Revision as of 17:31, 6 September 2022

Theological Proposition/Focus: God's standards are high!

Homiletical Proposition/Application: Sometimes we can get so caught up in victory that we forget God and in order to combat this risk we must take care to remember foundational practical steps that we should be taking.

Introduction:

Image: Looking back years later and hardly recognizing the person you see.

Are you the same person you were years ago? The fact is that life changes us. In will be blunt, 20 years ago I was an arrogant jerk. I thought the world revolved around me and expected everyone to act that way. I acted as if I was the smartest person I knew. Then I went to college and grad school and the more I learned the less I knew. Sometimes when I reflect back I cannot believe how much I have changed. Life changes us. The key is that through life we must make sure that life never pulls us from our dedication to God.

Setting the Stage:

Remember way back to Joshua chapter one we saw that God was leading Israel. Recall what Israel was at that time. Israel was a band of tribes who had come out of the wilderness and were entering foreign territory. Now in Joshua 22 we can hardly recognize those same people. They are a battle hardened nation with land allotments and seven years of hard knocks. The question that still remains is how is their commitment to God. Has victory and success, freedom and land led them to more faith or less faith?

Need: Sometimes we can get so caught up in victory that we forget God and in order to combat this risk we must take care to remember foundational practical steps that we should be taking.

Preview: In Joshua 22 we are going to see four things we must remember: a job well done is not a license to turn from God, we are dealing with the God of the universe and the stakes are high, accountability may mean we are challenged, we don't always have all the information.

Body

Remember, a job well done is not a license to turn from God (22:1-8).

In verses 1-4 we are reminded that

The three and a half tribes had been faithful to support their fellow Israelites (1-4).

Recall that before ever entering the land of Canaan, Israel had been forced to fight with several nations on the East side of the Jordan. As you might expect, God had given complete victory. Three and a half of the tribes asked God for permission to inherit this land East of the Jordan and God granted their request under one condition. The three and a half tribes were expected to fight alongside their brothers in Canaan.

After seven years of fighting separated from their wives and families, the time had come for the 3.5 tribes to return.

In verse 4 Joshua gave his blessing for the tribes to return.

However, Joshua also provided a very important reminder.

Joshua reminded the tribes to be careful to remain faithful to God (5).

Actually six exhortations are found in the text.

Be careful to keep the commandments and the Law.

Love the Lord your God.

Walk in obedience to him.

Keep his commands.

Hold fast to him.

serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Military commands had come to an end, but that didn't mean that they could do whatever they wanted.

Perhaps Joshua feared that the separation caused by the Jordan would lead to separation from God. In any case. Joshua wanted to ensure that the people did not separate from the God who had shown himself.

The reward for a job well done was substantial (6-8).

The reward included physical blessings.

The men returned with great wealth.

The men returned with large heards of livestock.

The men returned with precious metals.

The men returned with significant clothing.

The reward included the opportunity, no command, to share.

In God's community reward should be shared because the individual understands that the God of the universe can provide exactly what is needed. In fact, this notion of valuing the individual who did the work as much as the individual who supported the work is a common theme in God's economy.

In Numbers 31:27 after the battle with the Midianites soldiers and those who stayed at home shared.

In 1 Sam. 30:21-25 David used the same principle after his battle with an Amalekite raiding party.

My quick application...let's honor those who pray for the workers as well as the workers!

Image: We often warn people to be safe after a major victory.

I remember my High School Graduation rehearsal. After rehearsal we were given quite the lecture and it has stuck with me. Every-year following rehearsal there are students who never get to see their actual graduation. The night before graduation they go to a party or something like that and the consequences are tragic.

MTR: Determine not to let your spiritual guard down.

Remember, we are dealing with the God of the universe and the stakes are high (9-20).

The farewell moment passed and the two and a half tribes left, but a major issue arose.

The point of debate: a newly erected alter (9-12).

The Jordan river sits in a trench that is 5-13 miles wide with mountains towering 2000 feet above on either side.

A sense of isolation probably washed over the two and a half tribes.

Memories of past victories would fade what would come of the tribes?

Image: anyone who has moved away from friends and family understands this feeling.

I think that when friends or family move away we all have this initial idea that nothing will change. However, that is not reality we know that distance matters and memories fade. Eventually a new life is created in the new place. In order to combat this something had to be done.

The eastern tribes knew that their real unity came from God.

So they built an "imposing alter". The word גדול means great in height.

