“The Offensive Alter”
“When they
came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the sons of
Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there
by the Jordan, a large altar in appearance.” (v.10)
I can
remember my grandfather saying to me on more than one occasion, “Boy, you
better look before you leap” or “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” He was
trying to give me good advise about first impressions. Jumping to wrong
conclusions can have very serious consequences. Here in Joshua 22:10-34, we
read of a flawed first impression which almost led to an internal conflict
between the tribes of Israel.
The tribes
of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had built an altar near the Jordan. When the other
tribes learned about this, they were enraged (v.9-12) because God had commanded
that He alone be worshiped and that sacrifices be performed only in the
tabernacle ( Ex.20:3; Lev.17:8-9). They saw the building of this altar as an
act of apostasy.
Fortunately,
Phinehas the priest led a delegation to find out why they had built the altar
(vv.13-33). Crisis averted because Phinehas was willing to confront them in
love.
Often our
first impressions can be wrong. Open communication, however, can correct
misunderstandings that are created by our own pride and prejudice. Grandpa was
right again. It’s always better to look before you leap.
The Truth
“Test all things; hold fast what is good.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:21)
