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It reminds us of Joshua 4 when 
they set up a memorial at Gilgal, that's possible, but nonetheless 
it's before they cross over. The land has been conquered and 
before they cross over they set up this altar of impressive size, 
one that can be seen from afar. And so The children of Israel, 
the Western tribes, get wind of this. Notice verse 11. Now 
the children of Israel heard someone say, Behold, the children 
of Gad, the children of Reuben, and the half-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. So 
they got wind of this, they got word of this, that the Eastern 
tribes had built this giant altar. Notice what their response is 
in verse 12. 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. Seems a little 
hasty, doesn't it? It's just an altar. As Davis 
says in his commentary, what can an altar alter? What does 
this mean? What does this look like? Why 
are they crying out for war right away? Why are they grabbing their 
swords and their bows? That will be explained for us 
in a moment. So they sound the battle cry 
in verse 12, and then in verses 13 through 15 they send delegates 
to deal with 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 the half-tribe of Manasseh 
in the land of Gilead. And with him ten 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. And they came and they speak 
to their brothers on the eastern side. Now, Phineas is a very 
interesting character. This is Phineas, the son of Eleazar, 
the grandson of Aaron. This isn't Phineas, the son of 
Eli, because he's not born yet, Phineas, the son of Eli, but 
nonetheless, it's Phineas, the son of Eleazar, the grandson 
of Aaron. In this instance, Joshua is not 
mentioned. I think there's an important 
point for that, but we'll get to Phineas in a moment, because 
he pops up in history in some interesting times in the life 
of Israel. And so they gather these arms, 
they gather these delegates, they go and engage in diplomacy 
before they engage in warfare. And notice what they say in verse 
16, we see the reason for why they grab their swords and bows. 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, and that you have built an altar for yourselves, that 
you might rebel this day against the Lord? They perceive this 
altar as a sign of apostasy. They perceive this altar as a 
rival to that of Shiloh. If you remember back to Deuteronomy 
chapter 12 on the plains of Moab, when Moses is describing the 
proper place of worship, God speaks of a place that he shall 
choose. In verses 10 through 14. But 
when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the 
Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and gives you rest from 
all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety, 
then there will be the place where the Lord your God chooses 
to make his name abide. There you shall bring all that 
I command you, your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, 
the heaves of offerings of your hand, and all of your choice 
offerings which you vowed to the Lord. And you shall rejoice 
before the Lord your God, you and your sons and your daughters, 
male servants, female servants, and the Levite who is within 
your gates, since he has no portion nor inheritance with you. And 
even further, in verse 13, In a lot of ways, they're crying 
out against what we call the regulative principle of worship 
in the Old Covenant. They see this altar as one that 
rivals that of Shiloh, so much so that they say they're breaking 
worship with the Lord. They're rebelling against the 
Lord God Almighty. And worship, brothers and sisters, 
is a central focus throughout all of Scripture. Think about 
the fall of mankind. Man desired to worship himself 
instead of the true and the living God. All the Old Testament is 
laden with the idea of worship when we think of the Book of 
Kings. How does the writer describe the kings? Whether they're either 
good or evil, and how does he qualify that? They either smashed 
the Ashtoreths and the Baals, or they did it. It all centers 
around the worship of the true and the living God. Worship is 
central to the Bible. So they see this as a place which 
is a rival to that of Shiloh. Matthew Henry says, it was no 
strained innuendo from the building of an altar to infer intention 
to offer sacrifice upon it, and that might introduce idolatry 
and end in total apostasy from the faith and worship of the 
God of Israel. So great a matter might this 
fire kindle. God is jealous for his own institutions, 
and therefore we should be so too, and afraid of everything 
that looks like, or leads to, idolatry." It's a bit of a hasty 
accusation, but I think it's warranted based on Deuteronomy 
12. What is an altar meant to be? What does it signify? It's 
a place where the people of God were to offer their sacrifices. 
And so they see this altar as one that rivaled the rightful 
place of worship. And what's interesting, too, 
is not only are they responding aright based on Deuteronomy 12, 
but notice they don't go right into battle guns-a-blazing. They 
don't go right into battle shooting all the Reubenites and the Gadites 
and the half-tribes of Manasseh. They're not hasty in their assumption 
about what this altar meant, which is why they send Phineas 
and the delegates for diplomacy. And so we've seen an application 
of Deuteronomy 12, but I think we see an application of Deuteronomy 
chapter 13 as well. If you remember Deuteronomy chapter 
13, that's I guess the ascending or ascending order of apostasy. 
