Joshua 22

            Verses 1-8: Now that all the land division and settlement has been completed there’s one final matter for Joshua to address. He summons the men of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh that settled in the land east of the Jordan river. Now that the conquest and settlement of Canaan is complete Joshua tells the men that their oath which they swore to Moses is also complete. They are free to return to their homes and families on the other side of the Jordan. (v.2-4)
             But then Joshua adds a note of caution and a warning: “But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and to cleave unto Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (v.5) (Deuteronomy 6:17, 11:22, Jeremiah 12:16) These two and a half tribes will be separated from the rest of Israel by some distance as well as the Jordan river, and Joshua fears that that will cause them to fall back into idolatry and apostasy. He then gives a final blessing to these two and a half tribes, encouraging them to take their portion of the spoils of Israel’s conquest back to their homes and families. (v.7-8)
 
            Verses 9-34: The remainder of this chapter gives an account of a misunderstanding that arises between these two and a half tribes and the rest of the nation. As the men of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh depart for home, the pause at the bank of the Jordan to build “…a great altar...” (v.10). This monument is meant as a memorial to their descendants (v.27), but when word of the altar’s existence reaches the elders of the western tribes they become fearful, believing that the altar’s purpose is for something else entirely. (v.11, 16)
            Once again, a council is gathered at Shiloh, and a representative from each of the ten tribes is chosen to accompany Phineas, son of Eleazar, on a fact finding mission. (v.13-14) They confront the elders of the Transjordanian tribes, demanding to know why they built an altar for sacrifices in direct violation of the Mosaic Law. (v.15-20) They remind them of the consequences of such rebellion, referencing Peor and Achan. (Numbers 25:1-3, Deuteronomy 4:3, Joshua 7:1) There’s a reference in verse 19 to the land east of the Jordan being unclean, meaning that the western tribes thought this might be the motive for the building of the altar, an attempt by the Transjordanian tribes of cleansing their portion of the land where they chose to live.
            The representatives of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh are quick to reassure their brethren that no rebellion, or idolatry, or any other sin has taken place. (v.21-29) They begin their defense by affirming their faithfulness to “The Lord God of gods, the Lord God of gods…” (v.22) That phrase is repeated for emphasis, and rest of that verse, along with verse 23, reads like an oath sworn in the presence of God and their brethren. What these men are saying, essentially, is that if they have indeed sinned against God then He will judge and punish them accordingly.
           The reason for the altar is that of a memorial, a monument for the future generations of the Transjordanian tribes. (v.27-28) These men feared that their children or grandchildren might one day turn away from the God of their fathers because of the distance and separation from their brethren on the west side of the Jordan. Therefore this altar was built to resemble the same one in the tabernacle at Shiloh (v.28) but not for the purpose of blood sacrifices or burnt offerings. Instead “it is a witness between us and you.” It is to serve as a connection between the west and east tribes that are separated by distance as well as the Jordan river, a reminder for future generations of what God has done for all His chosen people. They close their defense by repeating once more that this altar is not “…for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, beside the altar of the lord our God that is before His tabernacle.” They affirm yet again, “God forbid that we should rebel against the Lord, and turn this day from following the Lord…”.
             Phineas and the men that accompanied him accept this explanation, pleased and relieved to hear that their brethren are not, in fact, rebelling against God. They return with the good news to their brethren, and all of Israel rejoices in this. They had been prepared to go to war against the Transjordanian tribes, if necessary, in order to cleanse the land and purge the sin from among them. (v.33) The men of Reuben and Gad name the monument Ed, which means “witness”. “…for it shall be a witness between us that the Lord is God.” (v.34)
           
            Passages such as this one can sometimes seem confusing to present day readers because to us the promised land doesn’t seem that large of an area on a small map in the back of our Bible. It’s also easy to forget what it is was like in a time where the only means of communication and travel was by horseback or on foot. For us today a distance of only a few dozen miles is not that far, but at this time in the ANE it was several days’ journey. The twelve tribes of Israel are no longer living in a close knit community in tents. They are now scattered over a great distance, and for those who settled on the eastern side of the Jordan river that distance from their brethren on the western side is even greater. Because of this it’s easy to see how misunderstandings like the one described in this chapter arose.
             But the western tribes did the wise thing by not jumping to conclusions and immediately going to war against their brethren. Instead, they gave the Transjordanian tribes the benefit of the doubt and dispatched Phineas with ten representatives to see if their suspicions were true or false. If the former, then the western tribes were prepared to act accordingly in order to protect the nation from God’s wrath. But, when the rumor turned out be false, they instead rejoiced with their brethren, and everyone returned to their respective homes happy and blessed.
            There’s an obvious and practical lesson here for believers today. It’s easy for the members of a church to believe gossip and rumors about one another, and we should respond as Israel did here. If there is the possibility that a brother or sister is committing sin within the body of Christ then he/she should be confronted in private by one or two of the church elders (usually the pastor) and be given the opportunity to set the record straight. If the rumor or suspicion turns out to be false, then all is well. If not, then it’s the responsibility of the pastor and, if necessary, the rest of the body to confront that member and deal with the sin accordingly.
            The western tribes were concerned about not arousing God’s righteous anger and, thus, bringing upon the nation His judgment for sin. That same zeal should be present in the body of Christ in the church today.