Study 16
Chapter 22
Introduction
Some years ago we as a family had a very enjoyable holiday in the Lake District in England and while we were there we visited a number of the beautiful little villages and towns around that area as well as one or two of the local forests. We didn’t however engage in any serious hill-walking, something for which the Lake District is well-known attracting several thousand ramblers and hill-walkers each year. Although we didn’t get to see it I am told that there is a hill in the lake district called Rash Judgement Point and that it was given that name by William Wordsworth. The story goes that while he and his sister were standing at the top of this hill one day during the harvest season looking down on the lake below, they saw a man in a boat fishing. Angered by this, because the community needed every able-bodied man to be involved in gathering in the harvest, Wordsworth decided to go down the hill and challenge the fisherman for indulging in a leisure activity when he should have been busy at work for the good of the local community. Having called the man to the shore, Wordsworth noticed as he got out of the boat that he was old and bent over. Several fish lay in the boat. The man explained that having worked for years gathering in the crops from the fields he was now unable to do so because of his age and the pains that he suffered. Instead, in order to contribute to the life of the community at harvest time, he got up well before dawn and spent all day fishing the lake for fish to add to the communities resources. Wordsworth had passed judgement upon a man’s actions without first giving the man an opportunity to explain his actions. Having listened to the man’s explanation he felt so convicted about the hasty judgement he had made that he named the hill from which he had first seen the man fishing, Rash Judgement point.
This evening as part of our study in Joshua 22 we are going to see that a section of God’s people jumped to the wrong conclusion about some of their brethren when they misinterpreted their actions and attributed to them motives that were in fact far from what their brethren intended. Such a misunderstanding, such rash judgement had the potential to bring the two parties into conflict and to destroy the unity of the people of God. However as we shall see that potential danger was averted.
Misunderstandings, jumping to the wrong conclusions, attributing sinful and evil motives to someone in relation to something they have done, all of these are, sadly, quite common occurrences in Churches today and have the potential to create division and disunity among the people of God.
As we come to the 22nd chapter of Joshua we enter the final section of the book. The land is now under the control of God’s people. The tribes have each received their allotted portion of land and now they must begin, in the settled environment of Canaan, to live as the people of God in subservience to God and in obedience to his Law. 9 ½ tribes will live on the Eastern side of the Jordan in the land of Canaan itself, while the other two and a half tribes, those of Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh would live on the Eastern side of the Jordan which had been given to them as their inheritance. Now that the land was under Israelite control, it was time for the 2 ½ tribes to return home and the narrative of ch22 is very much centred around the events that occurred as these 2 ½ tribes go back to their own land.
And so thinking about these 2 ½ Tribes I want you to notice with me first of all this evening
1) The Commendation These Tribes Received:
Before returning to their own inheritance on the west side of the Jordan river, Joshua summons the men from the tribes of Reuben Gad and Manasseh and commends them for the way in which they had given themselves to the work of the Lord in helping their brethren take possession of the land of Canaan. “you have done all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded. For a long time now, to this very day, you have not deserted your brothers but have carried out the mission the Lord your God gave you…”
Note those words – the mission the Lord your God gave you.
God had set a specific task before these men. He had called them to undertake a work for him. That task was to go and help their brethren to overthrow the inhabitants of Canaan and gain control of the land that He had promised to give to them. They, the 2 ½ tribes had already secured their own inheritance, but there was still work for them to be done. We see them being called to this work in Numbers 32/20ff where having made request to settle on the West side of the Jordan, Moses, God’s spokesman answers them by saying “If you will arm yourselves before the Lord for battle, and if all of you will go armed over the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven his enemies out before him, then, when the land is subdued before the Lord you may return and be free from your obligation to the Lord and to Israel. And this land (that is the land on the west side) shall be your possession before the Lord. But if you fail to do this ( that is if you fail to go over and fight with and for your brothers, if you fail to undertake this work to which god is now calling you) you will be sinning against the Lord…” And when Joshua took over the reigns of leadership after Moses’ death and was preparing to lead the people into Canaan he made a point of reminding the 2 ½ tribes of their responsibility before God in this matter – Josh 1/12ff “To the Reubenites, Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, remember the command that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you … all your fighting men, fully armed, must cross over ahead of your brothers. You are to help your brothers until the Lord gives them rest…and until they too take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. After that you may go back and occupy your own land.” This was their God given task, the work to which God had called them. It was a difficult, demanding and dangerous task which, although they didn’t realise it at the time, would take some seven years to complete, and was thus a task that was going to demand perseverance and stickability on their part down through those years. A task too that involved a considerable amount of self-sacrifice for these men since they would have to leave their wives, children and wider family circle behind while they engaged in this work that God had called them to undertake. But despite the demands, despite the difficulties, despite the dangers, despite the self-sacrifice, they had given themselves to the work, and they had persevered in the work and they had seen the job through to its conclusion. There may have been times when they felt like packing their bags and going home. Times when they got homesick and wanted to go back to their families. Times, like for example when they suffered a defeat at Ai, when they became despondent, when as we saw in ch 7 their hearts melted with fear, and no doubt the temptation was strong to simply leave their brethren to fend for themselves; times when they might have thought to themselves, “We’re out of here.” But they didn’t. They put the welfare of their brethren and their concern for and commitment to the work of the Lord before personal comfort and personal interests. Joshua says “you have not deserted your brothers but have carried out the mission the Lord your God gave you.” They had complied with God’s call to service and now they were commended by God’s servant for the service they had rendered.
