Joshua 16-24 - Of altars and over-reactions...

The readings - Days 74-76 - Joshua 16-24

And the catch-up continues... We're just going to close out Joshua, because the first two of the remaining three days were more geographical specifications, which would normally interest me, but not really knowing any of these places gives no frame of reference. I'm sure it's all fascinating though. Maybe.

Chapter 22, however, is interesting.



While they were originally setting out to go into the Promised Land, two and a half tribes (Reuben, Gad and Manasseh) decided that they quite liked the look/feel/weather on the West side of the Jordan River, and would prefer to just settle there. Moses struck a deal where they could keep their wives/children/flocks/etc there and come back to them as their own lands, but that they'd first have to actually come along and help conquer the rest of the land for the other tribes. Fine, said they, and they did just that.

Now that the land has been as conquered as it's going to get, they now turn and head back across the river.

On their way, they build an altar.

And everybody else completely loses their minds. They set out, prepared for civil war, and gather to communally rebuke the West-of-Jordan tribes for their heinous act.

As it turns out, the WoJ group was concerned that future generations on their land would (understandably) look at the Jordan as a firm boundary, separating them not only physically from the rest of Israel, but also in matters of philosophy and faith. So they built an altar to God to serve as a reminder and connection for their descendants.

For a nation that has an unrelenting history of being collectively terrible at A) following God's basic commands and B) remembering things in general, the tribes of Israel sure seem quick to throw one another under the proverbial bus...

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Anyway, that - shockingly - brings us to the end of Joshua. After the seemingly endless expanses of the Pentateuch's component books, it seems weird to be done one and on to another of the so-called history books so soon. I guess I'll have to keep up a little better going forward, since I dislike posting on them with such a delay that I'm no longer even reading the same book on my daily readings that I am writing about for the blog. Tomorrow we'll catch up in Judges and hopefully stay that way.