Joshua 17 - 22

As the valiant warriors of the tribes of Manasseh, Gad, and Rueben, have satisfied their promises to Moses to assist the children of Israel possess there land, Joshua dismisses them saying -

"...Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you:
3 Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God.
4 And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side Jordan." (Old Testament Joshua 22:2 - 4)

Joshua blessed them and admonished them -

"...take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul..." (Old Testament Joshua 22:5)

What is interesting is that these valiant warriors with good intentions -

"...when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to." (Old Testament Joshua 22:10)

As a reminder to their people of what they had done and -

"...that it may be a witness between us, and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the service of the LORD before him..." (Old Testament Joshua 22:27)

But -

"...when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up to war against them..." (Old Testament Joshua 22:12)

For they had thought that that these men had -

"...turn this day from following the LORD, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, beside the altar of the LORD our God that is before his tabernacle." (Old Testament Joshua 22:29)

You can sense the concern of the the children of Israel as they remembered the women of Moab asking -

"...Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD..." (Old Testament Joshua 22:17)

And again -

"...Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity..." (Old Testament Joshua 22:20)

It seems to go along with the old adage the "no good deed goes unpunished". But thankfully -

"...when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel which were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spake, it pleased them..." (Old Testament Joshua 22:30)

And with a little bit of explanation from the priest -

"...the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and did not intend to go up against them in battle, to destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.
34 And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed: for it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God."(Old Testament Joshua 22:33 - 34)

Sometimes we are so worried about following the letter of the law, that we misunderstand the spiritual intent of the law.