22 to 24 emphasize retaining the land. So they've entered, they've conquered, they've possessed, and now Joshua exhorts them specifically in 23 and 24 to retain the land. Chapter 22 also is a great illustration of faithfulness and obedience. So I just want to read actually beginning in chapter 21 at verse 43.
So the Lord gave to Israel all the land of which he had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. The Lord gave them rest all around, according to all that he had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them. The Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand.
Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass. Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh and said to them, you have kept all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you and have obeyed my voice and all that I commanded you. You have not left your brethren these many days up to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord your God.
And now the Lord your God has given rest to your brethren as he promised them. Now, therefore, return and go to your tents and to the land of your possession, which Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you on the other side of the Jordan. 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. So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.
Now to half the tribe of Manasseh, Moses had given a possession in Bashan, but to the other half of it, Joshua gave a possession among their brethren on this side of the Jordan, westward. And indeed, when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them and spoke to them, saying, return with much riches to your tents, with very much livestock, with silver, with gold, with bronze, with iron, and with very much clothing. Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren. So the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh returned and departed from the children of Israel at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession, which they had obtained according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
And when they came to the region of the Jordan, which is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan. a great, impressive altar. Now the children of Israel heard someone say, behold, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan, on the children of Israel's side. And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered together at Shiloh to go to war against them. Then the children of Israel sent Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the priest, to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead.
And with him 10 rulers, one ruler each from the chief house of every tribe of Israel. And each one was the head of the house of his father among the divisions of Israel. Then they came to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead. And they spoke with them, saying, Thus says the whole congregation of the Lord, what treachery is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the Lord, in that you have built for yourselves an altar, that you might rebel this day against the Lord?
Is the iniquity of Peor not enough for us, from which we are not cleansed till this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the Lord, but that you must turn away this day from following the Lord? And it shall be, if you rebel today against the Lord, that tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. Nevertheless, if the land of your possession is unclean, then cross over to the land of the possession of the Lord, where the Lord's tabernacle stands, and take possession among us. But do not rebel against the Lord, nor rebel against us, by building yourselves an altar besides the altar of the Lord our God.
Did not Achan, the son of Zerah, commit a trespass in the accursed thing? And wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel. And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity. Then the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh answered and said to the heads of the divisions of Israel, the Lord God of gods, the Lord God of gods, he knows.
And let Israel itself know, if it is in rebellion or if in treachery against the Lord, do not save us this day. If we have built ourselves an altar to turn from following the Lord, or if to offer on it burnt offerings or grain offerings, or if to offer peace offerings on it, let the Lord himself require an account. But in fact we have done it for fear, for a reason, saying, in time to come your descendants may speak to our descendants, saying, What have you to do with the Lord God of Israel? For the Lord has made the Jordan a border between you and us, you children of Reuben and children of Gad.
You have no part in the Lord, so your descendants would make our descendants cease fearing the Lord. Therefore, we said, let us now prepare to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice, but that it may be a witness between you and us and our generations after us that we may perform the service of the Lord before him with our burnt offerings, with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings, that your descendants may not say to our descendants in time to come, you have no part in the Lord. Therefore, we said that it will be, when they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say, here is the replica of the altar of the Lord which our fathers made, though not for burnt offerings nor for sacrifices, but it is a witness between you and us. Far be it from us that we should rebel against the Lord, and turned from following the Lord this day to build an altar for burnt offerings, for grain offerings, or for sacrifices, besides the altar of the Lord our God, which is before his tabernacle.
Now when Phinehas the priest and the rulers of the congregation, the heads of the divisions of Israel who were with him, heard the words of the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them. Then Phineas, the son of Eleazar the priest, said to the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh, 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. And Phineas, the son of Eleazar the priest, and the rulers, returned from the children of Reuben and the children of Gad from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan to the children of Israel and brought back word to them.
So the thing pleased the children of Israel, and the children of Israel blessed God. They spoke no more of going against them in battle to destroy the land where the children of Reuben and Gad dwell. The children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar witness, for it is a witness between us that the Lord is God."
