More than seven long years had elapsed since these warriors had crossed the Jordan River to help their fellow Israelites conquer the Promised Land. They had kept their commitment. Blessing them and commending them for their faithful service, Joshua now sends them home with much riches to their families, who had remained in the possession they had chosen on the east side of the Jordan. He exhorts them to keep close to the Lord and His commandments.

But at the Jordan they stop. Looking ahead, they have a fear, a concern about their descendants. Will they in the future be accepted by their fellow Israelites, or will they be spurned because of where they live? They do not ask the Lord what to do, but decide to build a large, impressive replica of the altar of burnt offering before Jehovah’s tabernacle. They do this all on their own.

These two and one half tribes had earlier chosen the rich pasturelands east of the Jordan for themselves and their cattle rather than the land Jehovah would give them beyond the Jordan. We often make “commonsense choices” in what we regard as secondary matters, such as where to live, what job offer to accept, or even what to do in our spare time. We choose what we feel is to our advantage or what we like rather than taking the Lord’s direction. Only later do we realize the potential consequences to our children, and try to avert these results. Do we seek His mind in what we do then?