The eastern tribes built a great alter on the western side that could be seen across the Jordan.

This intended symbol of unity was in fact a potential threat to Israel's worship of God.

The potential problem stemmed from Lev. 17:8-9 which states that sacrifices could only be offered at the tabernacle.

This was likely to protect Israel's worship from outside corruption. There is a fine line between offering a sacrifice to God anywhere and beginning to offer sacrifices to other false Gods. As an aside, I place incredible value on the church. The church is God's choice in this age.

You can study, fellowship, live at home but net us never give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Heb. 10:25)

There is a fascinating use of words in verse 10.

In verse 10, the cisjordan tribes are called "the whole assembly of Israel, after the clarification of 29 all 12 are again called Israel.

It seems that the author of Joshua want to clarify that until this issue is resolved, the other tribes cannot be counted among them. The solution to apostasy is separation and war becomes a serious possibility.

"The holiness of God demands no compromise" (Francis A. Schaeffer) ^[1]

The proposed solution: sending a delegation (13-14).

Phinehas and ten leaders were sent to inquire.

You may recall that Phinehas was already known for his zeal (Num. 25:6-18)

He had previously defended the holiness of the people in the incident with the Mideanites and God had given him the priesthood for his zeal. In any case, his pressence also demonstrated that the issue Israel saw was a potential corruption of the worship of God.

The question: why would you do this (15-20)?

First point: We have made this mistake before, let's not do it again.

Peor - Balaam and the Moabite corruption of Israel where Ohinehas intervened.

Achan

Second point: even if it costs us our land, we will make a place for you here.

MTR: Confront sin as if their life depended on it because it does.

We need to confront sin. Frankly, I am a wimp. Most of us are wimps. We use excuses like "I don't have all the details." "I don't want to offend." Here is the irony, I have called the police to check on someone for whom I was concerned about their safety with very few details. Shouldn't we act swiftly out of concern for someone's eternal safety?

Remember, accountability may mean we are challenged (21-29).

Now I want to look at the other side of the situation. We need to confront not just sin, but potential sin. However, if we are going to build this culture then we also need to understand that we might be confronted about something where false information or details are missing. When that happens we cannot afford to be offended.

The wisdom of declaring who God is (21-23).

Three terms used of God.

God אל

The Mighty one אלהים

יהרה

Think about a vehement response piling up the names of God.

The people call God as their witness that they had good intentions.

The people declare that they will accept any consequences if they were wrong.

The cisjordan tribes had not mentioned sacrifice in their accusations but the eastern tribes did in verses 23, 26, 27, 28, 29. Essentially the people are showing that they recongize the concern and are willing to be completely open about the situation.

With their initial declaration of innocence given, the tribes now move to explain themselves.

The wisdom of building a reminder that they were God's people (24-28).

The Transjordan tribes had not built the alter in order to sacrifice but to remind.

The wisdom of declaring total commitment to God (29).

I love the culminating statement in verse 29. We are completely and totally loyal to God!

MTR: Graciously prepare yourself to be challenged on your actions.

I want you to understand what is happening here. Confrontation occurred because accountability matters. I do not think anybody was wrong here. I know some may disagree but I think both groups acted correctly. If we are to function as a church we need to confront each other when there is something we think is wrong. If we are to foster this type of confrontation then we need to be willing to be confronted and accused even if we have done nothing wrong. We need to recognize that loving accountability means we may be falsely accused and that is okay. We may be attacked and that is okay. We may be hurt and that is okay.

So what do we do with all of this? We look at how it ended.

Remember, we don't always have all the information (30-34).

The power of gracious acceptance (30-31).

I love the fact that Phinehas is willing to accept this answer. It makes sense. If the tribes were building an alter in rebellion would they really have built it on the other side of the Jordan? No this makes sense. Phinehas wisely accepts the explanation and even give God the glory for the explanation.

The power of peaceful resolution (32-33).

The report back to the people is accepted and again God is praised.

The power of a permanent reminder (34).

The alter is declared to be a witness to the God of Israel, a united Israel. The people are back together.

When properly practiced, accountability brings glory to God.

Proverbs 15:1 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

MTR: Graciously prepare yourself to accept an explanation.

Conclusion:

We need to be a church where we hold each other accountable. We need to be willing to confront sin or even the appearance of sin without getting offended. If we love one another and show that love then we can sharpen each other.

Preoverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

1. ↑ Joshua and the Flow of Biblical History, p. 175