Introduction to Joshua 22–24
Well, a very instructive portion of Holy Scripture. I just want to introduce this section, chapters 22 to 24, with a quote from a commentator by the name of Hest. He says, each of these final chapters, 22, 23, and 24, describes a single event. At first glance, these events seem to be a random collection of leftovers, a dispute between the tribes about an altar, a farewell address, and another covenant ceremony.
However, upon closer examination, it becomes apparent that they all focus on a single matter, the proper worship of Israel's God, how to offer it, and what will happen if Israel does not do so. Thus, the altar law teaches how community worship should unify the tribes, not divide them. That's the emphasis here in chapter 22. It is on the unity of the people of God gathering at the central sanctuary to worship the living and the true God himself.
As well, what we find in 22, 23, and 24, that emphasis upon worship, which broadly considered, has the idea of faithfulness to the Lord. How will they retain the land? By being faithful to the God who gave them the land. If you look back at 21, 43 to 45, as we saw last time, this is the theological heart of the book.
It highlights the faithfulness of God. Verse 43 summarizes chapters 13 to 21. Verse 44 summarizes chapters 1 to 12. And verse 45 encompasses the whole book. not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel all came to pass." So God is faithful to his people and in turn his people must be faithful to him.
That's what's spelled out in 22, 23 and 24. So as we consider chapter 22 this evening, we'll break it down into four sections. First, The Eastern tribes return to their lands, verses 1 to 9. Secondly, the altar by the Jordan, verses 10 to 20.
Thirdly, the response by the Eastern tribes, verses 21 to 29. And then fourthly, the resolution to the situation in verses 30 to 34. Now, as we've seen along the way in this book of Joshua, there are very practical lessons concerning the church of Christ in this new covenant setting, so we'll try to pull those out as we move along through our study this evening.
Eastern Tribes Return to Their Lands
Note first the eastern tribes returned to their lands. Verse 1, then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh. If you remember back in Numbers, 32, those two and a half tribes wanted to stay on the east side of the Jordan. They were the Transjordanian tribes.
And so the purpose was given, or the design was given, that they would go, or they would establish that portion east of the Jordan. But when it came time to conquer the west of the Jordan, those two and a half tribes would join with the rest of Israel to go and aid them in conquering the land. In fact, go back to Joshua chapter 1. Many ways the whole book has come full circle.
Joshua chapter 1 at verse 12. And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh. This is the ones we're speaking of here in chapter 22. These are the Eastern tribes, the Transjordanian tribes.
And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, Joshua spoke, saying, remember the word which Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded you, saying, the Lord your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land. Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan." At this point, they're still on the east side of the Jordan. But you shall pass before your brethren armed, all your mighty men of valor, and help them until the Lord has given your brethren rest, as he gave you. And they also have taken possession of the land which the Lord your God is giving them.
Then you shall return to the land of your possession and enjoy it, which Moses the Lord's servant gave you on this side of the Jordan toward the sunrise. So they answered, saying, all that you command us, we will do. And wherever you send us, we will go. Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you.
Only the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses. So we see, again, it's come full circle. They've assisted the Western tribes. They've conquered the land.
They've divided the land. And now Joshua is exhorting them to go back to the land. The Eastern tribes are mentioned all throughout the book, again, to highlight and emphasize unity. We don't want to forget about these two and a half tribes.
In fact, that's the bulk, or that's the reason why they build this altar. They don't want to be forgotten about. The Jordan was a border between the East and the West, and the people in the East feared that they would be forgotten about. So one of the emphases along the way in this book of Joshua is to highlight or to remind us about these two and a half tribes.
Now notice the tribes are commended in verses two and three. Joshua said to them, you have kept all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you and have obeyed my voice and all that I commanded you. You have not left your brethren these many days up to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord your God. So they had obeyed Moses, they had obeyed Joshua, and they had in fact kept the charge of the Lord.
Now Joshua is going to exhort them or command them in the verses that follow, but note this pattern. He commends first and then he commands. Jesus does this in the book of Revelation when he comes to the seven churches in Asia Minor. He commends them for the good things that they do and then he commands them what they are supposed to do in terms of being faithful.
So Joshua is carrying this sort of attack. Matthew Henry says, or excuse me, one of the other things we need to notice is that he's commending these people for assisting in the conquest. If you read through the book of Joshua, you will see that the glory and the power and the honor of the gift of the land is given solely to God. And yet, here, these tribes are being thanked.
