Living in the Promised Land: A study in the book of Joshua
To view this online as a video:
Lesson Twenty one: Can an altar alter anything?
A. Introduction
1. Greetings
2. Overview. [For those online, see this book overview from The Bible Project (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqOqJlFF_eU )
B. Today’s lesson: Chapters 22
Background
Let me speak about something which takes place in the Jewish world starting tomorrow evening, although the last 3 weeks there have been conversations and memorials about things in this matter. Tomorrow evening we enter Tisha B’av, the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av. I say we’ve been considering this for 21 days already. The "Three Weeks" between the fast days of 17th of Tammuz (27 June this year) and Tisha B'Av have historically been days of misfortune and calamity for the Jewish people, in which God is, so to speak, more distant from His people.
Traditionally, dates are hard to fix, but the rabbis have done so with this time of year. On the 17th of Tammuz Moses broke the Tablets after the Sin of the Golden Calf, and also the Romans breached the walls of Jerusalem, among other tragedies. On the 9th of Av, the nation of the Exodus cried as a result of the negative report of the Spies and were sentenced to 38 years of wandering and perishing in the Wilderness. Also, according to tradition, both Temples in Jerusalem were destroyed, among other tragedies.
Some Jewish people will observe various aspects of mourning during this time, such as not celebrating weddings or cutting our hair. The mourning becomes more intense as it gets closer to Tisha B'Av.
I think this is a good time to ponder the problems and overwhelming sadness that ultra-Orthodox Jews have been considering the last 21 days. Lately I’ve been thinking about all the promises of God, as we ended last week’s message, chapter 21 highlights that particularly. What did we read?
“Not one of the good promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.” (21.45)
Obviously the nation of Israel had conquered much of the Promised Land and set up tribal units, but there were some vestiges of the enemies of the Jewish people still living in Canaan. So when we read ‘all came to pass’ we are sensing both the irony and the glad, boisterous celebration in the author’s pen. Yes, there were still some enemies in the land. God had promised that we would drive them out, “little by little” (Ex. 23.23) Even so, it’s right to rejoice when God gives us territory. It’s right when he fulfills his part of the bargain. Look, the 12 tribes were living in their territories. They could trade freely and set up altars. They were allowed to see one another at annual festivals. God had indeed made ‘all come to pass.’
I share this with you just now, before we even dig into chapter 22 to say that when we have opportunity to experience pain and suffering, God knows, and will help us through them. When we have opportunity to experience joy and gladness, God knows and will help us focus on him during those jubilant times. Solomon wrote, “There is a time for every purpose under heaven…a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance…A time for war and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3.1.,4,.8)
Let God give you his purpose, his intention, and let those meet with your real feelings of confidence, of reality, of your weakness or strength, and be honest about what you are feeling. There’s a time for all that. If you just now are feeling the 21st day of the Three Weeks and you are intensifying in mourning, so be it. Feel what God wants for you to feel. If you are still celebrating the joys of Resurrection from April or the pleasures of Shavuot and the Bounty of God’s laws and his Holy Spirit, so be it. I share this section with you so you can have the liberty to know and experience God in your unique way, in the way he wants to relate and draw you to himself.
Now, back to chapter 22.
You know that with this lesson we begin the final four lessons in this 24-lesson series of the book of Joshua. We have three more studies directly from the Scripture and then our final week will be a study of the topic of Holy War itself. Today we also begin the final section (of 4 sections) in this book itself. First was Entering the land, then Taking the land, third was Possessing the land, and today we begin Section 4: Retaining the Land.
1. The 2.5 Club: Commendation and the One Thing
The chapter begins with commendation of the 2.5 tribes. We have seen them since the Wilderness, those who sought to have their own place east of the Jordan. Moses permitted them to settle their families and belongings, and as a consequence of their asking, Moses assigned them to lead the charge in taking the land. And here Joshua says that the 2.5 folks were faithful to Moses, to himself, to the rest of their brothers and thus they should go to their new, but old home.