And is there not in this incident a twofold example that we as God’s people ought to take note of and seek to emulate.
First of all there is the example of willing, faithful and persevering service for the Lord with a view to the advancement of His kingdom and the welfare of His people as demonstrated by these Eastern Tribes.
Like them we as God’s people are called upon to engage in some form of service for God, service which will have as its goal the furtherance of His cause in this world and the welfare of His people. Each one of us ought to be actively engaged in some form of Christian service. Like the father in the parable of the two sons in Matthew 21/28ff God comes to us His children and says “Son, go and work today in my vineyard.” There is work to be done for God and there are any amount of ways in which you and I can serve God. There are teachers needed to instruct our children in our Sabbath school; leaders required to organise, co-ordinate and oversee our youth work ministry; There are Bible studies to be led, articles for our publications to be written, visits to the sick and the lonely and the housebound to be made. There is outreach work to be planned and implemented; Literature to be distributed; practical matters to be attended to in relation to the maintenance and improvement of our buildings; Fellowship Suppers and lunches to be organised and served; Outings to be arranged; and so on. One the wider scale there are Presbyterial and denominational committees that need personnel; Camp teams that need officers and cooks; Go teams that need workers; And so the list could go on. There is no shortage of opportunities for serving the Lord. Of course serving the Lord will often involve, as it did for these Eastern tribes, some degree of self-sacrifice and in certain instances quite a considerable degree of self-sacrifice. There has to be a willingness to put the cause of Christ and the welfare of His people before personal desires and personal interests. A willingness to give up time and energy that we might have used in other ways in pursuit of personal goals and redirect that time and those energies to some particular spiritual goal. It is a sad fact that in many churches the burden of the work of the local congregation is borne by just a small group of willing and committed workers while many others stand idly by – happy to enjoy the benefits of being associated with God’s people but unwilling to engage in any form of meaningful practical service. Wanting to share in the booty of spiritual victories but not wanting to share the burden of the spiritual battle.
Brethren let us learn from and seek to emulate the example of these Eastern tribes and be men and women and young people who are willing to be involved in a practical way in the work of the Lord.
Well, if the willingness of these eastern tribes to give themselves to the work to which God had called them constitutes the first example from this passage that we are to take note of, learn from and seek to emulate, Joshua’s warm-hearted commendation of these eastern tribes for their faithfulness and commitment in this matter, constitutes the second example that we should take note of, learn from and seek to emulate. Joshua in commending these men for the work they had done shows us that faithful service where it is rendered, rather than being taken for granted, should be recognised, appreciated and commended.
Now in a sense the Reubenites, Gadites and Manassehites, were simply doing what God, Joshua and the rest of the people expected of them. It wasn’t as if in fighting alongside and for their brethren these men were doing them a great favour. They were in fact under a Divine obligation to undertake this task and to serve their brethren in this way. But when the task was completed, instead of simply saying to them, right lads that’s it you can go home now, Joshua instead makes a point of recognising and publicly commending them for the work they had done. In doing this Joshua was saying to them, ‘look men, your faithfulness to God, your zeal for His cause, and your interest in and commitment to your brethren has not gone unnoticed and it has been greatly appreciated.
Matthew Henry writes “Though it was by the favour 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 acknowledgement due to their brethren who assisted them and whose sword and bow were employed for them. God must be chiefly in our praises, yet instruments must not be altogether overlooked.” Joshua made a point of not overlooking and of commending the human instruments that had helped to bring about victory in Canaan.
Ralph Davis in his book on Joshua picks up on this point and comments – “There is much to commend the practice of commending God’s people when it may be done sincerely.”
