Josué 22

Josué 22

Calvin - Here, then, we have an illustrious display of piety (ED: REACTION OF THE WESTERN TRIBES), teaching us that if we see the pure worship of God corrupted, we must be strenuous, to the utmost of our ability, in vindicating it. The Believer's Study Bible - Having heard about the altar, the western tribes prepared for war (v. 12) and sent representatives (vv. 13-15) with a warning (vv. 16-20). They acted on the basis of such directives as Lev. 17:8, 9; Deut. 12:2-5; 13:12-15. They demonstrated zeal not only to avoid disobedience, but also to keep their fellows from disobedience which would anger the Lord (cf. Gal. 6:1, 2; 1 Cor. 5:1-13). However, they balanced their jealousy for the glory of the Lord with wisdom and humility, allowing the possibility that the actions of their brothers had been misunderstood. Therefore, an embassy was sent directly to the persons involved (cf. Matt. 18:15) to conduct an investigation before any action was taken. GEORGE BUSH Notes Critical and Practical on the Book of Joshua - Chapter 22 on the side belonging to the sons of Israel - This may be deemed conclusive proof that the site of the altar was on the east of the Jordan, in the inheritance of the two tribes and a half, and not on the west. There would have been no cause of suspecting it designed for sacrifice, had it been built on the Canaan side of Jordan. Joshua 22:12 When the sons of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the sons of Israel gathered themselves at Shiloh to go up against them in war. the whole congregation: De 13:15 Jdg 20:1-11 Ac 11:2,3 Ro 10:2 Ga 4:17,18 Joshua 22 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: THESE PASSAGES GIVE SOME JUSTIFICATION AS TO WHY THE WESTERN TRIBES WANTED TO GO TO WAR AGAINST THE EASTERN TRIBES Leviticus 17:8-9+ “Then you shall say to them, ‘Any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice, 9 and does not bring it to the doorway of the tent of meeting to offer it to the LORD, that man also shall be cut off from his people. Deuteronomy 12:2-5+ “You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. 3 “You shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place. 4“You shall not act like this toward the LORD your God. 5 “But you shall seek the LORD at the place which the LORD your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come. Deuteronomy 13:12-16+ “If you hear in one of your cities, which the LORD your God is giving you to live in, anyone saying that 13 some worthless men have gone out from among you and have seduced the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let us go and serve (WORSHIP) other gods’ (whom you have not known), 14 then you shall investigate and search out and inquire thoroughly. If it is true and the matter established that this abomination has been done among you, 15 you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it and all that is in it and its cattle with the edge of the sword. 16 “Then you shall gather all its booty into the middle of its open square and burn the city and all its booty with fire as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God; and it shall be a ruin forever. It shall never be rebuilt. AN POTENTIAL ALTAR ALTERCATION When the sons of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the sons of Israel gathered themselves at Shiloh to go up against them in war - The western tribes were preparing to attack the eastern tribes over the altar because they had misinterpreted the actions. They assumed the altar was going to be used for sacrifices and would have been competition with the true altar of sacrifice at the Tabernacle in Shiloh. Note the irony for Shiloh means "the place. of rest," and here is Israel is preparing to go to war with their brothers. Note it does not say they inquired of the LORD before they gathered themselves. One has to wonder what was going through Joshua's mind! THOUGHT - Beware of making assumptions or drawing (false) conclusions concerning your Christian brethren, for you may not have the complete story and the results of a false conclusion could be disastrous in the body of Christ! Anger is one letter short of danger. Madvig on gathered themselves at Shiloh to go up against them in war - They were not unmindful of the fact that the Transjordanian tribes served them at great personal sacrifice; nevertheless, they would not tolerate for a moment what appears to be a flagrant act of apostasy. They expected dire consequences for the entire nation (vv.17–20) if they did not obey Moses’ command to deal severely with any such acts (cf. Lev 17:8–9; Deut 13:12–15). (The Expositor's Bible Commentary) Francis Schaeffer has an interesting comment - Joshua 22:12 is one of the most touching verses we will ever find, if we do not just read it as words but see the human content in it: “And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up to war against them.” That is just terrific! We ought to play the bagpipes! These men had just parted as companions of war. I do not know whether they shook hands as we do or rubbed noses like the Eskimos or, like the Brazilians, slapped each other on the back until they could not breathe any longer, but whatever it was, they had said good-bye in the strongest, heartiest sense imaginable. But now they thought the holiness of God was being