You know, if a prophet comes and he speaks falsehood, does 
not speak the truth, you must deal with him. Because there is the possibility 
that your loved ones might be taken astray. And that's the 
second person or people to deal with. Perhaps your loved ones, 
your brother or your sister, is taken by what is said. Taken 
by false things. And then you have to deal with 
them. I don't know why I still remember that the application, 
you can't gut your wife during pillow talk from when Pastor 
Butler taught on that. You know, you can't, it's not 
meant to be that type of thing. There's due diligence and due 
process. But nonetheless, if you don't 
deal with the prophet, you're going to have some family members 
perhaps being taken by the prophet. But if you don't deal with your 
family members, then whole cities will be taken to apostasy. And 
this is the final straw, if you will, in chapter 13, verses 12 
to the end of chapter 13. If you hear someone in one of 
your cities, which the Lord your God gives you to dwell, and saying, 
corrupt men have gone out from among you, and enticed the inhabitants 
of their city, saying, let us go and serve other gods, which 
you have not known. Notice verse 14. Then you shall 
inquire, search out, and ask diligently. If it is indeed true 
and certain that such an abomination was committed among you, you 
shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of 
the sword, utterly destroying it, all that is in it, and its 
livestock, with the edge of the sword. So when cities arose in 
apostasy, they're meant to go and make sure that that was actually 
true. That's why it's called the perception 
of apostasy in a lot of ways. So it's an application of Deuteronomy 
13. It's an appropriate response to the perceived apostasy. Perhaps 
it's even the idea in that you can sense some of their concern 
in that we've just been given the land, are we turning away 
already? In verse 16. But what's interesting 
is that Phinehas and the delegates recall two episodes in Israel's 
history. One that includes the priest 
Phinehas, and this is found in Numbers chapter 25. Numbers chapter 
25. The people are committing harlotry 
with the people of Moab. And notice what happens in verse 
five, or verse six. And indeed, one of the children 
of Israel came and presented to his brethren a Midianite woman 
in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation 
of the children of Israel, who were weeping at the door of the 
tabernacle of meeting. You see in verse three, it says, 
Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the Lord 
was aroused against Israel. And then in verse six, one of 
the children of Israel brings this Midianite into the camp. 
and arouses anger, arouses the wrath of God. And notice who 
comes on to the scene in verse 7. Now when Phineas, the son 
of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose from 
among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand, and he 
went after the man of Israel into the tent. and thrust both 
of them through, the man of Israel and the woman through her body. 
So the plague was stopped among the children of Israel, and those 
who died in the plague were 24,000." You see, apostasy is no laughing 
matter. Apostasy, idolatry, is a serious 
thing to think about. And you can even see the severity 
in which God judged the people in verse 9. Those who died in 
the plague were among 24,000. If it weren't for Phinehas, there 
could have been more. Notice what God does for Phineas 
in verse 10 of Numbers 25. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, 
saying, Phineas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, 
has turned back my wrath from the children of Israel, because 
he was zealous with my zeal among them, so that I did not consume 
the children of Israel in my zeal. Therefore say, behold, 
I give to him my covenant of peace. And it shall be to him 
and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting 
priesthood, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement 
for the children of Israel. And the psalmist records him 
favorably in Psalm 106. He recalls this episode as well 
at verse 28. They joined themselves also to 
Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices made to the dead. Thus they provoked 
him to anger with their deeds, and the plague broke out among 
them. But then Phineas stood up and intervened, and the plague 
was stopped. And that was accounted to him 
for righteousness to all generations forevermore. You see, brothers 
and sisters, Phineas is a type of Christ. You see, Christ is 
the one who makes atonement for his people. Christ is the one 
who has zeal for God's worship. Christ is the one who makes an 
everlasting atonement for his people. He is that everlasting 
priest after the order of Melchizedek, the one who died on behalf of 
his people that we might have everlasting life, turning away 
the wrath of God from his people. And the thing with Phineas, the 
significance of Phineas, is whenever he pops up in Scripture, it is 
tied to the worship of God Almighty. In 25, they are worshiping idols. Here in Joshua chapter 22, it 
is the perception that there is a rival place of worship, 
a rival place where idolatry could be engaged in. And who 
do you call? You call Phineas. In a lot of 
ways, he's the special forces, the one who pops up in these 
times of potential apostasy. He has zeal for the worship of 
the Lord, he makes atonement for the people, and he is the 
one who is needed in this time. And so they grab Phineas, and 
they go and deal with them, and they even recall that iniquity 
that is still plaguing them, that is tied to Phineas. But not only do they refer to 
this episode of Baal of Peor, but they refer to Aachen. Joshua 
chapter 7. The very language, so in verse 
20 he says, "...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?" Even in the language of verse 16, what treachery 
is this that you have committed? That's found in Joshua chapter 
7 verse 1. The people have just conquered 
the first city of Jericho. And one brother couldn't keep 
his hands off the loot. And notice what the author records 
for us in chapter 7 verse 1. But the children of Israel committed 
a trespass regarding the accursed thing. For Achan the son of Carmi, 
the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, 
took of the accursed thing. So the anger of the Lord burned 
against the children of Israel. That word there, committed a 
trespass, is that same word. To act unfaithfully, to disobey 
the very words of God Almighty. And disobedience to God Almighty 
brings about His anger in both of these episodes. And so these 
guys, so they're coming to say, hey, because we're all part of 
Israel, because Israel is the one that God made His covenant 
with, when one sins, we all sin, and bring the wrath of God upon 
us. This is not what they say in 
verse 18, but you must turn away this day from following the Lord. 