There is a gratefulness exercised for their assistance in securing the provision of the land. So while God is absolutely sovereign, God uses means. And we ought to appreciate the human means that the Lord God employs. thanks them, he commends them, he gives them this encouragement that you have obeyed Moses, you have obeyed Joshua, and you have obeyed the living and true God. So the power and faithfulness of God are the chief cause of victory, but here the means he employed are thanked.
It's a very good pattern for us. Matthew Henry says, though it was by the favor of God and his power that Israel got possession of this land, and he must have all the glory, yet Joshua thought there was a thankful acknowledgment due to their brethren who assisted them, and whose sword and bow were employed for them. God must be chiefly eyed in our praises, yet instruments must not be altogether overlooked. Somebody does something nice in your life, it is right to praise God.
It's also right to thank them. Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for doing that. Thank you for throwing in your lot with us and helping us dispossess the land of Canaanites.
Thank you for your sword. Thank you for the bloodshed you engaged in. Thank you for successfully breaking things and killing people and throwing the Canaanites out of their land. God is the chief cause, God is the one who all praise and glory goes to, but we ought to be thankful for those human instruments that the Lord God employs to carry out his will.
So the tribes are commanded and then the tribes are commanded. They're commended, then commanded. Davis says, so long as it is done in accord with truth, one should always prefer to win than to force the obedience of the saints, to encourage fidelity rather than exact it. So they were to return to their land, verse four.
They were to be faithful to the Lord God. And now Joshua employs language that we saw so many times in the book of Deuteronomy. They are to engage in careful obedience to the Lord. They are to be a precise people because they serve a precise God.
They are to exercise fidelity in the land. This is what he says. Take careful heed, verse 5, 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. So you see, how do they retain the land?
How is it that they're to respond to their covenant God? They're supposed to go into their land and they're supposed to obey the Lord God who gave them commandment and who gave them instruction on how they were to execute their calling in this particular part of the world. Now obviously we know that they do not do this. We know that God chastens his people.
He ends up bringing judgment to bear upon them via the Assyrians to the northern tribes, the Babylonians to the southern tribes. They broke covenant and they then were open to all the curses promised in the book of Deuteronomy. At this point, however, He is simply commanding faithfulness and obedience. Verse 6 tells us they were blessed.
So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents. Now, verse 7 indicates the other half of the tribe of Manasseh. So we've got this half-tribe of Manasseh being dispatched to go back to east of the Jordan. The other half of the tribe of Manasseh is indicated here in verse 7.
And then in verse 8 we see that they return with much livestock, with much blessing, and with much benefit. And then in verse 9 they comply. Notice, they depart from the children of Israel at Shiloh. Now remember that Shiloh, prior to Jerusalem, was the place of worship.
This is where the tabernacle was set up. This is the place where they would offer sacrifice and this is the place where they would worship the living and the true God. Notice these two and a half tribes, they depart from the children of Israel at Shiloh which is in the land of Canaan to go to the country of Gilead to the land of their possession which they had obtained according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses. So this sets up what's going to happen now as they proceed through the River Jordan back to the east side.
The Altar by the Jordan
That brings us secondly to consider this altar. Notice Verses 10 and 11, they came to the region of the Jordan, which is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh. Now after the study tonight, I'm going to turn off this mic and I'm going to ask you, who are those two and a half tribes? If you don't get it, you're not listening.
You are not paying attention. How many times already have we read the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh? They built an altar there by the Jordan, a great, impressive Now the commentators are mixed as to what side of the Jordan this particular altar was on. Verse 11 seems to indicate that it's on the east side of the Jordan.
Now if you're paying attention here, this is the Jordan here. This is Transjordania and this is the west side. It does seem to some that the altar was built on the west side. As I said, others say that it was built on the east side.
