**The Altar of Witness: A Story of Unity and Faith**
After many years of warfare and conquest, the land of Canaan was finally at rest. The tribes of Israel, under the leadership of Joshua, had seen the fulfillment of God’s promises. The Lord had given them victory over their enemies, and the land was divided among the twelve tribes. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had received their inheritance on the eastern side of the Jordan River, as Moses had promised them before his death. These tribes had fought valiantly alongside their brothers from the western tribes, and now the time had come for them to return home.
Joshua summoned the men of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh to Shiloh, where the Tabernacle of the Lord stood. The air was thick with the scent of burnt offerings, and the sound of prayers and praises rose like incense to heaven. Joshua stood before them, his face weathered by years of leadership but still radiant with the favor of the Lord. His voice carried the weight of authority as he addressed the eastern tribes.
“You have done all that Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded you,” Joshua began, his eyes scanning the faces of the warriors before him. “You have obeyed me in everything I commanded. For a long time, you have not deserted your brothers but have carried out the mission the Lord your God gave you. Now that the Lord your God has given your brothers rest as he promised, return to your homes in the land that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you on the other side of the Jordan.”
The men listened intently, their hearts swelling with pride and gratitude. They had fulfilled their duty, and now they could return to their families and their land. Joshua continued, his tone softening with fatherly affection. “But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
With these words, Joshua blessed them and sent them on their way. The men of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh loaded their belongings onto their carts and prepared for the journey back to the eastern side of the Jordan. As they traveled, their hearts were light, and their spirits were high. They had fought alongside their brothers, and now they were returning home as heroes.
But as they approached the Jordan River, a thought began to stir among them. They remembered the words of Moses and Joshua, warning them not to turn away from the Lord or forget His commandments. They also remembered the unity of the twelve tribes, bound together by their covenant with God. What if, in the generations to come, their children were forgotten by the western tribes? What if their descendants were excluded from the worship of the Lord because they lived on the other side of the Jordan?
These concerns weighed heavily on their hearts, and they decided to take action. They gathered stones from the riverbank and built a large altar near the Jordan. It was not an altar for sacrifices—they knew that only the altar at the Tabernacle in Shiloh was to be used for offerings. Instead, this altar was a witness, a symbol of their shared faith and unity with the tribes on the western side of the Jordan. It was a reminder that they, too, were part of Israel and worshiped the same God.
When the western tribes heard about the altar, they were furious. They gathered at Shiloh, their faces dark with anger and suspicion. “What is this treachery?” they cried. “Have the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh turned away from the Lord? Have they built an altar to rebel against Him?” The leaders of Israel decided to confront their brothers, fearing that this act would bring God’s wrath upon the entire nation.
Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, was chosen to lead the delegation. He was a man of zeal and integrity, known for his unwavering commitment to the Lord. Along with ten tribal leaders, Phinehas crossed the Jordan to meet with the eastern tribes. When they arrived, they stood before the altar, their faces stern and their hearts heavy with concern.
“What is this you have done?” Phinehas demanded, his voice trembling with emotion. “Do you not know that the Lord is a jealous God? Have you forgotten the sin of Peor, when the Israelites turned away from the Lord and brought disaster upon themselves? If you rebel against the Lord today, tomorrow He will be angry with the whole community of Israel!”
The men of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh listened patiently, their hearts breaking at the misunderstanding. One of their leaders stepped forward, his voice calm but filled with conviction. “The Mighty One, God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows! And let Israel know! If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the Lord, do not spare us this day. We did not build this altar to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings, nor to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it. If we have done so, may the Lord Himself call us to account.”
He paused, his eyes scanning the faces of the western leaders. “No, we built this altar because we feared that in the future, your descendants might say to ours, ‘What do you have to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? The Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you. You have no share in the Lord.’ So we said, ‘Let us build an altar, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the Lord at His sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and fellowship offerings.’ This altar is a witness that we are part of Israel and that we serve the same God.”
The words struck a chord in the hearts of Phinehas and the leaders. They realized that their brothers had acted not out of rebellion but out of love and concern for their unity with the Lord and with Israel. Phinehas’s stern expression softened, and he nodded in understanding. “Today we know that the Lord is with us,” he said, “because you have not been unfaithful to the Lord in this matter. You have delivered the Israelites from the Lord’s hand.”
With the matter resolved, the delegation returned to Shiloh and reported what had happened. The western tribes rejoiced, praising God for the faithfulness of their brothers. The altar by the Jordan became known as the “Altar of Witness,” a lasting symbol of the unity and shared faith of all twelve tribes of Israel.
And so, the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh settled in their land, secure in the knowledge that they were part of God’s chosen people. They continued to worship the Lord with all their hearts, and the Altar of Witness stood as a reminder to future generations that the God of Israel was their God, too. The unity of the tribes was preserved, and the name of the Lord was glorified throughout the land.
