Thursday
Evening Bible Study
May
19, 2011
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk
– Meat – Manna Preach for a decision
The book of Joshua is a book about taking the Promised Land. The Israelites have been delivered from the
slavery of Egypt, but before they can settle into what God wants to give them,
they have to conquer the land. They have
now conquered the majority of the land, and it’s time to send everyone home.
Before Israel
had crossed the Jordan River to conquer the land of Canaan, they had conquered the
land belonging to Sihon and Og, the Amorite kings.
After
conquering this eastern territory, two and a half of the tribes came to Moses and said that they
rather liked this land and wanted to make it their home.
Initially, Moses was concerned that this would discourage the other tribes
from crossing over and taking the Promised Land. He warned them that they were going to be
like the ten spies with the bad report and discourage the other tribes:
Numbers 32:14-24
(Nu 32:14–15
NKJV)
—14 And look! You have risen in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinful men, to
increase still more the fierce anger of the Lord
against Israel. 15 For if you turn away from following Him, He will once again
leave them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all these people.”
These tribes answered Moses with a promise:
(Nu 32:16–19
NKJV)
—16 Then they came near to him and said: “We will build sheepfolds here for our
livestock, and cities for our little ones, 17 but we ourselves will be armed,
ready to go before the children of Israel until we have brought them to their
place; and our little ones will dwell in the fortified cities because of the
inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until every one of
the children of Israel has received his inheritance. 19 For we will not inherit
with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance
has fallen to us on this eastern side of the Jordan.”
They promised to help the other tribes conquer their territories.
Moses said that if they did what they promised, then they would be allowed
to settle in those eastern lands.
(Nu 32:20–24 NKJV) —20
Then Moses said to them: “If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before
the Lord for the war, 21 and all
your armed men cross over the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven out His enemies from before Him, 22 and the land is
subdued before the Lord, then
afterward you may return and be blameless before the Lord and before Israel; and this land shall be your
possession before the Lord. 23 But if you do not do
so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out. 24 Build cities
for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what has proceeded out of
your mouth.”
We now pick up the story with these tribes having kept their promises and
they’re ready to head home.
22:1-9 Eastern
Tribes go home
:1 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of
Manasseh,
:2 and said to them: “You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD
commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you.
:3 You have not left your brethren these many days, up 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 brethren, as He
promised them; now therefore, return and go to your tents and to the land of
your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side
of the Jordan.
:4 return and go to
your tents
These men have been helping the other tribes conquer and settle into their
Promised Land.
They have been away from their wives and families for about 7 years.
Together, these three groups total about 115,000 men
Numbers
26
Manasseh – 26k (half)
Gad – 45k
Reuben – 44k
Total Eastern tribes (approx.) – 115k
:5 But take
careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the
LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep
His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and
with all your soul.”
:5 take careful
heed to do the commandment
A final word from Joshua to remind the eastern tribes to follow after the
Lord. This could simply be Joshua’s final departing charge to these faithful
brothers, but I think there’s something important here.
The Jordan River will be a significant barrier. There are no bridges from
one side to the other. It is a lot of
work to get across the river. In the
summer time, the Jordan Valley gets well over 100 degrees.
Even though the Law of Moses prescribed that everyone get together three
times a year for special feasts, the Jordan River is going to keep a lot of
these eastern folks away.
Lesson
Don’t let anything keep you from
serving the Lord.
I see this in a lot of people who get all excited about serving the
Lord. Often all the enemy has to do is
put up a little barrier that makes it a little harder to serve the Lord. He’ll put the family into financial
difficulty, have a car break down, stir up a little trouble between one person
at church and another person and then they both stop coming because they don’t
want to be around the other person.
Don’t let anything stop you from serving the Lord.
:6 So Joshua
blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.
:7 Now to half the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in
Bashan, but to the other half of it Joshua gave a possession among their
brethren on this side of the Jordan, westward. And indeed, when Joshua sent
them away to their tents, he blessed them,
:8 and spoke to them, saying, “Return with much riches to your tents, with
very much livestock, with silver, with gold, with bronze, with iron, and with
very much clothing. Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.”
:7 half the tribe
of Manasseh
Half of
Manasseh settled on the eastern side of the Jordan River, the other half
settled on the western side.
:8 Return with much
riches
There was a lot of “plunder”
when Israel conquered the Promised Land.
It was a profitable thing for these tribes to have helped out the other
tribes.
They did it originally because it was right.
In the end it was a great benefit to them.
:9 So the children
of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh returned, and
departed from the children of Israel at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan,
to go to the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession, which they had
obtained according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.
:2 You have kept
all
Lesson
Keep your promises
God is very concerned that His people keep their word.
(Mt 5:33–37 NKJV) —33 “Again you have
heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall
perform your oaths to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all:
neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His
footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall
you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But
let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these
is from the evil one.
James wrote,
(Jas 5:12 NKJV) But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by
earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,”
lest you fall into judgment.
Some people have a hard time getting people to believe
them, so they start to swear oaths to get people to see how “serious” they are.