It really doesn't matter because what we learn at the end, I mean it matters because it actually stood on one side or the other, but because of the text, and because of the ambiguity and because of the fallibility of men, perhaps we cannot say for certain which side of the Jordan it was on. But the fact that it was a great, impressive altar indicates that you could see it from a distance. indicates that you would be able to put your eyes upon it. If you were on the east side of the Jordan or you were on the west side of the Jordan, this would be something that you could behold, specifically the eastern tribes. Verse 11, now the children of Israel, this is on the west side, the west tribes, western tribes, heard someone say, behold, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan, on the children of Israel's side." Now, the on the children of Israel's side, again, seems to indicate that it's on the west.
But when John Gill says it's on the east, I've got to go back to the drawing board and just say, let me work through this another day. There's only so much time today. But notice, you've got to see what's going on. It's very crucial, very important that you understand what's happening here.
The Eastern tribes build an altar. Now, if you were here in our study in the book of Deuteronomy, you will remember that Deuteronomy 12 specified a central sanctuary. You weren't just to throw up altars anywhere you wanted. you were to have a central sanctuary, a central altar, where the children of Israel could go. So the people on the east erect this altar.
Now notice, the people on the west get wind of the fact that this altar has been built. Verse 12 tells us, and when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel, again this is the west, gathered together at Shiloh to go to war against them. Now why would the people on the west want to go to war with the people on the east over the construction of this particular altar? because they thought the children in the east, or the tribes in the east, were engaging in apostasy. They thought they were deviating from Deuteronomy 12.
They thought that they had succumbed to the pressure of the experience, mystical idea that we can just do whatever we want whenever we get a hankering after God. If I want to build an altar, I'll build an altar. you know, do the Lord's Supper in my kitchen, I'll do the Lord's Supper in my kitchen. I'll do whatever it is I want to do. So the children of Israel in the West got wind of this and they were fearful so they wanted to engage in war.
Now they have biblical warrant for this. Deuteronomy 13. Deuteronomy 13 specifies three occasions of a solicitation to apostasy. In the first instance, if a false prophet arises and solicits you to follow after other gods, you put him to death.
Secondly, if somebody in your family, even the wife of your own bosom, entices you to commit apostasy, then you put her to death. And then the last section in Deuteronomy 13 is when a city engages in basically revolution against God, against his word. Basically what you have in Deuteronomy 13 toward the end is when a city of Israel turns apostate. What happens is that the cities around are told to go in and destroy those people.
As well they are told not to take their stuff. They're told not to seize the booty. And the reason for this is so that City A couldn't say City B's become apostate. So we'll go in and destroy them so we can take their stuff.
Not that anybody would ever do that, of course. So what it was is that if City B engages in apostasy, City A goes in and utterly wipes them out and then burns their stuff. It ought not to be the case that we say City B committed apostasy so we can take City B's stuff. We like what they have in Abbotsford, so we report that they have committed apostasy against Yahweh.
So we go in with tanks and guns a-blazing, and we utterly decimate them, and we take everything they have. You weren't supposed to do that, okay? So in verse 12, the children of Israel on the West are legit in terms of their decision for war, if it is the case that these two and a half tribes have engaged in apostasy and have abandoned the God of Israel. Thankfully, they first engaged in diplomacy.
You see, you don't just launch a military campaign against two and a half tribes without talking to them. Right? So that's what we find in verses 13 and following. Actually, back up for just a moment.
I want to quote a couple of men with reference to verse 12. When the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered together at Shiloh to go to war against them. We ask the question, why did the Western tribes make this decision? Davis answers this way.
A look at Deuteronomy 12 answers this. Now please listen. This is packed. He says, there Israel is commanded to offer their only sacrifices only at the place that Yahweh your God will choose out of all Israel's tribes.
This place stands opposed to all the places where the Canaanites had customarily conducted their orgies. The restriction of sacrifice, if that word offends you, that was Canaanite worship. That's why at Baal Peor, when the children of Israel played the harlot, the idea is not just spiritually against Yahweh, they actually engaged in fornication and adultery. That's the way that Baal was worshipped.
Baal was worshipped by copulation. The idea was that if the worshippers engaged in copulation, well then perhaps Baal and Asherah or whatever gods up there would like to copulate together, they could do that and then they would send rain and things to help benefit or fertilize the land. That's what Baal worship was about. That's what Canaanite religion was about.
