10 - 34 The Incident of the Altar by the Jordan
They reach the Jordan in Canaan and build "a conspicuously large altar" When the tribes west of the Jordan hear about it, they decide gather at Shiloh to go to war against them.
(My notes: "the western Israelites considered this altar, which seemed to violate the customary unity of the sanctuary as a sign of secession and dangerous to national unity. The motives for the war were political as well as religious.")
Before they take action, the westerners send Phinehas the High Priest & representatives to confront the easterners. At issue: "You have seceded from the LORD this day, and rebelled against him by building an altar of your own!" He reminds the Easterners that all of Isreal was punished for Peor. He tells them that if they think their land unclean, then they should cross over the river and not anger the Lord by building a second altar.
The easterners respond by saying that their true reason for building the altar was as a memorial, not as a place of sacrifice, "not for holocausts or for sacrifices, but as evidence for you on behalf of ourselves and our descendants, that we have the right to worship the LORD in his presence with our holocausts, sacrifices, and peace offerings."
This satisfies the Isrealites, and the "Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar its name as a witness among them that the LORD is God." (My notes: The name of this altar was the Hebrew word for "witness").
2 comments:
The alter builders said told the others that the Jordan divides them already. They were afraid that as time went by they would forget that they were all "one big happy family" so they wanted to build the altar as a symbol that they were of the same faith so that when they looked over they river they would know that they were brothers.
34 They named the altar "A Witness Between Us that the Lord is God."
Communication seems to be a problem already. Maybe they should have sent messengers over FIRST asking permission or giving them a "heads up".
Good idea.
Post a Comment