God would rather that we simply be men and women of our
word. We don’t need to swear an
oath. We simply need to be trustworthy.
There was a reward
They didn’t go home empty handed.
There is great reward in keeping your promises.
The rewards may not all be in this life, but God will make
sure you get your reward.
Marriage is
about making a promise.
Even though marriage can be difficult at times, there is
great reward for working things out and enduring.
There is a reward for finishing your race well. There is a reward for keeping your promises.
Did you see his “rewards”?
Keep your word. Finish the race.
22:10-34 The Altar
Controversy
:10 And when they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of
Canaan, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of
Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan—a great, impressive altar.
:10 a great,
impressive altar
The eastern tribes decide to build a huge, Texas sized altar on the western side of the
Jordan River.
It’s possible that this thing was intended to be seen from miles around.
Normally an altar was a place of sacrifice. The problem is that this would
not be an authorized altar for sacrifice.
(Le 17:8–9 NKJV) —8 “Also you shall say to them: ‘Whatever man of the house of
Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who offers a burnt offering or
sacrifice, 9 and does
not bring it to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, to offer it to the Lord, that man shall be cut off from
among his people.
:11 Now the
children of Israel heard someone say, “Behold, the children of Reuben, the
children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the
frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan—on the children of
Israel’s side.”
:12 And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of
the children of Israel gathered together at Shiloh to go to war against them.
:11 heard someone
say
Lesson
Wars and Poor Communication
Sometimes the wars we find ourselves in are rooted in “hear-say” or poor
communication.
Communication is actually a very difficult process.
It involves thinking up a message, putting that message into a communicable
form, someone else receiving the message, then decoding it into what it
“really” means.
Illustration
A little girl and a little boy were at day care one day.
The girl approaches the boy and says, “Hey Tommy, wanna play house?” He says, “Sure! What do you want me to
do?” The girl replies, “I want you to
communicate your thoughts.” “Communicate
my thoughts?” said a bewildered Tommy. “I have no idea what that means.” The little girl smirks and says, “Perfect.
You can be the husband.”
Illustration
A man is a person who, if a woman says, "Never mind,
I'll do it myself," lets her.
A woman is a person who, if she says to a man,
"Never mind, I'll do it myself," and he lets her, gets mad.
A man is a person who, if a woman says to him,
"Never mind, I'll do it myself," and he lets her and she get mad,
says, "Now what are you mad about?"
A woman is a person who, if she says to a man,
"Never mind, I'll do it myself," and he lets her and she get mad, and
he says, "Now what are mad about?" says "If you don't know I'm
not going to tell you."
How can we communicate better?
1. Install a warning system.
If you start coming to red-faced-conclusions, consider the
possibility that you’ve misunderstood.
(Pr 18:13 NKJV)
He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him.
2. Try using feedback.
There is no “manslater”.
You have to work at figuring out what the other person is trying to
communicate.
Now I know that for men this sounds daunting. We wonder how to understand women. I have located a book that will show us how (show picture of
HUGE book)
Take
time to try and understand the other person. Sometimes it helps to try and let the other
person know what you think you’ve been hearing them say. Put your conclusions
into words and see if you heard correctly.
It
helps to learn to say these words, “I heard you say …”
You’re going to see some of these things at work in this
passage.
:12 Shiloh
Shiloh has become the center of government and worship for the nation now
that things have settled down.
This is where the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant are.
:12 to go to war
against them
This sounds like a pretty drastic reaction to someone building an altar? Why the big reaction?
God had warned
the people in Deut. 13 about what to do if
someone tries to lead them away from the true worship of Yahweh:
(Dt 13:1–3 NKJV) —1 “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams,
and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to
you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us
serve them,’ 3 you shall
not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know
whether you love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul.
4 You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep
His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.
5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he
has spoken in order to turn you away from the Lord
your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the
house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So
you shall put away the evil from your midst.
The penalty for apostasy was death.
Put the false prophet to death.
Even if a family member tries to get you to follow after other gods, you
are to put them to death (Deut.
13:6-11).
There was even an instruction if an entire city goes away from the Lord.
(Dt 13:12–15 NKJV)
—12 “If you hear someone in one of your cities, which the Lord your God gives you to dwell in,
saying, 13 ‘Corrupt men
have gone out from among you and enticed the inhabitants of their city, saying,
“Let us go and serve other gods” ’—which you have not known— 14 then you shall inquire,
search out, and ask diligently. And if it is indeed true and certain that such
an abomination was committed among you, 15 you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that
city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it, all that is in it and
its livestock—with the edge of the sword.
God was serious about His people not going astray.
And now, with 2 ½ tribes building a strange “altar”, it looks like this
might be something they need to deal with.
:13 Then the
children of Israel sent Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest to the children
of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, into the
land of Gilead,
:14 and with him ten rulers, one ruler each from the chief house of every
tribe of Israel; and each one was the head of the house of his father among the
divisions of Israel.
:13 Phinehas
This is a guy with a reputation.