He says the restriction of sacrifice to one sanctuary was preventive theology, intended to preserve the purity of worship. To oversimplify it meant one altar, one faith, and one people. But allow such worship wherever folks hankered to experience God, and it would soon take on a Canaanite color, soak up Canaanite belief, sport Canaanite practices, adore Canaanite gods. In short, it would at one blow kill both fidelity to Yahweh and the unity of Israel.
So to the Western tribes, wind of another altar suggested man-chosen worship and sacrifice and reaped the first step toward apostasy. That's why verse 12 is there. They understood. Central sanctuary, one faith, one altar, one people, worshiping the one true God.
If these Eastern tribes throw up an altar and start sacrificing and worshiping there, that is bad. Calvin says, here then, we have an illustrious display of piety, teaching us that if we see the pure worship of God corrupted, we must be strenuous to the utmost of our ability in vindicating it. Now Calvin mentions that we have not been given the sword in order to vindicate pure worship. In other words, if I walk up to the pulpit on Sunday and I have a puppet, you can't cut my head off.
Though, go ahead. Because I shouldn't do that. And if it means cutting my head off so we don't abominate the place of God's worship, then by all means. But that is a very apt point.
We have an illustrious display of piety teaching us that if we see the pure worship of God corrupted, we must be strenuous to the utmost of our ability in vindicating it. Now, it is unfortunate that we, in our generation, cater to those who want to experience God however they define it. Instead of saying, here's what the Bible says in terms of our approach to a thrice bully God, the book of Hebrews says in Hebrews 12 that we must approach Him in an acceptable manner. Acceptable to who?
To God, not to us. I don't get to vote on, I don't get to determine, and I don't get to decree what is acceptable worship. God the Lord does that, He defines it in Holy Scripture, and He tells us to come to Him with reverence and godly fear. Davis, again, I think this is an important point.
It deals with what's called the regulative principle of worship. Davis says how the church needs to recover such a passionate piety, such an infatuation for the true worship of God, such an anxiety when covenant people appear to wander from the path. I mean, aren't we seeing that all over the place today? Covenant people wandering from the path, treating the worship of God as if it's just therapeutic, self-help, moralistic deism.
That's what Michael Horton refers to it as. He goes on to say, the church then should hold members under vigilant, I did not say vicious, discipline. Part of the problem in our day, and discipline doesn't mean you're going to get punished if you get out of line. Discipline means order, it means structure, it means definition, it means parameter, it means scripture instituted, it means scripture applied in the life and conduct of God's people.
He says, part of the problem in our day is that many erroneously assume that the church is a democracy. He's bang on. It is not a democracy. It is a Christocracy.
It is God's church. He says, many erroneously assume that the church is a democracy, that therefore pluralism, even in essential doctrines, is to be expected, allowed, and welcome. For after all, who are we to judge others or bring them under discipline? We must be nice to people, you know, or they will leave the church.
But the church is not a democracy. Rather, she lives under the kingship of Jesus, who has entrusted the care of his flock to elders who are to guard, protect, and discipline it. Certainly, the under-shepherds of Christ's flock must apply the New Testament principles of discipline in the church. But they will find the proper attitude toward their task in Joshua 22.
One commentator, what's that? That was Davis. One commentator that he cites says the problem in verse 12 is that they didn't want to communicate. They didn't want to talk.
They didn't want to deal with legitimate differences. That could not be further from the truth. They saw preventative theology. They wanted to deal with this situation.
And to that, we now turn.
Israel's Delegation to the East
Note their delegation in verses 13 to 20. Phineas and with him 10 rulers. This is important. Phineas and with him ten rulers.
Remember it was Phineas at Baal Peor that stopped the wrath of God. Remember that? He took that javelin and he plunged it through that man and that Midianite woman. And God didn't say, oh, Phinehas, how dare you do such things?
God commends him for being zealous with my zeal. So it ought not to surprise us that the children of Israel sent Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, to half the tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, and with him 10 rulers. Note this. We've got the entirety of Israel, along with Phinehas, going to deal with the rest of Israel.
Hess says, Phinehas had already risen to prominence as the priest who stopped Israel's worship at Baal Peor, in Transjordan. Thus he was competent to deal with any challenges from deviant religious practices east of the Jordan. Since the matter also concerns the unity of Israel, a representative of each of the ten remaining tribes Goes along. This is brilliant, right?