It is so easy to criticise God’s people when they fail in their duties and responsibilities; when they fail to show commitment to the work of God and such criticism may at times be perfectly justified. And some of us, have become very good at criticising. But I wonder how many of us are good at commending God’s people for their faithfulness and their diligence and their commitment to the work of God in our congregation and in our denomination. Ralph Davis comments – “we can be a rather negative lot, always able to see where most of the holes are in the Kirk dyke are…and aware of of how many uncleansed spots and unpressed wrinkles remain in the Church’s robe. But, look, there is an elder who thoughtfully leads the congregation in worship, or who conscientiously checks on the welfare of the flock; there is a school teacher who holds a steadfast witness among her peers and her students; there is a couple that call on other believers in distress…such servants find encouragement and gain fresh heart from a pastor or friend expressing gratitude for their labor done in love.”
You remember the parable Jesus told of the talents and how the master in that parable commended the two servants who had worked diligently while the master was away and put to use that which he had entrusted to them. He says to them “Well done good and faithful servant.”
You remember too don’t you how at the end of his letter to the Church at Rome Paul mentions by name several brethren and commends them for the service they had rendered to the Lord and to the Church. “I commend to you our sister Phoebe…she has been a great help to many people including me…Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow-workers in Christ Jesus, they risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them…Greet Mary who worked very hard for you…Greet Typhena and Tryphosa those women who work hard in the Lord and my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.” Paul publicly commending those who had selflessly given themselves t the Lord’s work.
The Commendation These Tribes Received:
But then secondly notice with me if you will
2) The Confrontation These Tribes Experienced:
Having been publicly commended for faithfully carrying out their mission, discharged from their military responsibilities and then reminded of their moral duty to continue to be obedient to God and to his Law (see v5), the 2 ½ tribes made their way home. Now when they came to Geliloth which was located somewhere along the banks of the Jordan they decided to build a huge altar there as a witness to and a reminder for future generations of their essential oneness, their essential unity with their brethren on the other side of the Jordan and of their commitment to the worship of Jehovah, the one true and living God. The altar was a replica of the altar of the Lord that stood at the tabernacle at Shiloh except that it appears to have been much larger than the original.
It didn’t take long of course for word to filter through to the western tribes that the eastern tribes had set up a new altar and upon hearing this they western tribes immediately assumed that this was for the purpose of establishing another centre of worship where sacrifices would be offered to god to save the Eastern tribes travelling to Shiloh. This of course was something that God had forbidden for he had said that there was to be only one altar in Israel and that altar would be established at the place that He himself appointed – you find that in Deut 15/5 and 13, 14. “you are to seek the place the Lord you God will choose, from among all your tribes to put His name there for His dwelling. To that place you will go. There bring your burnt offering and your sacrifices…be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please. Offer them only at the place the Lord your God will choose in one of your tribes.”
Part of the divine rational behind establishing one altar and one place of sacrifice was to preserve the purity of the worship of jehovah. It was a preventative measure to ensure that each tribe didn’t do its own thing when it came to the worship of God. One altar spoke of one faith and one people.
Now when the western tribes heard that another altar had been built they immediately thought – “disobedience- Apostasy – will-worship” What has come over these people. Look at v16 “How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the Lord and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now? And of course alongside this there was the fear that God’s judgement would come upon them all for the apostasy of the few. That the building of this altar in as they saw it clear disobedience to the command of God would bring the wrath of God upon the whole nation. V18 “if you rebel against the Lord today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel. Do not rebel against the Lord by building an altar for yourselves, other than the altar of the Lord our God. When Achan acted unfaithfully … did not wrath come upon the whole community of Israel? He was not the only one to die for his sin.”
And so the Western tribes when they heard that this altar had been built and working on the assumption that it was an altar erected for the worship of God, a rival altar to the one at Shiloh, they decided that they would go to war against their brethren in order to overthrow this apostasy and deal with this breaking of the faith. V12 “The whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.”
Now there are two things that I think we need to notice here.
First of all we have to say that the Western tribes are to be commended for the zeal that they demonstrated here for the honour of God and for the purity of his worship. The fact that they were so stirred up by what they believed (albeit as we shall see wrongly so) spiritual infidelity shows that they were in good spiritual health. They had a real concern for the honour of God. A real desire to maintain the purity of His worship. And the first hint that this was going to be compromised, stirred them in their souls and moved them to take action to prevent it. They didn’t say ‘Ah well if that’s the way they want to worship God, well that’s fine by us, let them get on with it’ No the were moved by righteous anger. Their hearts burned with a holy jealousy for the honour of God. They had a passionate piety.
