Joshua 8 – God as artisan

“Israel took only the cattle and the spoil of that city as plunder for themselves, according to the word of the LORD which He had commanded Joshua.”

This time everyone follows the instructions of the Lord and nobody is stoned after the battle. It’s amazing how things turn out better when we follow through on all of God’s instructions.

“Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, in Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the sons of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of uncut stones on which no man had wielded an iron tool; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.”

Having done no research on the subject I was curious why it would be important for the stones of the alter to be unhewn. My guess would be that few people, if anyone, would be worthy enough to cut the stones for the Lord’s alter. I think back to Bezaleel in Deuteronomy. There were some significant requirements to be worthy to build the Ark of the Covenant. An alter to the Lord could be similar; and so naturally cut rocks were used as God was their craftsman.

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