Question 1

Why did Joshua send the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh back home with blessings?

Accepted Answer

Joshua sends the eastern tribes home because they had finished the work they promised to do. They had left their families and crossed the Jordan to help the other tribes win the land. Joshua praises them for listening to Moses and to him, and for not leaving their brothers until the task was done. He blesses them and tells them to return with the riches and spoil God had given them in battle. This shows that God keeps his promises of rest, and that faithful service is both noticed and rewarded.

Question 2

What is the main warning Joshua gives before the eastern tribes leave?

Accepted Answer

Before they go, Joshua warns them to be very careful to keep God’s command and law. He tells them to love the Lord, walk in all his ways, keep his commandments, cling to him, and serve him with all their heart and soul. Even though they are going far from the tabernacle and the other tribes, they must not grow careless. Their new rest and wealth must not pull them away from God. The warning shows that outward success means little if the heart turns cold toward God’s word.

Question 3

Why did Israel almost go to war over the altar by the Jordan?

Accepted Answer

When the other tribes heard that Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had built a large altar near the Jordan, they assumed it was a rival place of sacrifice. God had appointed one altar at the tabernacle, so any new altar for offerings looked like rebellion and idolatry. Remembering sins like Peor and Achan, they feared God’s anger would fall on all Israel. Out of zeal for true worship and to protect the whole people, they gathered to go to war, but wisely sent a delegation to ask and listen first.

Question 4

What was the real purpose of the altar called Ed?

Accepted Answer

The eastern tribes explain that the altar was never meant for burnt offerings or sacrifices. They built it as a witness, a visible reminder that they shared the same God and the same worship as their brothers west of the Jordan. They feared that in the future, the other tribes’ children might say, “You have no part in the Lord,” because of the river between them. The altar’s pattern copied the true altar, not to replace it, but to testify that they all belonged to the same covenant and should keep fearing the Lord together.

Question 5

Who is Phinehas in this passage and what role does he play?

Accepted Answer

Phinehas is the son of Eleazar the priest. He leads the delegation from the western tribes to the eastern tribes. He speaks strongly about the danger of turning from the Lord, reminding them of past sins and how one person’s rebellion brought trouble on all Israel. At the same time, he offers them space to move back if their land is somehow unclean, showing concern for unity. When he hears their explanation, he accepts it, sees that they have not rebelled, and declares that the Lord is among them. His careful listening helps stop a civil war.

Question 6

What does this passage teach about dealing with conflict among God’s people?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows both a right and a risky side in dealing with conflict. The western tribes care deeply about faithful worship and are ready to act if there is open sin. They remember that one group’s sin can affect the whole community. But instead of rushing straight into battle, they send leaders to speak, ask questions, and listen. The eastern tribes answer clearly and openly. In the end, honest conversation clears up the misunderstanding, anger is eased, and unity is kept. It encourages us to combine zeal for God with patience, careful listening, and a desire for peace.

Question 7

Why do the people mention the sins of Peor and Achan in this chapter?

Accepted Answer

Peor and Achan are brought up as warnings from Israel’s own past. At Peor, many joined in idol worship and brought a plague on the people. Achan kept what God had cursed, and God’s anger fell on all Israel, not just on him. By remembering these events, the western tribes are saying, “We have already seen how turning from God in worship brings judgment on everyone.” They do not want to repeat those sins. It shows how seriously they take faithful worship and how they see the whole nation as sharing both guilt and blessing together.

Question 8

What does the altar Ed teach about unity when God’s people are separated by distance?

Accepted Answer

The altar Ed shows that physical distance does not have to become spiritual distance. The eastern tribes knew the Jordan River might one day make others think they were different and cut off from the Lord. To prevent this, they set up a visible reminder that they were part of the same people, serving the same God, at the same true altar where sacrifices were actually offered. It teaches that when believers are spread out, they should still look for ways to remember their shared faith and avoid anything that might slowly divide them in heart.

Joshua 22:1

Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,

The Eastern Tribes Return Home

The Altar of Witness

The Eastern Tribes Return Home

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Joshua 22:1

Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,

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The Eastern Tribes Return Home

The Altar of Witness

The Eastern Tribes Return Home

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