Joshua

Joshua Chapter 22

• Joshua 22:1 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,
• 2 And said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you:
• 3 Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God.

These two and one half tribes decided long ago to settle on the east side of the Jordan and not go across to the west side like the other tribes but they were instructed to go across with the brethren to help conquer their land before returning and settling down with their families and taking a rest from war. They kept this promise and stayed with their brethren in the other tribes until all the land was conquered.

The account of this is in Numbers chapter 32 where they saw the land of Gilead was a place good for cattle and decided to settle there but first had to accompany the other tribes across Jordan and help them first. They built cities for their young and cattle where they stayed but the armed men went to battle with the other tribes and didn't rest until their brethren had their land settled also.

• Joshua 22:4 And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side Jordan.

They didn't have to feel the least bit guilty because they kept their word and could go back with their families and live at peace in their own portion of land.

• Joshua 22:5 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.

If only all the tribes would have done this they could have had the blessing and presence of the Lord with them with no fear of any enemies but as we see in later years this didn't happen but we do have the promise given in bible prophecy that their land will be restored in the latter days. We do see Israel back in their land but not all yet has been restored as I updated this in the year 2025.

• Joshua 22:6 So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away: and they went unto their tents.
• 7 Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given possession in Bashan: but unto the other half thereof gave Joshua among their brethren on this side Jordan westward. And when Joshua sent them away also unto their tents, then he blessed them,
• 8 And he spake unto them, saying, Return with much riches unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment: divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.

They were not empty handed but had the spoils of war from their enemies. Gold, brass, iron and clothing. This was allowed by God because of the great sin the Amorites and other Canaanites lived. God left them alone until their iniquity got to the point that they were passed repentance. No nation ever gets by with sin after God says, "It is enough."

Violence, cruelty and sexual immorality will never go unpunished but God seems to give nations time to repent like we read in the story of Jonah. God spared Nineveh one time even though in later years they returned to the evil they repented of at the preaching of Jonah. Nineveh was then destroyed. No one ever gets by with sinning against God either in this life or the life to come.

The only way to overcome sin is to be cleansed from sin by the blood of Jesus who died for our sins. 1 John 1:9 is just one reference to this.

• Joshua 22:9 And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go unto the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

In Numbers 32:39 we see that it was the children of Machir, son of Manasseh that conquered the Amorite people that were in Gilead and took possession thereby splitting the tribe of Manasseh. The other half settle with the majority of the other tribes west of the Jordan river.

• Joshua 22:10 And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to.
• 11 And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of Israel.
• 12And 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.

The other tribes assumed mistakenly that the tribes of Rueben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh were forsaking the true worship of God. They were ready to go to war against their brethren for forsaking the true worship but first sent someone to inquire and make sure this was what was happening. Perhaps they assumed they were going into the false religion of idolatry and forsaking the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

• Joshua 22:13 And the children of Israel sent unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest,
• 14 And with him ten princes, of each chief house a prince throughout all the tribes of Israel; and each one was an head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel.
• 15 And they came unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, unto the land of Gilead, and they spake with them, saying,
• 16 Thus saith the whole congregation of the LORD, What trespass is this that ye have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the LORD, in that ye have builded you an altar, that ye might rebel this day against the LORD?
• 17 Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD,
• 18 But that ye must turn away this day from following the Lord? and it will be, seeing ye rebel to day against the LORD, that to morrow he will be wroth with the whole congregation of Israel.

In Numbers chapter 25 we can read where many of the Israelites departed from the true way of worship and joined in the worship of Baal. They did this after committing acts of whoredom with the daughters of Moab. These women of Moab were sent by Balaam to lure the men of Israel into idolatry so that God would curse Israel and Balaam could be rewarded by the king of Moab.

Previously Balaam found he could not curse Israel so he devised a plan so that God would curse Israel. He could then be rewarded. This is the doctrine of Balaam mentioned to some of the churches in Revelation chapter 2 concerning the letters to the churches.

• Revelation 2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

Jude 1:11 and 2 Peter 2:15 also mentions the works of Balaam. Also Micah 6:5 and Nehemiah 13:2.

• Joshua 22:19 Notwithstanding, if the land of your possession be unclean, then pass ye over unto the land of the possession of the LORD, wherein the LORD'S tabernacle dwelleth, and take possession among us: but rebel not against the LORD, nor rebel against us, in building you an altar beside the altar of the LORD our God.
• 20 Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.

They reminded these two and a half tribes of the sin of Achan. This story is in Joshua chapter 7. Where Achan coveted the Babylonian garments and hid them. This caused God's judgment to fall upon all that agreed with Achan's sin.

To us today this can be a reminder that after we come to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation we should start following Him and not look back and pattern after the thinking and actions of the worldly crowd around us. A Babylonian type of garment could have represented the idolatry they were practicing. Idolatry is a direct insult to God.

When we worship images even if the images are to represent the true and living God, Christ, Mary or an apostle, it is still in direct violation of the 2nd commandment We are never to use images and icons in our worship of God because our worship is to be in spirit and in truth. It is by faith we are saved through the grace of God.

We should not choose to try to see something with our eyes but pray and seek God by faith. God ordained our worship to be individual one on one after Jesus came to die for sins. That way all no matter where we live, even if we had no priest or prophet, pastor or minister, we could pray and seek God. All of us become priests and kings through our faith in Christ. While godly leadership is always needed to keep out the wolves and false teachers, we all are the same and can seek God for ourselves.

This is one of the things Jesus gave us when He left to return to His Father. He sent the Holy Spirit to abide within each and every believer who will receive Him. We now have access to God. Looking back to our old ways or looking out to the world around us and desiring to be like them needs to be left behind.

• Joshua 22:21 Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered, and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel,
• 22 The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD, (save us not this day,)
• 23 That we have built us an altar to turn from following the LORD, or if to offer thereon burnt offering or meat offering, or if to offer peace offerings thereon, let the LORD himself require it;
• 24 And if we have not rather done it for fear of this thing, saying, In time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with the LORD God of Israel?
• 25 For the LORD hath made Jordan a border between us and you, ye children of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no part in the LORD: so shall your children make our children cease from fearing the LORD.
• 26 Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:
• 27 But that it may be a witness between us, and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no part in the LORD.
• 28 Therefore said we, that it shall be, when they should so say to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say again, Behold the pattern of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between us and you.
• 29 God forbid that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn this day from following the LORD, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, beside the altar of the LORD our God that is before his tabernacle.

The children of Rueben made it clear that they had no intention of offering burnt offerings and sacrifices contrary to the law. The law said clearly that they were not to sacrifice in any place except that which the Lord chose. The sacrifice by the Ruebenites was only for a testimony to remind their people that they too were followers of the Lord even though the river of Jordan separated them from their brethren.

• Joshua 22:30 And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel which were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spake, it pleased them.
• 31 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we perceive that the LORD is among us, because ye have not committed this trespass against the LORD: now ye have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD.
• 32 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, unto the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them word again.
• 33 And the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and did not intend to go up against them in battle, to destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.
• 34 And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed: for it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God.

This explanation of the reason for the building of the altar for a memorial to the God they believed in and not to depart from the law of God, satisfied the rest of the tribes and it avoided the war that may have followed their supposed rebellion. A good lesson to learn from this would be to be careful not to jump to conclusions but investigate anything before acting in anger. DC