And it shall be if you rebel against the Lord that tomorrow 
he shall be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. Verse 
20, and that man did not perish alone in his iniquity. serious things to deal with. In both instances, with Achan 
and the episode in Numbers 25, death was required. And so, in 
a lot of ways, these brothers are trying to, in a lot of ways, 
atone to stamp out the apostasy in Israel. But notice what they 
propose in verse 19. 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. Do not rebel against us by building 
yourselves an altar besides the altar of the Lord your God. There's 
plenty of land. Come into the West that we might 
dwell together. That's the proposed solution. So what we see here, I think, 
even in this perception of apostasy, is how we worship, the right 
manner of worship. In a lot of ways, the regulative 
principle is well and good in Joshua chapter 22, and they're 
seeking to preserve right worship of God. You see, don't we who 
hold to the regulative principle, that is, what's commanded in 
Scripture, What's set forth for us in Scripture by God Almighty 
is what we seek to do in church. What is the preacher, what is 
the teacher supposed to engage in? What is the church's role? 
It all centers around the Word of God. That's why we sing the 
Word. That's why we preach the Word. 
That's why we proclaim the Word. That's why we partake of the 
Word in the Lord's Supper. Those are the things God has 
set forth in how He wishes to be worshipped. It is His house. It's not a place for us to have 
our own self-expression, our own place where we can shred 
on our guitars to show how good we are. It's the right place to come and worship 
God. The regulative principle still 
applies to us this day. It's not saying we can't engage 
in certain things outside of the Lord's day, but nonetheless 
on the Lord's day when we come, what are we supposed to be doing? 
The word of God. That is the focus. So we see 
here even how we're supposed to worship according to what 
God commands in his word. So we've seen this perception 
of apostasy. Let us look secondly at the perception 
of disunity in verses 21 through 29. Thankfully, Phineas and the delegates 
engaged in diplomacy first because we see the response of the brothers, 
the children of Reuben, the children of Gad. Notice what they say. 
