“When the descendants of Re’uven, the descendants of Gad and the half-tribe arrived in the area of the land of Kena‘an near the Yarden, they built an altar there by the Yarden, a large, impressive altar.”-Joshua 22:10
Let’s get into the shoes of the Trans-Jordanian tribes and really try to understand how they were feeling at this time.
Especially in light of the fact they would be making their homes outside of Promised Land territory.
No doubt there was a sense of fear in the air.
Would their God still be with them?
Would their brothers living inside the land still allow them to participate in the all-important festivals, feasts and worship rituals?
Actually, the more compelling question was would their brothers in the land even remember them anymore as the days passed?
Recall from an earlier post that the religious center in Canaan had been transferred to a place called Shiloh which was situated smack dab in Ephraim territory.
I know most of you have absolutely no idea where Shiloh was located on the map, so let me just tell you this.
It was NOT a convenient location folks.
And when I say not convenient, I mean it wasn’t just inconvenient for the 2 1/2 tribes located east of the Transjordan, it was just as inconvenient for the 9 1/2 tribes who were inside the Promised Land.
In addition to the geographical or physical disadvantages, the Trans-Jordanian tribes were also suffering psychologically.
There were a ton of questions circling around inside their minds like…
…”are we even under Joshua’s authority anymore?”
“And if not, then heck, are we even a part of Israel anymore?”
As I mentioned last time, while this farewell party was a time of joy, celebration and hugs, it also represented a huge transition and there was uncertainty in the air.
Everyone knew a big change had just occurred and that there were more changes to come.
But exactly what kind of changes?
That was the big question on everyone’s minds.
In terms of personal application, I think it’s appropriate to ask how would you feel and what would you do in this situation?
I’m guessing probably the same thing, right?
Get together, have a frank discussion, and then try to decide the best course of action to take moving forward.
On that note, in verse 10 we’re told that one action the 2 1/2 tribes took to make sure they stayed connected to their brothers in the Promised Land was to construct a rather large and impressive altar right there by the Jordan River.
Was this a good thing or not?
Well, that’s what we’re gonna get into the next time we meet.
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