This is diplomacy. We go deal with it. We go ascertain. If in fact they've erected this altar for sacrifice to Yahweh, we go to war against them.
We stop them and we crush this rebellion. If it is the case that they've not done it this way, we know and we don't go to war with them. You see, this is wisdom. It wasn't a bunch of marauding, war-hungry persons that went in and killed people and broke things without having any confirmation.
Notice, verses 15 to 18, they discuss with the people. First of all, they highlight precept. Verse 16, thus says the whole congregation of the Lord. What treachery is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the Lord, in that you have built for yourselves an altar, that you might rebel this day against the Lord?
What are you doing? What is happening? You know Deuteronomy 12. You've heard Moses command us on the plains of Moab.
You've heard Joshua command us as we've entered into the conquest. You know what's expected. You know what's required. Don't you remember verse 17?
Peor. Is the iniquity of Peor not enough for us, from which we are not cleansed till this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the Lord, but that you must turn away this day from following the Lord? Didn't you learn your lesson? Didn't Numbers 25 seal it home for you?
And look at the concern of these Western tribes. And it shall be, if you rebel today against the Lord, that tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. See, they understood something of solidarity. Unity meant we stand together or we fall together.
So if two and a half tribes commit apostasy and the Lord God rains judgment down upon them, then the other tribes can expect some sanction as well, just like at Baal of Peor. God the Lord told them to deal with these offenders. And so they have a vested interest that in the unity of Israel, that Israel as a whole toes the line so that they reap Yahweh's blessing and not his curse. Notice their direction, verses 19 to 20.
Verse 19, nevertheless, if the land of your possession is unclean, then cross over to the land of the possession of the Lord, where the Lord's tabernacle stands, and take possession among us. See what they said? If you don't like it there, come on back. We don't want you to engage in apostasy.
We don't want you to violate the first and the second words. We don't want you to reap the judgment of Yahweh. Come back to the west side of Jordan and you can eat what we eat, you can live where we live, and this will be provision for you to try and head off at the pass this horrible mistake or this horrible sin that you are about to engage in. Do not rebel against the Lord, nor rebel against us, by building yourselves an altar besides the altar of the Lord your God." Again with precedent.
Verse 20, they appeal to the incident with Achan. Verse 20, did not Achan, the son of Zerah, commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel, and that man did not perish alone in his iniquity." You see, the unity of Israel means that if two and a half tribes go out and commit apostasy, it's going to affect the rest of us. They really have a desire here to promote unity. They really have a desire to foster solidarity.
They really want to stop these two and a half tribes from engaging in ethical suicide and inviting down the wrath of God upon their heads.
Response of the Eastern Tribes
And then that brings us, thirdly, to verses 21 to 29, the response by the Eastern tribes.
The Eastern Tribes' Allegiance
First, they highlight their allegiance, verses 21 to 23. You know what they say? That's not what we meant. That's not what we want.
We're not apostates. We're not rebels against the first and the second word. We are not engaged in what you're expressing here. Verse 21, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh answered and said to the heads of the divisions of Israel, the Lord God of gods, The Lord God of gods, he knows.
And let Israel itself know, if it is in rebellion or if in treachery against the Lord, do not save us this day. You've got to be sure of yourself to engage in an imprecation or a self-malediction. Imprecation is when we call God's wrath down upon us. A malediction is the opposite of a benediction.
You know, at times, ministers, I say at times, because we only do it occasionally, but in most churches, they probably have a benediction. If you ask why we don't do it every time, I don't know. It's just the way the Lord leads. No, I'm kidding.
Big time kidding. But the benediction is a good word at the end of the service. A malediction is a bad word. The children of Israel in the New Covenant setting, when Pilate is telling them that he finds no fault in Jesus, what do they say to Pilate?
They engage in a maledictory oath. They say, let his blood be upon us and our children. Well, you better be very sure before you engage in a self-maledictory oath. They were wrong, they were false, they were heretical, and ultimately God did bring their blood upon them in A.D. 70.
But here they are offering up this imprecation, they are offering up this malediction to highlight their truthfulness. We looked at this the other day in our confession study, when we looked at oaths and vows. When a man swears an oath, what does he say? So help me God.