Would to God that such a zeal, such a passionate piety, such a concern for the honour of God might be found among the people of God today. Far too often God’s people simply accept or don’t get to bothered or worked up about some of the clear sinful deviations from the truth that are being incorporated into the worship and life of the Church today. The zeal of the western tribes as it turns out was not according to knowledge but at least they had a zeal for God.
But whilst we can commend the Western tribes for their zeal we must also point out that they made a major mistake in forming opinions and passing judgement on their brethren based on mere outward appearance. When they heard about this altar being built they immediately assumed it had been set up in opposition to the altar in Shiloh. They jumped to the wrong conclusions, just as Wordsworth did when he saw the man fishing in the lake and set off down the hill to give him a piece of his mind. They attributed evil motives to their brethren’s conduct when in actual fact the motives that lay behind their conduct were very honourable. Now it can be argued that the eastern tribes were not totally blameless in that whilst they meant well they in fact acted in an unwise way by building not only an altar but also a replica of the altar at Shilo without first of all explaining to their brethren what they were doing. But the fact of the matter is that the Western tribes completely misunderstood the situation and made a rash judgement about the matter.
And you know we need to guard against that danger. The danger of judging by mere outward appearance. The danger of attributing evil motives to people’s actions when the very same actions could in fact be explained in other more honourable and God glorifying ways. Many of us have jumped of Rash Judgement point, not literally of course but metaphorically speaking. We have accused someone perhaps of something when in fact they were not at all guilty of committing such a deed. Perhaps you have noticed a fellow Christian walking down the street and have waved to them and although they are looking in your direction they don’t wave back and they seem to stare right through you and as it were seem to be giving you the cold shoulder. And you immediately jump to the conclusion that they have fallen out with you over something and you then perhaps pass this information on to others. When the reality might be that that fellow believer might in fact have been so distressed about some personal matter and their mind was so full of the problem that they were wrestling with that they didn’t even see you. Far from being a deliberate snub that empty, vacant, distant look was in fact the outward evidence of inner turmoil of soul.
Or maybe you see a member of the congregation going into a pub and you jump to the conclusion that he or she is a secret boozer, when in fact they were going in to meet someone in order to try to speak to them about Christ.
It is so easy to do what these western tribes did and jump to the wrong conclusions and pass rash judgements upon others. Paul tells us in 1 Cor 13 that “love thinketh no evil” Jesus in John 7/24 says “Stop judging by mere appearances.”
Thankfully in the case before us here in Ch 22 wisdom prevailed over the initial rash judgement and decision to go to war. So notice thirdly and finally this evening
3) The Reconciliation These Tribes Enjoyed:
The misunderstanding and rash judgement had the potential to cause division and disunity among the Lord’s people but thankfully the war that threatened didn’t materialise. The reason for that was because as a result of dialogue between the two parties concerned it soon became clear that a major misunderstanding lay at the heart of the problem, and we see that in vs16-29. The Western tribes, on the basis of their reading of the situation challenged the eastern tribes about their building of this altar and accused them of turning away from the true faith. The eastern tribes very graciously showed restraint and held their tongue while the accusations were being made. They didn’t loose their temper and fly of the handle. Then when the opportunity came for them to speak they explained the real reason why they had built this altar – not as an alternative to the altar at Shilo, but merely as a memorial of and witness to their essential unity with their brethren and their commitment to the worship of the true and living God. There was no intention whatsoever to offer sacrifices on this altar. (v23) There concern was that in future generation the descendants of the 9 ½ tribes might treat their children with disdain, view the river Jordan as a sort of Berlin wall, and consider the eastern tribes no part of Jehovah’s people. (v24) After all they could say that the Westerners were not actually living in the real land of promise. If the Western tribes should ever suggest that the Eastern tribes had “no share in the Lord” the latter could point to the altar that had been built as a testimony to the fact that they were indeed part of God’s people. (v27).
Here was a confrontation, a conflict that was satisfactorily resolved to the glory of God by the two parties coming together, addressing the problem, talking the issues through and explaining their respective positions. The misunderstanding was acknowledged and reconciliation was brought about.
And are there not lessons in this for us with regards to dealing with conflicts and misunderstandings and problems that sometimes arise between believers. We must be willing to communicate with the other party. We must show restraint when we are accused of something in respect of which we know we are not guilty but have been misunderstood or misrepresented. We must be willing to explain fully our actions in order to overcome any misunderstandings. And we must always act in a spirit of brotherly love.
The Unity of the people of God that was threatened in Joshua 22 was wonderfully preserved – Behold how Good and how pleasant a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. Let us “endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace”
