In God’s economy, among God’s people there was to be only one altar, in Jerusalem. All God’s people had to go there to offer their sacrifices to God for their worship and fellowship with God (Deut. 12:5-8). The record at the end of this chapter concerning the building of another altar at the Jordan by the two and a half tribes indicates that in the enjoyment of Christ division must be avoided to the uttermost. To enjoy the all-inclusive Christ as the good land, we must be one people, one Body, one universal church to testify for Christ. See note Deut. 12:5¹.

After Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had fought along with their brothers, they were qualified to return to their land to enjoy their inheritance. This indicates that we cannot enjoy Christ without the Body. We must be one with the Body in order to share the inheritance of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 3:6).