“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)
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 would 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)