Remember, none of the men had lived at home in years, if not decades. Joshua commends them and encourages them to return to their tents. Then he reminds them of the Code of Practice. I like this; he uses singular words. Look at verse 5. Be careful to observe or guard the mitzvah, not mitzvot. Don’t miss this. Don’t forget the ‘one thing.’ And he reiterates, the “Torah” or law which Moses commanded you.
רַ֣ק שִׁמְר֣וּ מְאֹ֗ד לַעֲשׂ֨וֹת אֶת־הַמִּצְוָ֣ה וְאֶת־הַתּוֹרָה֮ אֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוָּ֣ה אֶתְכֶם֮ מֹשֶׁ֣ה
The question needs to be asked. What is the one mitzvah, the ‘one thing?’ Keep reading this verse.
לְאַהֲבָה אֶת־יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֜ם וְלָלֶ֧כֶת בְּכָל־דְּרָכָ֛יו וְלִשְׁמֹ֥ר מִצְוֹתָ֖יו וּלְדָבְקָה־ב֑וֹ וּלְעָבְד֕וֹ בְּכָל־לְבַבְכֶ֖ם וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁכֶֽם׃
We are always looking for the formula, the single issue that defines a book or a chapter, or a man’s mission in life. I think we have found it right here, tucked away in the admonition to the 2.5 Club, this is for each of us. Five verbs that all point to ONE THING.
1) To love the Lord
2) Walk in his ways
3) Guard (keep) his commandments
4) Davka bo. HOLD FAST TO HIM.
5) Serve with all your hearts and with all your souls
Yes, there are five verbs and yes, they can each be taken individually. But consider this: Being in relationship with the Lord will lead to loving him, and to walking in his ways, and to guarding his words, to holding fast to him and to serving him. If we genuinely cling to him and hold fast to him, if we agree that life with God is way better than any other deity, then we win. No other religion has such a satisfaction quotient. Taking land, ok, well and good, but if you want to win in this transitory life, cling to the Almighty.
Consider this. When does someone cling to another? Take a child for instance. When does that child cling to a parent? When attacked. Or the child feels threatened. When does an adult cling to a child? When danger approaches. You see that at playgrounds when a stranger arrives and sits, the guardians of small children will often go to collect the child and move on. When do adults cling? When worries or sadness affects us and we have ‘nowhere else to turn.’ Friends, I share these views of humanity to remind us that our lives are always in need of a touch from heaven. We turn to him four or five times a day and we think that’s pretty good. I dare say we need to turn to him dozens of times each day, and davka bo. Hold fast to him.
When my grandson and I went to the playground a few weeks ago, and he was walking as he does atop the wall, he wanted me to hold his hand. Why? When he begins to tip over, he wants me to grab him, or he wants to grab me. Safety matters and holding fast is how that plays out. Davka bo. That’s how we need to be with the Almighty.
The beginning of this chapter includes this commendation, this “Goodonya” from Joshua to the 2.5 and a commendation of the Scriptures and the purpose of them—to know the Lord personally and to walk in quick hold-fast strength to the King.
2. The 2.5 head home
Verses 7-9 indicates that the commended 2.5 now are sent home to their wives and children, their farmland and livestock, and they brought with them great riches including more livestock as well as
“with silver, gold, bronze, iron, and with very many clothes; (and they were to ) divide the spoil of your enemies”
These former slaves gone a few decades from the House of Bondage in Egypt are now going home, to their new homes with wealth that would make a Vaucluse homeowner jealous.
3. The 2.5 build an altar
Verse 10 shows them stopping short of the Jordan River and building an altar. There is disagreement among the commentators about where this altar was built. The Hebrew phrases are the reason and found in verse 11. The 2.5
“have built an altar at the frontier (el mul) of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan, on the side (el aver) belonging to the sons of Israel.”
One:
אֶל־עֵ֖בֶר
The other is
אֶל־מוּל֙
It doesn’t really matter in the long run, but it’s of interest to some. The 2.5 built an altar near the River and they are caught by the rest of the people of Israel. As a result a version of a trial ensues.
