setting up their own religion. So they planned to go to war against these three tribes to punish the for forsaking God as they had been instructed (Deut. 13:14-17).

22:13-20 | Phinehas is the priest who took drastic measures to stop a plague that broke out after the Israelites engaged in idolatry and sexual immorality at Peor (Num. 25:1-13). He wisely decided to find out all the facts before doing anything rash, and followed the principles for conflict resolutio found in Deuteronomy 13:12-14. Not surprisingly, Phinehas compared the actions of the east-Jordan tribes to the disobedience of the Israelites at Peor.

22:21-29 | Four times the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh declared that they had no intention of offering sacrifices on this replica of Yahweh’s altar. The altar’s location on the Israelites (west) side of the Jordan verifies this. Had they really intended to offer sacrifices on it, these east-Jordan tribes would have built it on the east side of the Jordan.

22:30-34 | Calling the altar Witness symbolized the tribes’ commitment both to unity and truth (Yahweh is God). This reminds NT believers that neither purity of worship nor unity alone is enough. The two must be held together for God to be honored.