The eastern tribes are cleared of rebellion

22:1 Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh 22:2 and told them: “You have carried out all the instructions of Moses the Lord’s servant, and you have obeyed all I have told you. 22:3 You have not abandoned your fellow Israelites this entire time, right up to this very day. You have completed the task given you by the Lord your God. 22:4 Now the Lord your God has made your fellow Israelites secure, just as he promised them. So now you may turn around and go to your homes in your own land which Moses the Lord’s servant assigned to you east of the Jordan. 22:5 But carefully obey the commands and instructions Moses the Lord’s servant gave you. Love the Lord your God, follow all his instructions, obey his commands, be loyal to him, and serve him with all your heart and being!” 22:6 Joshua rewarded them and sent them on their way; they returned to their homes. 22:7 (Now to one half-tribe of Manasseh, Moses had assigned land in Bashan; and to the other half Joshua had assigned land on the west side of the Jordan with their fellow Israelites.) When Joshua sent them home, he rewarded them, 22:8 saying, “Take home great wealth, a lot of cattle, silver, gold, bronze, iron, and a lot of clothing. Divide up the goods captured from your enemies with your brothers.” 22:9 So the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites in Shiloh in the land of Canaan and headed home to their own land in Gilead, which they acquired by the Lord’s command through Moses. 22:10 The Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan and built there, near the Jordan, an impressive altar. 22:11 The Israelites received this report: “Look, the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar at the entrance to the land of Canaan, at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side.” 22:12 When the Israelites heard this, the entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh to launch an attack against them. 22:13 The Israelites sent Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 22:14 He was accompanied by ten leaders, one from each of the Israelite tribes, each one a family leader among the Israelite clans. 22:15 They went to the land of Gilead to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and said to them: 22:16 “The entire community of the Lord says, ‘Why have you disobeyed the God of Israel by turning back today from following the Lord? You built an altar for yourselves and have rebelled today against the Lord. 22:17 The sin we committed at Peor was bad enough. To this very day we have not purified ourselves; it even brought a plague on the community of the Lord. 22:18 Now today you dare to turn back from following the Lord! You are rebelling today against the Lord; tomorrow he may break out in anger against the entire community of Israel. 22:19 But if your own land is impure, cross over to the Lord’s own land, where the Lord himself lives, and settle down among us. But don’t rebel against the Lord or us by building for yourselves an altar aside from the altar of the Lord our God. 22:20 When Achan son of Zerah disobeyed the command about the city’s riches, the entire Israelite community was judged, though only one man had sinned. He most certainly died for his sin!’” 22:21 The Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the leaders of the Israelite clans: 22:22 “El, God, the Lord! El, God, the Lord! He knows the truth! Israel must also know! If we have rebelled or disobeyed the Lord, don’t spare us today! 22:23 If we have built an altar for ourselves to turn back from following the Lord by making burnt sacrifices and grain offerings on it, or by offering tokens of peace on it, the Lord himself will punish us. 22:24 We swear we have done this because we were worried that in the future your descendants would say to our descendants, ‘What relationship do you have with the Lord God of Israel? 22:25 The Lord made the Jordan a boundary between us and you Reubenites and Gadites. You have no right to worship the Lord.’ In this way your descendants might cause our descendants to stop obeying the Lord. 22:26 So we decided to build this altar, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, 22:27 but as a reminder to us and you, and to our descendants who follow us, that we will honor the Lord in his very presence with burnt offerings, sacrifices, and tokens of peace. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to our descendants, ‘You have no right to worship the Lord.’ 22:28 We said, ‘If in the future they say such a thing to us or to our descendants, we will reply, “See the model of the Lord’s altar that our ancestors made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a reminder to us and you.”’ 22:29 Far be it from us to rebel against the Lord by turning back today from following after the Lord by building an altar for burnt offerings, sacrifices, and tokens of peace aside from the altar of the Lord our God located in front of his dwelling place!” 22:30 When Phinehas the priest and the community leaders and clan leaders who accompanied him heard the defense of the Reubenites, Gadites, and the Manassehites, they were satisfied. 22:31 Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest, said to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the Manassehites, “Today we know that the Lord is among us, because you have not disobeyed the Lord in this. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the Lord’s judgment.” 22:32 Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders left the Reubenites and Gadites in the land of Gilead and reported back to the Israelites in the land of Canaan. 22:33 The Israelites were satisfied with their report and gave thanks to God. They said nothing more about launching an attack to destroy the land in which the Reubenites and Gadites lived. 22:34 The Reubenites and Gadites named the altar, “Surely it is a Reminder to us that the Lord is God.” Joshua Challenges Israel to be Faithful

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Joshua sends the eastern tribes home after praising their faithfulness. They build a large altar by the Jordan, and the western tribes think they have rebelled against the Lord. But the eastern tribes explain that the altar is only a witness, meant to remind future generations that they also belong to the Lord. The leaders accept this answer, and the threat of war ends in peace.

Joshua tells Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh that they have obeyed the Lord and helped their brothers. He sends them home with a charge to love the Lord, keep his commands, and stay faithful to him. They return with gifts and build a large altar near the Jordan. The rest of Israel hears about it and thinks they have set up a rival altar, so the whole community prepares for war. Before fighting, they send Phinehas and other leaders to investigate. The western tribes remind them of past sins that brought judgment on Israel, and they warn them not to rebel by making another altar for sacrifice. The eastern tribes answer that they are not trying to offer sacrifices there. They say they built it out of concern that future generations might deny that they have any share in the Lord. The altar is meant to be a witness and a reminder, not a place of sacrifice. When Phinehas hears this, he accepts their explanation and says the Lord is among them, because they have not rebelled. The people give thanks to God, and the altar is named as a reminder that the Lord is God.

• Faithfulness to the Lord remains necessary even after the land is secured.
• The eastern tribes had fulfilled their duty and were rightly sent home with honor.
• Unauthorized worship is a serious matter and can bring judgment on the whole community.
• Wise leaders should investigate serious accusations before acting.
• Not every religious-looking object is meant to replace God’s appointed worship.
• A memorial can help future generations remember the Lord if it does not compete with his command.

• Love the Lord your God.
• Keep his commands and stay loyal to him.
• Do not rebel against the Lord by setting up rival worship.
• Investigate serious claims carefully before launching judgment.
• Remember that sin can affect the whole community.
• Give thanks when the Lord preserves unity and peace.

This passage belongs to Israel’s life under the covenant in the land. God had given one people, one inheritance, and one appointed center of worship. The altar controversy shows that the Lord guards both holiness and unity among his people. It also points forward to the Bible’s wider theme that God alone provides the right way to draw near to him.

God’s people should be careful about worship, unity, and truth. We should not jump to conclusions when something looks suspicious. We should ask, listen, and judge fairly. We should also remember that outward objects and symbols must never take the place of obedience to God. The goal is to honor the Lord clearly and to keep peace with his people.

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