threatened. So these men, who were sick of war, said, “The holiness of God demands no compromise.” I would to God that the church of this century would learn this lesson. The holiness of the God who exists demands that there be no compromise in the area of truth. Tears? I am sure there were tears, but there had to be battle if there was rebellion against God. (Joshua and the Flow of Biblical History) William Blaikie - But who can estimate all the misery that has come in almost every age, in circles both public and private, from hasty suspicions of evil, which a little patience, a little inquiry, a little opportunity of explanation, might have at once averted? History, tradition, fiction, alike furnish us with instances. We recall the story of Llewellyn and his dog Gelert, stabbed by his master, who thought the stains upon his mouth were the blood of his beloved child; while, on raising the cradle which had been turned over, he found his child asleep and well, and a huge wolf dead, from whose fangs the dog had delivered him. We remember the tragedy of Othello and Desdemona; we see how the fondest love may be poisoned by hasty suspicion, and the dearest of wives murdered, when a little patience would have shown her innocent-- shown her all too pure to come in contact with even a vestige of the evil thing . (Joshua 22 The Altar) Donald Campbell - In the beautiful lake country of England, the haunt of many English poets, there is a peak of land over a lakeshore called Point Rash Judgment. On one occasion Wordsworth, his sister, and Coleridge were walking along the shore when they saw a man fishing in a distant boat. Since it was the harvest season when all able-bodied men were working in the fields, the poets were harshly critical of the fisherman until on closer sight they saw he was aged and weak. Struck with the falsity and unkindness of their criticism, they named the place "Point Rash Judgment." Israel made a similar mistake. A rash and impetuous judgment, made when the eastern tribes returned to their own inheritance, threatened the newly settled communities with civil war. It was a dangerous and potentially explosive situation. But in the providence of God the tragedy was averted and Israel learned some valuable and important lessons. (No Time for Neutrality) Don Anderson - A number of weeks ago when Pearl and I had stopped at a very crowded shopping mall on Saturday afternoon, we drove around several times through the parking lot looking for a parking place and finding none. Finally on one last turn I noticed a man in front of me all of a sudden whip into a very close handicapped parking place without a handicap sticker on his bumper. I immediately told Pearl how angry I was over the fact that someone who wasn't even handicapped would have the gall on a very crowded Saturday to take the place designated for people who had a need for this provision. I no sooner got the words out of my mouth than the door of the car flew open and out came the crutches and a man with only one leg. GEORGE BUSH Notes Critical and Practical on the Book of Joshua - Chapter 22 The whole congregation—gathered themselves together. Not perhaps in their own persons, but by their representatives the elders, who transacted all affairs of this nature in the name and behalf of the people. To go up to war against them. The case was one that laid a just ground for suspicion. Having no conception of an altar being erected for any purpose but that of sacrifice, the other tribes naturally regarded it as an act of rebellion against God, and determined instantly to go and punish the supposed apostates. By an express command. Ex. 20:24; Lev. 17:8, 9; Deut. 12:5–13, the nation had been prohibited from worshipping God except at one altar, and for what other than a religious purpose could this structure have been reared? They moreover felt themselves impelled to this course by the tenor of the law, Deut. 13:7–13, requiring the most summary judgment to be executed upon the individuals or cities that should be found setting up an idolatrous worship. Their zeal for the Lord of hosts under this impression was very commendable. Though these trans-Jordanic tribes are their own brethren, bone of their bone, companions with them in tribulation in the wilderness, and their generous allies in the wars of Canaan, yet if they revolt from the true God and turn to the service of idols, or openly make a breach in the unity of his worship, they are determined to treat them no longer as brethren, but as enemies who were to be cut off as unsparingly as the Canaanites themselves. Their holy jealousy, therefore, in these circumstances was no more than a proper expression of their intense concern for the glory of God and the honor of his institutions. But their zeal was tempered with the meekness of wisdom, and before proceeding to extremities they determined to send an embassy to inquire into the facts, and if their suspicions were confirmed, to see whether they could not be prevailed upon by milder methods to abandon their wicked enterprise and return to their allegiance to the God of Israel. Instead of saying that the case was too clear to admit of doubt, or too gross to allow of apology, they evidently go on the presumption that they may have been mistaken in their construction of the affair, and that at any rate it was proper that they should not condemn their brethren unheard, but should give them the opportunity of justifying themselves in the measure if it were possible. According to the wise man’s direction they will ‘upon good advice make war.’ A noble example of moderation, forbearance, and charity, shines forth in this conduct. How many an unhappy strife might be prevented by similar precaution, by simply staying to inquire calmly into that which constitutes the avowed matter of offence! How often would a few words of candid explanation smother in embryo the most angry controversies, violent quarrels, and embittered persecutions! By barely adopting the prudent conduct of Israel on this occasion, individuals families, churches, and communities, might, in a thousand instances, be saved a world of jealousy, enmity, discord, war and bloodshed. Joshua 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, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, sent: De 13:14 Jdg 20:12 Pr 20:18 Mt 18:15 Phinehas: Ex 6:25 Nu 25:7,11-13 Jdg 20:28 Ps 106:30,31 Pr 25:9-13 Joshua 22 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Exodus 6:25 Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ households of the Levites according to their families. Numbers 25:7; 11-13 When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he arose from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand, (25:11-13) 11“Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned away My wrath from the sons of Israel in that he was jealous with My jealousy among them, so that I did not destroy the sons of Israel in My jealousy. 12“Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give him My covenant of peace; 13 and it shall be for him and his descendants after him, a covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the sons of Israel.’” Judges 20:28 and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, Aaron’s son, stood before it to minister in those days), saying, “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?” And the LORD said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.” PHINEHAS LEADS DELEGATION TO INVESTIGATE Then - This marks progression in the narrative and describes how "cooler" heads prevailed and sought to first get the facts before acting in haste and presumption. 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, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest (see Nu 25:7, 11, Nu 31:6,) - This was a good move, for as noted above (Joshua 22:12), western tribes were on the verge of initiating a civil war. And given that it was an altar altercation, the western tribes sent a priestly representative to make a religious assessment. Note that the eastern tribes have finished the altar on the western side of the Jordan and have crossed back over into the land of Gilead on the west. Later, Phinehas will deal with another problem of impurity in Jdg. 20:28. Francis Schaeffer - The leaders on the west side did their best, however, to straighten the matter out. They did not fight without first attempting reconciliation. This is a good example of the simultaneous exhibition of both the holiness and the love of God. It is a biblical example of truth and beauty. Because of the concern of the children of Israel for God’s holiness, they were ready for battle; but the fact that they did not attack immediately was a practical demonstration of love. Instead, they chose a prince from each of the tribes and sent them along with Phinehas, the high priest, to see if this matter could be straightened out. When they confronted the two and a half tribes on the east, they did not beat around the bush. I am convinced that what we see here is the kind of thing that Jesus later commanded concerning a practical relationship among the people of God. They came without compromise, talked face to face, and made an honest charge. (Joshua and the Flow of Biblical History) Related Resource: Who was Eleazar in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org GEORGE BUSH Notes Critical and Practical on the Book of Joshua - Chapter 22 13, 14. Phineas—and with him ten princes. Persons of age, experience, and approved discretion, possessing weight of character in the congregation, and likely to be influenced more by the dictates of cool judgment than of hasty passion, were very properly selected to act in behalf of the people on this occasion. The ardent temperament of younger men could not so safely be trusted on such a trying emergency. Joshua 22:14 and with him ten chiefs, one chief for each father's household from each of the tribes of Israel; and each one of them was the head of his father's household among the thousands of Israel. chief: Ex 18:25 Nu 1:4 Joshua 22 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries PHINEHAS ACCOMPANIED BY LEADERS FOR COUNSEL and with him ten chiefs, one chief for each father's household from each of the tribes of Israel; and each one of them was the head of his father's household among the thousands of Israel - NET = "He was accompanied by ten leaders, one from each of the Israelite tribes, each one a family leader among the Israelite clans." They also sent 10 leaders who would have been able to provide good counsel to Phinehas for as Proverbs says "Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed." (Pr 15:22)