4. Courtroom by the 9.5
In verse 16, the emissaries announce that they are representatives of the entire congregation. Note their words; they don’t invoke Moses or Joshua; they invoke Yehovah, and say they represent the entire witnesses of Adonai.
Their conversation is a rebuke and a call to repent. They say in verse 16 that the act of building an altar is unfaithful. They say it is against God. And it’s turning away from God and rebelling against the Lord. That’s a massive summary of indictments.
In verse 17, they remind the 2.5 of the sins of Peor, which we read about a few months ago in the book of Numbers chapter 25. There the people of Israel committed sins with the Moabites and many were killed that day. The prosecution here in this chapter are reminding the 2.5 that in the same way, they were on the precipice of committing the same sin and thus having the same punishment coming their way.
In fact, they say, in verse 18, that THEY will be copping the punishment and they are not willing to have that happen. In verse 20, the prosecution calls another witness, Achan, the one who kept some of the spoil from Jericho, and who died in judgment outside Ai, is used by the ambassadors to remind the 2.5 that their guilt and shame would not go away. They would be held guilty.
Beginning in verse 21, the 2.5 answer the allegations, and the answers are surprising. They start with God,
אֵל֩ אֱלֹהִ֨ים יְהוָ֜ה
אֵ֣ל אֱלֹהִ֤ים יְהוָה֙
The Mighty One, God, the LORD, the Mighty One, God, the Lord!
They start with invoking God, not the witnesses of God as the prosecutors self-announced. This is almost a trump card already.
Their defence shows in verses 22 and 23, they say the ancient equivalent of “let lightning strike me.” And of course, God doesn’t strike them. Their confidence grows.
In verse 24, they make this about the next generation, both of the 2.5 and of the rest of Israel. When the kids grow up and they see the river dividing the tribes of Israel, they will probably conclude that we are with the foreign gods. We didn’t set up an altar to offer three types of sacrifices (olah, minchah and shlamim), in fact, we won’t offer any sacrifices there.
Their summary statement is about unity! We have worked for the unity of the people of Israel and for the honour of God since we left our families across the river. Now we want to keep the peace and the unity. These folks are noble!
5. Decision rendered
Did the altar alter anything? Verses 30 to the end are the verdicts of the leadership. Pinchas is the son of Elazar, who is the 3rd son of Aaron the priest. Elazar has led the religion of the people since his older two brothers were killed in an act of hypocrisy and wrong worship. (Lev. 15) He is the one who was responsible for calling Israel to kill the sinners at the sin of Peor. It was his son Pinchas, (his name means ‘The black man’) who was credited with stemming the judgment of God at Peor. (Numbers 25.11) Pinchas is the judge but not the jury. He has determined that the 2.5 are innocent. He even tells the 2.5 so in verse 31.
Then Pinchas and the committee ‘bring back word’ to the sons of Israel in verse 32. And they who are the jury, agree with the priest and the committee. They say the word was tov, that is, ‘the word pleased the sons of Israel.’ (.33) Look what the result was.
1) The people blessed the Lord
2) The 9.5 did not speak of warring with the 2.5
3) Nor did they go up to war
The final verse says something about a witness. The Hebrew word ‘Aid.’ So many times, certainly in the Torah, the word ‘aid’ is a contrary word, a word of conflict. A witness against someone. It’s about accusations and that one witness is not enough; you need two or three to bring a charge against someone. (Deut 17.6, 19.15). Remember Jacob and his father-in-law Laban? Chapter 31 of Genesis highlights the conniving and the mistrust evident between these two men, and they have a mizpah moment and say there is a witness between us, that “if you mistreat (or otherwise perform evil)… there are consequences.”
That’s the language I was ready for here in Joshua 22. But that’s not what I see and read. It’s not a babysitter camera; it’s not a Ring.com security device. It’s actually a love altar; it’s a pile of rubble to remind the people of the generations to come that there are 12 tribes, not the 9.5 and not the 2.5, but the 12.
Many tribes; one nation. Every time anyone walks by this place, may the altar testify to each person. The altar might alter our relationship; after all, it almost made us lose our brothers when they thought we were setting up a competing worship centre. Now we get it. The altar can alter our hostility and make us one family in the Lord.