Verse 22, 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 to offer 
peace offerings on it, let the Lord himself require an account. What they're saying is, we did 
not mean it to be that way. We did not want it to be that 
way. If that is the case, bring a curse upon us. They're calling 
a curse upon themselves. Should they actually be engaged 
in apostasy, in idolatry, have the Lord deal with them. Take 
us out, if you will. Do not save us this day. Because that's not what they 
wanted. It wasn't meant to be for sacrifices. And we see then 
the purpose of what it was, it's even this emphatic confession, 
the Lord God of gods, the Lord God of gods. This is who we worship. This is the one we want to have 
communion with. This is the one we want to be 
a part of. It is the God of heaven and earth. Not the gods of the 
Moabites or the Ammonites, but the Lord God of Israel, who has 
just conquered the enemies of his people in Joshua. He is our 
portion. And so we see then the purpose 
of this altar in verse 24. 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 God has made the 
Jordan a border between us, 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 may be a witness between you and 
us and our generations after us that we might perform the 
services to the Lord. They wanted it so that their 
descendants wouldn't stop fearing the Lord, that they would continue 
worshipping God. Because the Jordan is such a massive barrier 
that it's easy for the Western tribes to say to the Eastern 
tribes, you have no portion. I think Davis is right. He says, 
for here is 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. You see, sometimes we're 
all very much now focused. We sometimes don't always have 
a view of the future. One thing I really appreciated 
about Dr. Renahan when he gave his presentation on the seminary, 
on why they're starting this Reformed Baptist stand-alone 
seminary in Texas, is he asked the question, who will pastor 
your grandchildren? Isn't that why? That's part of 
the reason they want this seminary to raise up men to preach to 
people in the future. It is a worthy worry and proper 
anxiety, hoping that our descendants might fear the Lord. And certainly 
one way to do that is that proper teaching might be available to 
them. Obviously, we don't know their heart. The Lord is the 
one who works, but nonetheless, we do desire that proper teaching 
would be set up in place. So they have this worry worthy. They worry that they will not 
be part of the people of God. They'll be worried that they'll 
be excluded unjustly. So they set up this replica of 
the altar. They say in verse 27, they don't 
want to be excluded from the service of the Lord. They want 
to be part of the offerings. They want to be part of the peace 
offerings, that the descendants might not say to our descendants 
in time to come, you have no part in the Lord. Therefore, 
verse 28, we said that it will be when they say this to us or 
to our generations in time to come, 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 that 
it might be a witness between us. They desired to be part of 
the children of God, and they set up this altar as a way, as 
a replica, as a witness, not as a place to worship upon, but 
as a sign that they were part of the worship of God. That they 
could go to the place God set forth, Shiloh, the place where 
they could come and offer their burnt offerings, that they were 
still part of that. And that Jordan made it difficult 
to do that. This is why they set up this replica for that 
purpose, that they might be part of that. And then they say it again, almost 
for good measure. You can almost kind of sense 
the frustration. No, that's not what we wanted. That's not what 
we meant. Someone comes to them, unjustly accuses them of something. 
That's not what we meant at all. You can see that in their mind, 
in their hearts, that they wanted to be part of the people of God. And that's that emphatic end. 
They want to be part of worship to God. So when we looked at the perception 
of apostasy, we see how we worship. But here in the perception of 
disunity, we see who participates in worship. It really is the 
people of God, and we're united together in the worship of our 
God. The reality is, perhaps even 
here we see in Joshua 22 examples of Matthew 5 and 18. Don't we? We see brothers who perceive 
a sin, they go to their brothers, say, hey, are you sinning? It 
seems like you're sinning. I'm dealing with that. They're 
dealing with it. And they say, that's not what 
we meant at all, that they might be reconciled together. Sometimes 
it's hard for us, even in the New Covenant, to engage in proper 
confrontation, to actually follow Matthew 5 and Matthew 18. Unity is hard, brothers and sisters. That's why Paul talks about it 
in Ephesians 4, because it is difficult, because we are sinful. Even with respect to Matthew 
5 and 18, we're supposed to go to someone if we've offended 
them. But don't we say instead, well, 
if they feel offended, they'll come to me. Or perhaps if we've 
been offended by someone, we said, well, if they've offended 
me, they need to come and reconcile. In both Matthew 5 and 18, both 
parties are going to one another. It's kind of like in Joshua 22. 
But that doesn't change the fact that it is difficult. That's 
why Paul has to say that in Ephesians 4, that we might be united together, 
dwelling with one another in unity, because it is difficult, 
because we are sinful. Sometimes we don't like other 
people. Sometimes people don't like us. 
That even happens with the people of God sometimes. Sometimes the 
people of God just drive us nuts. Sometimes we drive the people 
of God nuts. And we let those petty things 
sometimes even get in the way. We have that rival altar, if 
you will, of ourself. We have so much pride in ourselves 
that we cannot be lowly towards our brothers and sisters. We 
may have disagreements. We may not like one another sometimes. I hope we love one another for 
the most part. We may not like one another, 
but we can still love one another. But nonetheless, we are united 
together in our worship. And look at what Paul says in 
chapter 4 of Ephesians. I therefore, prisoner of the 
Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you 
are called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, 
bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity 
of the spirit in the bond of peace. That's hard, isn't it? Lowliness and gentleness, longsuffering, 
bearing with one another in love. Nonetheless, we are called to 
strive in unity, and we are united together overall in Christ. We 
are united together by the fact those who've been called out 
of darkness share the same faith in Jesus Christ. And that day 
when we are all raised from the dead, because of Christ's work, 
we will all together sing praises to God Almighty. We are united in our worship. So we've seen the perception 
of apostasy. We've seen the perception of disunity. Let us look thirdly 
and finally at the perception of God's presence in verses 30 
through 34. It is a favorable response. 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. 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 Israel. They believe what the 
Eastern tribes have said, and they trust what they say is true, 
and they see it as a favorable thing. They don't assume that 
they're wrong, they just say, hey, this is what they said, 
this is what it is. But notice, especially 31, this 
day we perceive that the Lord is among us. You see, what's 
interesting throughout this text, Yahweh doesn't speak. Yahweh 
is mentioned with respect to His people, but nonetheless, 
we see even in the ordinary things, God is still working. And you 
can see these brothers are working together according to the Word 
of God, that they might dwell together in unity. And God Almighty 
is among them in those ordinary things. So when we dwell together 
in unity, we may not have all the razzle-dazzle, but nonetheless, 
we are still united together, and that's a sign that God is 
working among us and with us. Sometimes it's not always the 
extraordinary things that show that God is with us, but the 
ordinary things in life. Like when brothers confess their 
sins to one another, and they ask for forgiveness and repent, 
and are united again when we're coming together in a time of 
unity and peace. Praise God for that, for it is 
His work among us. It is not any work within us. 
