Let’s get right down to it and answer the $64,000 question hanging in the air.
Was it a sin for the tribes of Reuben, Gad and 1/2 of Manasseh to build the Altar that they built?
Giving them the benefit of the doubt that they had zero intention of performing sacrifices on it or using it as a place to worship other gods, was what they did a sin?
I imagine if you posed this question to 10 different Bible teachers, you’d get back 10 different answers.
This really is a challenging question because it goes to the heart of the matter concerning whether or not our good intentions, love and sincerity supersede any requirement to obey God’s commandments as they are clearly spelled out in His Word.
I don’t think we should judge the 2 1/2 tribes too harshly.
They were motivated by a combination of selfish concerns and a suspicion and fear of how their brothers living in the Promised Land would view them in the future as time passed.
One thing is clear, just because they opted to not live in the Promised Land, these 2 1/2 tribes still desperately wanted to be identified as being a part of Israel.
They feared that living outside of Canaan would mean the loss of their Hebrew identity and that over time they’d be viewed as gentiles which would be an Israelite’s worst nightmare.
It was well known and just understood that eventually political loyalties come and go, rulers and their agendas change and with that new alliances are created.
So who’s to say that over time Reuben, Gad and 1/2 of Manasseh would be forgotten?
Look at what happened in Egypt.
In the beginning, the Israelites were viewed favorably and treated very well.
But then arose a Pharaoh who did NOT Joseph and before you know it, all of the Israelites were enslaved.
What would become of them if in only a few generations, they were cast aside as being foreigners to Israel?
That was the terrifying thought running through the minds of the 2 1/2 tribes.
And you know what’s interesting about this situation?
This story is prophetic of what did actually happen to Israel when they were exiled from their land.
Consider all of the Jewish families who for a variety of different reasons left Israel to start a new life in Europe, America and Asia.
Gene Simmons, the rock bassist for the band Kiss is a perfect example.
I don’t know if you guys are aware of this but that homie is an Israeli who immigrated to the US from Israel when he was a young kid.
Anyways, here’s the thing.
Whenever a Jewish family for whatever reason decided to migrate out of their homeland and move into gentile territory, they NEVER EVER threw away their Hebrew identity.
Like the 2 1/2 tribes in the Transjordan, in one way or another, metaphorically speaking, they built and maintained their own “altars” to maintain their connection with the homeland.
They celebrated Passover, Rosh Hashanah, kept Kosher, and fasted during Yom Kippur.
In fact, that’s one of the miracles of the Jewish people.
In spite of having no land and suffering intense persecution, they have kept their identity as strong as ever throughout all of human history.
Even Mark Twain wondered about this when he said…
“The Jew saw them all, survived them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities, of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert but aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jews; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality? “
However, having said all that, the truth is that those Israelites who continued to live in the land did actually begin to question whether those Israelites who left the Promised Land were even part of Israel anymore.
At best, they viewed those living outside of Canaan as a lesser degree of Hebrew than those who were born and raised in the land and questioned whether they should be welcomed back with open arms and given full citizenship if they ever decided to return.
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