AM Bible Study Group; January 29, 2014
Joshua 22
Theme: Victory in the body of Christ cannot be maintained without a patient and understanding disposition toward one another.
(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
The passage before us tells one of the most fascinating stories in all the Book of Joshua. It occurred at a time when it seemed all was well—that the victories had been won, the tribes had been settled, and the land was at rest. And because the motives behind the seemingly offensive action in this story were not told at the beginning, and because the offending action was described from the viewpoint of those who were offended, the lesson seems to be about the tendency we have to misunderstand the motives of our fellow believers. What a valuable lesson this chapter has to teach us!
I. THE DISMISSAL OF THE TRIBES TO THEIR INHERITANCES (vv. 1-9).
A. Way back in Numbers 32:20-22—when they chose the land east of the Jordan as their inheritance—Moses obligated the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh to fight for their brethren and help them secure their inheritance on the west side. At this point of the story, that obligation had been fulfilled; and we’re told that Joshua could now dismisses them to their possession (vv. 1-4).
B. But note that before they departed from their brethren on the west, Joshua also issues a solemn warning: “But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul” (v. 5). This is good and worthy counsel; and only afterwards did he ‘bless’ them (v. 6-9). Obedience to that counsel is what would secure to them their blessing. But there was more involved than just them. It would also secure the blessing of everyone else; because if they had failed to keep it on the east, it would bring harm to their brethren on the west. Faithfulness to God on the part of each is the way to secure the blessedness of all!
II. THE ALTAR THAT WAS BUILT BY THE EASTERN TRIBES (v. 10).
A. But it’s then—apparently almost immediately—that a crisis arose. Once they arrived into their possession, the tribes on the east “built an altar there by the Jordan—a great, impressive altar” (v. 10). Note that we’re not told why this was done; but only that it was done.
B. The reason this had the potential of becoming a great disaster was because of God’s command in Deuteronomy 13:12-18. Any portion of the people of Israel turning from the Lord to worship other gods would necessitate the swift action of striking the inhabitants of that town with the sword—so as to prevent the fierce anger of the Lord from being turned on the people as a whole. This would be like the instruction of Paul in 1 Corinthians 5:6-7, “Do you knot know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump . . .” Sin in the midst of the church truly does corrupt the whole; and when found to actually be present, it must be dealt with.
III. THE INQUIRY INTO THE MOTIVES OF THE EASTERN TRIBES (vv. 11-29).
A. But note that it must actually be present! God’s command through Moses required that before action be taken, “you shall inquire, search out, and ask diligently . . .” (Deuteronomy 13:14). Rather than simply send an army out into violent action on the basis of the report alone (v. 11- 12), the people of Israel first put together a reliable deputation to inquire into the actions of the eastern tribes (vv. 13-20). Note how they treated the concern seriously—pointing back to other incidents in which sin on the part of the few caused loss for the many (see the matter of Peor in Numbers 25:1-9 and Deuteronomy 4:3; and the matter of Achan in Joshua 7).
B. But clearly, the matter was misunderstood. The easter tribes did not take up arms in defense of themselves; but rather gave a reasonable explanation for their actions. “The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, He knows, and let Israel itself know” (v. 22). Far from rebelling against God, they were seeking to establish their identification with God in the sight of the western tribes; and putting forward a memorial that unified them and future generations with the place in which the tabernacle of God was established (vv. 23-29). It wasn’t an altar for sacrifice in rebellion against God’s established pattern; but rather for a witness to future generations of their solidarity with their brethren.
C. Alan Redpath has written, “If only this sort of business were cleared out of the church, if only the Church of Christ today were utterly delivered from this deadly sin, we would have revival. It is the gossiper, he who imputes false motives, who puts the ugliest interpretation on innocent actions, whom the devil is using as his tool in Christian churches today. It is not much good—indeed, it is no use at all—to go into raptures about the sermon on Sunday morning if you are not prepared to remove the causes of your estrangement from your brother Christian” (Victorious Christian Living, pp. 224-5). No wonder this story is in a biblical book about victory! And perhaps that victory is best understood as one that is won over our own spirits—quick as we are to judge our brothers and sisters in Christ, and to misunderstand their motives!
IV. THE WESTERN TRIBES ‘DELIVERED’ FROM WRONGDOING (vv. 30-34).
A. The building of the altar may not have been the best way of going about things; and it may be that the eastern tribes should have said something of what they were doing at the very beginning. More ‘communication’ all the way around might have helped stave off a lot of misunderstanding. But the inquiry certainly cleared things up! The representatives of the western tribes “heard” what was said (v. 30)—and no doubt cooled down in their anger in the process. And note carefully what Phinehas the priest said; “This day we perceive that the LORD is among us, because you have not committed this treachery against the LORD. Now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD” (v. 31). Delivered them? Yes; because they were prevented from shedding the blood of their brethren wrongly. This is much like what David said to Abigail—the wife of Nabal—after she prevented David and his men from avenging themselves on Nabal: “Blessed is the LORD God of Israel who sent you this day to meet me! And blessed is your advice and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand” (1 Samuel 25:32-33). The work of clearing up misunderstandings in the body of Christ is truly a blessed work; because it prevents us from speaking wrongly toward a brother or sister, and from taking guilty action before the Lord.
B. The results speak for themselves. The deputation from the west returned to bring back the good news to their brethren—leaving them ‘pleased’ with the action of the eastern tribes and blessing God (vv. 32-33). And the people of the eastern tribes called the altar Witness, “for it is a witness between us that the LORD is God” (v. 34).
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It would be hard to find a more useful lesson! Proverbs 18:13 tells us, “He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him.” A self-righteous and quick-tempered spirit—one that is slow to understand and swift to pass judgment—is a great tool in the hand of the devil. Sadly, the devil has often used it often to divide Christians from one another—to the shame of the cause of Christ, and to the disgust of the unbelieving world.
Let’s be careful not to put that tool in our enemy’s hand. Rather than be quick to take offense at our brothers or sisters in Christ, or to be swift to condemn their actions, it is much wiser to slow down, ask questions, and ‘hear’ the motives first. In fact, it’s one of the most important ways we can work to maintain and protect our victory together in Christ.