I love one quote that I saw from Augustine. It was to the effect 
of, anything that is good within me, it is from you, O Lord. All 
the rest is my fault. So even when we are united together, 
it is the Lord God Almighty, it has nothing to do with us. 
When we are worshipping a rite, it is the Lord God working in 
us, revealing to us His Word, convicting to us His Word, that 
we might actually adhere to His Word. That's God Almighty working. For He is the true and the living 
God. He is the one who works. He is the one who works in the 
hearts of people. The Lord is among us. And as Calvin says, 
this highlights God's great grace. For by the words we know, Jehovah 
is among us. They intimate that God was propitious 
to them and had taken care of their safety. It is the grace 
that these brothers are dwelling in unity. And so they see that 
it is good. Phineas and the delegates return 
to the people of Israel. They see it is good as well. 
They praise God. They spoke no more of going against 
them in battle to destroy the land where the children of Reuben 
and Gad dwelt. But then notice verse 34. They 
name the altar. They name it the altar 
of witness and they give the reason for it. For it is a witness 
between us that the Lord is God. This even explains to us how 
it's meant to be used, this altar. It's not meant to be a place 
of superstition. Perhaps someone later on would walk along and 
say, here's an altar, maybe I can offer sacrifices. This name is 
meant to highlight that's a witness between the both sides of the 
Jordan, that they were part of the people of God. that they 
can share in that Old Testament confession. Hear, O Israel, the 
Lord our God, the Lord is one. The Lord is God. And both the 
Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribes of Manasseh can 
confess that with all the other tribes as well. That's why they 
set this up, that they might confess that the Lord is God 
Almighty. And do not we confess, brothers 
and sisters, that Christ is Lord? Do we not confess that He is 
King and reigns supreme? Do we not confess that He is 
the one who is head of His church, who builds His church, that we 
might adhere to what He says concerning His church? When we 
come to worship, are we not confessing the Lord God of heaven and earth? 
Are we not confessing that He is the true and the living God? 
He is our Redeemer. He is our object of worship. The Lord is among us. It is a 
witness between us that the Lord is God, uniting the people together 
because of God. Now, this is a positive time 
in Israel's history. I think it contrasts well with 
a very negative time in Israel's history. I think Judges chapter 
20 is that comparison. Phinehas is mentioned again here, 
but not for a good reason. If you remember Judges 20, it's 
after that heinous crime when that concubine is ravaged at 
Gibeah by the people of Israel. It shows that Israel had degraded 
so far that they look like Sodom and Gomorrah. And there's this 
threat of civil war. There's this sniff of civil war. And Phineas is mentioned once 
again. The reason he is mentioned in 
Judges 20 is to show how far the people have degraded themselves. Verse 27, so the children of 
Israel inquired of the Lord. Now the ark, this is even in 
brackets, the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days. 
And Phineas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before 
it in those days. Don't we see how aggressive idolatry 
really is? How quickly and how fast people 
can fall if we don't worship the true and the living God? 
