Aug 26, 2018
Hundreds of years earlier—while Abraham was living in Canaan—God promised to give that land to his offspring (Gen. 15:7-21). Over time, Abraham’s offspring—the nation of Israel—became slaves in Egypt but God delivered them from Egypt and eventually established them in Canaan through Joshua (Ex. 6:1-8; Josh. 21:43-45). A good God is always good to His word(Ps. 33:11; Is. 46:10)! After all 12 tribes were allotted their land, 2 ½ tribes (Reuben, Gad, Manasseh) stayed east of the Jordan River, outside Canaan. As the Jordan was a natural barrier, the eastern tribes built an altar to match the sacrificial altar in Canaan as a sign of unity. Nothing is greater to long-term health than unity (Ps. 133:1; John 17:23; Eph. 4:3)!