Joshua Chapter 22
The men of the tribes that had received their inheritance of land on the east side of the Jordan River had kept their promise. They had stayed to help the tribes on the west side of the Jordan to conquer the land, and they stayed until all those tribes had also received their allotment of land. These men had fought side by side with their brothers helping conquer the promised land while their families were back home on the other side of the Jordan.
Numbers 32:16-19 Then they came near to him [Moses] and said, “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones, but we will take up arms, ready to go before the people of Israel, until we have brought them to their place. And our little ones shall live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. We will not return to our homes until each of the people of Israel has gained his inheritance. For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan to the east.”
Let's Reflect
1. These men that had kept their promise and fought alongside their brothers were composed of 2 ½ tribes. What were the names of those tribes?
2. Joshua summoned these men and gave them great recognition for having kept their promise. He thanked them for their hard work and then gave them permission to go home to their families. What admonition did Joshua make to these men?
3. According to verse 8 what did Joshua say the men should take with them from their time of fighting the various wars?
4. On their way home, on the west side of the Jordan, the men built a great altar. This altar became a point of contention. This altar could be clearly seen by the tribes living on the west side and it apparently was big enough to be seen on the east side as well. (It is interesting to note that at this juncture we are not told how the men got across the Jordan. Perhaps they went up and around the northern sea, but it is more likely that they found an easier, more shallow place to cross.) What did the people on the west side think was the purpose of the altar that had been built?
5. According to verse 12 what were the people of the west side ready to do, to make sure that the land of Israel would not be judged by God?
6. The delegation that was sent to speak with the people of the east side were very blunt in their statements fearing that the altar was created to worship in a way not sanctioned by the Lord. They were right to have this fear. What was their ultimate fear? See verses 18-19.
7. Verses 21-29 is the response from the 2 ½ tribes of the eastern side. They even stated that they should be punished if the intent of the altar was to make sacrifices. But this was not the intent. Actually, if it had been their intent, it would have made more sense that they had built the altar on the eastern side of the Jordan. What was the intent of this big altar?
8. The answer given was satisfactory to the son of Eleazor the priest. They realized that they had misunderstood the intent of the people. They were happy to report back to the people of Israel on the west side what good report?