What I am saying is true. If I am found to be false, then may God deal with me. May God shatter me, may God destroy me. So that's what these brethren are saying.
They say the Lord, God of gods, the Lord God of gods, he knows and let Israel itself know, if it is in rebellion or if in treachery against the Lord, do not save us this day. If we have built ourselves an altar to turn from following the Lord, or if to offer on it burnt offerings or grain offerings, or if to offer peace offerings on it, let the Lord himself require an account. We're legit. We love God.
We want to serve Him. We want to be faithful. We have obeyed Moses. We have obeyed Joshua.
We have kept the Word of the Lord. We've crossed the River Jordan. We've put up this altar, not as an affront against Yahweh, but, now notice their reason in verses 24 and 25. But in fact, we have done it for fear.
They don't want to be forgotten. Here's what they're saying. We want our children and our children's children and our children's children's children's children to worship Yahweh.
Concern for Covenant Posterity
They're concerned for their posterity. They're concerned for their descendants. They say, but in fact we have done it for fear, for a reason saying in time to come your descendants may speak to our descendants, those on the west may say to those on the east, what have you to do with the Lord God of Israel? For the Lord has made the Jordan a border between you and us, you children of Reuben and children of Gad.
Why East Manasseh is not indicated there, I don't know. You have no part in the Lord. And here's what they say, so your descendants would make our descendants cease fearing the Lord. Not only did we not put up that altar to violate the law of the central sanctuary, we put up that altar so that we wouldn't be forgotten, so that when people go to that central sanctuary, they would go remembering all of Israel, even those two and a half tribes on the east side.
They are concerned for their descendants. Again, Davis. He says, here is worthy worry. and proper anxiety. Worthy worry and proper anxiety. to care about whether one's seed will be faithful to God, and to take all necessary measures to ensure that it might be so.
Let Israel again teach us to communicate the faith to our children in diligent, interesting, persistent teaching, to pray for them and with them, to pray even for grandchildren and great-grandchildren not yet born, that Yahweh will grant us a godly seed." Malachi So you see what caused them to put up this altar. And notice their solution, verse 26, therefore we said, let us now prepare to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice. We didn't think for a moment that we were going to bypass the central sanctuary. We didn't think for a moment that this is where we were going to conduct priestly sacrifices on behalf of Israel.
We just wanted it as a witness. We just wanted everybody to remember that there is a unity in Israel, that there's nine and a half tribes on the west, but there's two and a half tribes on the east, and we don't want to be forgotten. That's why we built that altar. You can feel their heartbeat as they say these things.
But that it may be a witness between you and us, verse 27, and our generations after us, that we may perform the service of the Lord before Him with our burnt offerings, with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings. Not at that altar, that's an altar of witness. that your descendants may not say to our descendants in time to come, you have no part in the Lord. Therefore we said that it will be, when they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say, here is the replica of the altar of the Lord which our fathers made. So if a child from the West says to a child of the East, wait a minute, you're not part of Yahweh's people, look at that replica, look at that altar of witness, look at that testimony.
We are in this together. Silence those who would try to speak otherwise. Here is the replica of the altar of the Lord which our fathers made, though not for burnt offerings nor for sacrifices. You see how many times they're stressing this?
We're not engaged in apostasy. We're not violating the first and the second word. We're not trying to have this experience of God on our terms. We want this witness so that the West does not forget the East.
They go on to say, but it is a witness between you and us, far be it from us, that we should rebel against the Lord and turn from following the Lord this day to build an altar for burnt offerings, for grain offerings, or for sacrifices, besides the altar of the Lord our God, which is before his tabernacle. It's a good answer, isn't it? Well, Phineas and the ten chiefs thought so too. Hess says, in Joshua, it is erected at a boundary.
This replica, this witness is erected at a boundary between the two tribal groups, east and west of the Jordan, to remind the western group of their identity with the eastern group. Thus, the altar reminds all Israel of its identity and also of its unity in worship.
Resolution of the Conflict
Notice, fourthly, the resolution to the situation The delegation is pleased. Verse 30. Now when Phineas the priest and the rulers of the congregation, the heads of the divisions of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them. That's good, right?