Invitation
Dear friends, have you been born again to the living hope God promised? Yeshua died to give us the way into relationship with the Lord. Would you be willing to take a stand for him who took a stand and died on a Roman cross for you? We love Yeshua because in his death he accomplished salvation for all people. He took the curse we deserved to give us his righteousness which he deserved. Forgiveness is available because of the death of our messiah.
If you’d like to receive him today, just now, join me as we pray.
Say something like this: “Father in Yeshua’s name, forgive me my sin, I was wrong to dismiss you and to disbelieve in you. I need your mercy. I deserve punishment but you are kind and merciful and I receive your grace. I repent. I receive Yeshua as my saviour and Lord. I will live because of my faith in Messiah Yeshua. Amen.
If you prayed that, please let us know of your profession by writing straightaway, won’t you? Bob@JewsforJesus.org.au We’d love to hear from you.
Conclusion
We are delighted you have joined us today. Please join us next week and learn with the others how you can stay on track in 2021 and beyond. I hope to see you next week as we continue our studies in Joshua. You will certainly see yourself in the readings, the applications, and the lessons. Next week we will look at chapter 23, in what I call “ Staying on Edge” and see what lessons we can draw for ourselves from the scenes there!
Hope to see you then… until then, Shabbat shalom!
Bibliography
Butler, Trent C., Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 7. Joshua. Word, Waco, 1983.
Davis, Dale Ralph, Joshua: No Falling Words, Christian Focus, Fearn, Ross-shire, Scotland, 2019.
Hess, Richard. Tyndale Commentary Complete.
Meyer, F.B., Joshua and the Land of Promise, Christian Literature Crusade, Ft Washington PA, 1977.
Pritchard, James, “The Bible reports on Gibeon.” Penn Museum, Expedition, 1961. Volume 3, Issue 4.
Sanders, J. Oswald, Promised-Land Living, Moody Press, Chicago, 1984.
Thompson, Frank Charles, Chain Reference Bible, Kirkbride Bible Co, Indianapolis, 1964.
Toms, Paul, This land is your land. Gospel Light Publishing, Glendale CA, 1977.
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D-Groups for this week
1) Monday 11 am Sydney time. Led by James Howse
2) Monday 7 pm, Sydney time, led by James White
(Contact our office for zoom details)
If you’d like to host a D-Group either online or in person, please contact bob@jewsforjesus.org.au for further details. It’s time to step up. Ponder this—who will be in your D-Group?
The Book of Joshua: Outline.
A. Entering the Land (Chapters 1-4)
a. Chapter 1: A funeral and a promise
b. Chapter 2: A harlot saves the day
c. Chapter 3: Go against the flow (Part 1)
d. Chapter 4: Go against the flow (Part 2)
B. Taking the Land (5-12)
a. Chapter 5: Roll away iniquity: a study in sacraments
b. Chapter 6: Joshua fit d’battle ob Jericho
c. Chapter 7: Getting it very wrong: Achan and his mistakes
d. Chapter 8: Combat and Covenant
e. Chapter 9: Common sense is not so common
f. Chapter 10: Southern dominance
g. Chapter 11: How not to win
h. Chapter 12: God is faithful
C. Possessing the Land (13-21)
a. Chapter 13: Inheritance lessons
b. Chapter 14: Caleb as an example with a side of contentment
c. Chapter 15: Geography lesson
d. Chapter 16: God’s ways are not our ways
e. Chapter 17: Promise vs compromise
f. Chapter 18-19: Apportionment continued
g. Chapter 20: Cities of Refuge
h. Chapter 21: Levite cities to the rescue
D. Retaining the Land (22-24)
a. Chapter 22: Can an altar alter anything?
b. Chapter 23: Staying on edge
c. Chapter 24: Three funerals and Renewing the covenant
The Seven Nations
1. Amorite
2. Canaanite
3. Girgashite
4. Hittite
5. Hivite
6. Jebusite
7. Perizzite
Josh. 22:1 Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, 2 and said to them, “You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have listened to my voice in all that I commanded you. 3 “You have not forsaken your brothers these many days to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God. 4 “And now the LORD your God has given rest to your brothers, as He spoke to them; therefore turn now and go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan. 5 “Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” 6 So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.