If we don't have God Almighty working among us? If God did 
not hold us and strengthen us and guide us, how quickly we 
would fall into great sins. And I think the foil shows us 
that. It's the positive aspect in Joshua 22, but quickly they 
degrade in false worship according to Judges 20. Phineas is mentioned 
there for that purpose, to show that the people fell very, very 
quickly. Because you see, retaining the 
land is all tied to the worship of God. And the people often 
committed adultery against their God, often worshipped gods who 
weren't their gods, often broke that covenant. Which is why we 
need Christ, born of a woman, born under the law, that he might 
redeem those who are under the law. He is the one who worshipped 
faithfully his God. He is the one who offered himself 
up as a sacrifice to his God on our behalf. We need this Christ. So we've seen how we're supposed 
to worship, we've seen who worships, but I think here we see the object 
of our worship, the one we are supposed to come and honor. Why 
do we come to church, brothers and sisters? It is to praise 
God Almighty. It is to hear about Him, concerning 
who He is, concerning His great grace, concerning His great works 
amongst His people. Now there is certainly times 
of refreshment that we do have here. Certainly there are times 
where we have fellowship with one another, but what unites 
us ultimately together? It is God, the object of our 
worship, not ourselves. This is why we need the gospel 
of free and sovereign grace, because of perverted worship. 
This is why we go out and preach the gospels, because people don't 
worship the true and the living God. They have this perverted 
idea of who God is, or what God is, in themselves and other things, 
and things that are made with hands. Things that you can smash 
and drop and smack and nothing happens. Things you can hold 
in your hands. We need the gospel. We need Christ. He is the true object of our 
worship. We need God. As Henry says, Christ 
is the altar who sanctifies and gives His Spirit, who bears witness 
that His people are the children of God. We worship Him as children 
of God, for He is the Creator. Even if He didn't save us, worship 
is due unto Him, for He is the true and living God. But He sustains 
us through difficult circumstances, trials. He's with us. Should 
we not praise Him and give an honor for those things? In the 
ordinary things of life? Even so, He is the Redeemer as 
well. We have so many things to worship 
God for, yet sometimes when we pray the prayer, hallowed be 
your name, sometimes, perhaps if you're like me, your mind 
can draw a blank a little bit. Sometimes we forget the greatness 
of our God. Sometimes we forget the things 
that He has done. But nonetheless, we must come 
to Him and worship Him through Jesus Christ because of Christ 
the King. He is the right object of worship. 
So then in conclusion, brothers and sisters, we see here in Joshua 
22, verses 10 through 34, that the Israelites in this moment 
do demonstrate unity in worship to their God as a response to 
His faithfulness. How are we supposed to respond 
to His faithfulness to us? It's through honoring and praising 
and glorifying the God of heaven and earth. For he is the one 
who deserves glory and honor. To him and through him are all 
things. To him be the glory and dominion 
forever and ever. Amen. This is the true and the 
living God. And so the overarching application, 
brothers and sisters, serve Yahweh, seek Him to do His commandments 
because He saved you. Seek to worship Him according 
to His word because He's called you out of darkness into light 
to believe on Christ. For those that do not know Christ, 
Look to Christ, look to Jesus Christ, look to the gospel, believe 
on the gospel, and you shall find everlasting life. For this 
God is the true and the living God, and in Him you shall find 
everlasting peace, that you might join with the saints of God, 
and join with this people of God in singing praises to Him. Well, let us pray, brothers and 
sisters. Lord God Almighty, We thank you 
that you are the true and the living God. We thank you that 
you are the one who creates all things. We thank you that you 
are the one who remembers your people, works with your people, 
even in the ordinary things of life. Father God, even amongst 
the unbelievers, you preserve them. You give them good gifts. 
We know, God, that your day is coming. And we thank you, God, 
for those that you have caused to believe on Christ Jesus, that 
that day has been averted because of Christ. For those that do 
not know Christ, oh God, we pray that you would call them out 
of darkness, that they might believe on him and find everlasting hope. We pray, O God, that we would 
give you the right honor and worship that is due unto you, 
for you are the God of heaven and earth. You are one who is 
altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. You are the one who deserves 
to be praised for your Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer. You are 
the one who is omnipotent, omniscient, the one who does not change, 
who is immutable, the one who is infinite. O God, there are 
so many things that we could think of, but we always seem 
to forget. We thank you for your mercy. 
We thank you that you are patient with us. We thank that you are 
a loving God, that you are love. We pray, O God, that we would 
worship you, we would respond rightly according to your great 
salvation, that we might utter those words, amazing grace, how 
sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, that we might seek to 
live in a way that is honoring and pleasing to you. Help us 
by your spirit to do this. Help us by your spirit to sing 
your praises, O God, for you are the true and the living God. 
We pray that you would be glorified in all things, in the name of 
Christ, amen. Well, we'll close the brief time 
of meditation and you're dismissed.