We don't have to kill these people. We don't have to engage in that Deuteronomy 13 situation. We will do so. We will be obedient to our God.
If the cities in Canaan begin to commit apostasy, we will take that and we will deal with it. pleased them. The answer was right. It was an altar not for offering, it was an altar for witness. So the West would not forget the East, so that the East would always have that standing witness that in fact they were one with Israel.
So the response pleased the delegation, and then notice what it says in verse 31. Then Phineas, the son of Eleazar, the priest, said to the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh, 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.
The Lord's Presence in Obedience and Unity
I think there's a great lesson here for the New Covenant Church as well. How do we judge if the Lord is present? Well, in some churches, it's through signs. It's through wonders.
Some churches, it's through tongue speaking. Some churches, it's through prophesy. Some churches, it's how big is the offering. How was it here?
What was the evidence that God was with them? Obedience and unity. Doesn't that speak to the New Covenant church? How do we know the Lord is present with his people?
When they obey him and when they're unified, right? It isn't magic, it isn't brain surgery. We ought not to be looking for something always that thrills us. What we ought to look for is what thrills God, and what God is pleased with is when His people obey Him, and when His people express unity.
This is why Paul in Ephesians 4 says, Endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Endeavor to keep it. Why? Because disunity ruins churches.
Disunity is a stomping ground for the devil. You see, when a man is seeking to faithfully preach the gospel, and he knows that Brother A hates Brother B, and Brother B can't stand Brother A... It's hard to preach in a scenario like that. Unity is a blessed thing.
Psalm 133 speaks about unity and it's oil dripping down on Aaron's beard. Unity is a blessing. Unity around the truth. I'm not talking about this ecumenical unity hogwash that as long as we can utter the word Jesus, somehow we're brothers and sisters in Christ.
But when the Church of Christ has the truth of Christ, and they obey Christ, and they express unity, God's there. This is what he says. This day we perceive that the Lord is among us. Why?
Because you've not committed this treachery against the Lord. You haven't done evil. You haven't engaged in wickedness. You know, I just heard a sermon today and this fellow was telling the church so many things that if I was there, I'd either be proud if I was carrying out or I'd be completely burned out because I couldn't do it.
Do this, do this, do this, do this, do this, to be faithful churches. Obey God and get along with each other. Oh, but you're lowering the standard. That's not lowering the standard.
Obedience to God and unity among the people of God is what makes God, dare I say it, happy. The Lord is present 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." So Phineas and the delegation go back and tell the children of Israel on the west side the report was received and the report pleased the children of Israel. Wow, that's great. Isn't that wonderful?
We don't have to kill our brethren on the east side of the Jordan. That is beautiful. Verse 32, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the priest, the rulers returned from the children of Reuben and the children of Gad from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan to the children of Israel and brought back word to them. So the thing pleased the children of Israel, and the children of Israel blessed God.
What should we bless God for? Obedience and unity. What should we praise God for? Obedience and unity.
What should we thank God for? Obedience and unity. They spoke no more of going against them in battle to destroy the land where the children of Reuben and Gab dwell." Didn't need to. They weren't engaged in apostasy.
They only set this up as a witness so that they would not be forgotten. And in this, the two and a half tribes display a genuine desire for corporate unity with Israel. And then the last statement of verse 34, the altar is named. The children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar witness, for it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.
That central confession of Israel's faith in Deuteronomy 6, 4. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. This is what they rally around and in this they're obeying, they're expressing unity and they are pleasing God and he's among them.
So hopefully those are some lessons we can take from this altercation concerning an altar. on the Jordan River. Notice I didn't say the east or the west. I'm still out on that one. Anyways, why don't I close in prayer and we can have discussion.
Closing Prayer
Father, we thank you for this your word and we thank you for the lessons that it holds for us in this new covenant setting. Give us grace, Lord, as the church to obey you and to endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. Grant us help. To love you and to love one another, grant us help, God, to rally around the truth and to hold your truth, to buy it and sell it not, and to be those who are genuinely humbled before the God of heaven and earth.
We love you and we thank you and we praise you for your written word. We know it's for our profit and for our instruction. Go with us now, we pray, in Jesus' holy name. Amen.