Josh. 22:7 Now ato the one half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan, but bto the other half Joshua gave a possession among their brothers westward beyond the Jordan. So when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them, 8 and said to 1them, “Return to your tents with great riches and with very much livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, iron, and with very many clothes; adivide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers.” 9 The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned home and departed from the sons of Israel at Shiloh which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the aland of Gilead, to the land of their possession which they had possessed, according to the 1command of the LORD 2through Moses.
Josh. 22:10 When they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, a large altar in appearance. 11 And the sons of Israel heard it 1said, “Behold, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have abuilt an altar at the 2frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan, on the side belonging to the sons of Israel.” 12 When the sons of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the sons of Israel gathered themselves at aShiloh to go up against them in war.
Josh. 22:13 Then the sons of Israel sent to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, aPhinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, 14 and with him ten chiefs, one chief for each father’s household from each of the tribes of Israel; and aeach one of them was the head of his father’s household among the 1thousands of Israel. 15 They came to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them saying, 16 “Thus says the whole congregation of the LORD, ‘What is this unfaithful act which you have committed against the God of Israel, turning away from following the LORD this day, by abuilding yourselves an altar, to rebel against the LORD this day? 17 ‘Is not athe iniquity of Peor 1enough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, although a plague came on the congregation of the LORD, 18 that you must turn away this day from following the LORD? If you rebel against the LORD today, aHe will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel tomorrow. 19 ‘If, however, the land of your possession is unclean, then 1cross into the land of the possession of the LORD, where the LORD’S tabernacle 2stands, and take possession among us. Only do not rebel against the LORD, or rebel against us by abuilding an altar for yourselves, besides the altar of the LORD our God. 20 ‘Did not aAchan the son of Zerah act unfaithfully in the things under the ban, and wrath fall on all the congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity.’”
Josh. 22:21 Then the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered and spoke to the heads of the 1families of Israel. 22 “The aMighty One, God, the LORD, the Mighty One, God, the LORD! bHe knows, and may Israel itself know. If it was in rebellion, or if in an unfaithful act against the LORD do not save us this day! 23 “If we have built us an altar to turn away from following the LORD, or if to aoffer a burnt offering or grain offering on it, or if to offer sacrifices of peace offerings on it, may the LORD Himself require it. 24 “But truly we have done this out of concern, 1for a reason, saying, ‘In time to come your sons may say to our 2sons, “What have you to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? 25“For the LORD has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you sons of Reuben and sons of Gad; you have no portion in the LORD.” So your sons may make our sons stop fearing the LORD.’
Josh. 22:26 “Therefore we said, ‘Let us 1build an altar, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice; 27 rather it shall be aa witness between us and you and between our generations after us, that we are to bperform the service of the LORD before Him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings, so that your sons will not say to our sons in time to come, “You have no portion in the LORD.”’ 28 “Therefore we said, ‘It shall also come about if they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, then we shall say, “See the copy of the altar of the LORD which our fathers made, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice; rather it is a witness between us and you.”’ 29 “Far be it from us that we should rebel against the LORD and turn away from following the LORD this day, by abuilding an altar for burnt offering, for grain offering or for sacrifice, besides the altar of the LORD our God which is before His 1tabernacle.”
Josh. 22:30 So when Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the congregation, even the heads of the 1families of Israel who were with him, heard the words which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the sons of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them. 31 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Manasseh, “Today we know that the aLORD is in our midst, because you have not committed this unfaithful act against the LORD; now you have delivered the sons of Israel from the hand of the LORD.”
Josh. 22:32 Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned from the sons of Reuben and from the sons of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the sons of Israel, and brought back word to them. 33 The word pleased the sons of Israel, and the sons of Israel ablessed God; and they did not speak of going up against them in war to destroy the land in which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad were living. 34 The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad acalled the altar Witness; “For,” they said, “it is a witness between us that the LORD is God.”
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