He’s next in
line to be high priest. His dad is Eleazar, the current high priest, and his
grandfather was Aaron, the first high priest.
He’s known for
his passion for holiness.
A few years earlier, the Moabite women were enticing the Israelite men into
sexual immorality and worshipping their Moabite gods. As a result, a plague broke out among the
Israelites.
When Phinehas saw one man taking a Moabite gal into his tent …
(Nu 25:7–8 NKJV) —7 Now when Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the
priest, saw it, he rose from among the congregation and took a javelin in his
hand; 8 and he went
after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man
of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stopped among the
children of Israel.
If I
were in sin, I don’t think I’d want to meet up with Phinehas!
He’s a man with
a gift for peace
(Nu 25:10–13 NKJV) —10 Then the Lord
spoke to Moses, saying: 11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the
priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was
zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of
Israel in My zeal. 12
Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace; 13 and it shall be to him and
his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he
was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.’ ”
God rewarded Phinehas’ passion for holiness with this “covenant
of peace”.
I think we’ll see some of that “peace” thing at work.
Was it wrong for Israel to confront
this apparent sin?
Absolutely not! They might have over
reacted a bit, but they were definitely correct in dealing with the issue. If this was a real sin, then they could
correct it. If there has been a misunderstanding,
then it’s better to clear it up so the rumors don’t keep persisting.
:15 Then they
came to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to half the tribe
of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying,
:16 “Thus says the whole congregation of the LORD: ‘What treachery is this
that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from
following the LORD, in that you have built for yourselves an altar, that you
might rebel this day against the LORD?
:16 What treachery
Phinehas knew that God didn’t want the people setting up a lot of different
altars because it would leave the people open to idolatry, rather than keeping
the worship centralized where the priests could keep it focused on Yahweh. (Deut. 12)
Phinehas is afraid that these tribes are going down the wrong path.
:17 Is the iniquity
of Peor not enough for us, from which we are not cleansed till this day,
although there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD,
:18 but that you must turn away this day from following the LORD? And it
shall be, if you rebel today against the LORD, that tomorrow He will be angry
with the whole congregation of Israel.
:17 the iniquity of
Peor
This was the incident where the Moabite women had been seducing the
Israelite men into worshipping other gods (Num. 25). This was
done at the direction of Balaam.
Phinehas was there. He
remembered. He doesn’t want Israel going
down those roads ever again.
:19 Nevertheless,
if the land of your possession is unclean, then cross over to the land of the
possession of the LORD, where the LORD’s tabernacle stands, and take possession
among us; but do not rebel against the LORD, nor rebel against us, by building
yourselves an altar besides the altar of the LORD our God.
:19 if the land of
your possession is unclean
Phinehas is suggesting that maybe these tribes aren’t happy with their
territory once they saw what the land of Canaan was really like.
Perhaps they are acting out of jealousy.
Lesson
Working to Understand
Do you see what Phinehas is doing?
He’s trying to understand what they’re doing. He’s offering ideas to show that He’s trying
to understand where they are coming from.
It takes time and work to understand one another sometimes.
We make a mistake of thinking that we already know what has caused a person
to act the way they do.
We may be wrong.
I don’t think it’s wrong to make suggestions to the person you’re talking
to, but you also have to be open to how they are going to respond.
What if your theories are wrong?
: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 did not perish alone in his
iniquity.’ ”
:20 Achan
When Israel had
their first victory in the Promised Land at Jericho, God had warned the people
not to take anything from the city for themselves. Everything was “under the ban”. This was because of the gross idolatry at
Jericho, and God didn’t want His people exposed to all the pornographic and
wicked things going on in Jericho.
A man named
Achan decided he’d take a few souvenirs anyway and bury them in his tent. As a result, the people suffered a surprising
loss in their next battle because God let them be defeated. God’s concern was that the people would start
to think that they could get away with sin and it wouldn’t affect their life.
Lesson
God’s concern for holiness
Phinehas’ concern is a proper one.
God does care that His people are following Him correctly.
The references to both Achan and Peor speak of rebellion and impurity.
God wants His people to learn holiness.
Peter writes,
(1 Pe 1:13–16 NLT)
—13 So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious
salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 14 So you must live as
God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to
satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 15 But now you must be
holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures
say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
Jesus died on
the cross to pay for our sins.
But His desire is not just to forgive us, but for us to realize that sin is
not good. He wants us to work at getting
farther and farther from sin.
:21 Then the
children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh
answered and said to the heads of the divisions of Israel:
:22 “The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, He knows, and let Israel
itself know—if it is in rebellion, or if in treachery against the LORD, do not
save us this day.
:23 If we have built ourselves an altar to turn from following the LORD, or
if to offer on it burnt offerings or grain offerings, or if to offer peace
offerings on it, let the LORD Himself require an account.
:22 if it is in rebellion
They understand the seriousness of rebelling against God.
Lesson
Respond carefully
The eastern tribes could be getting pretty ticked off about now.
We’re going to see that they have a very good, righteous, godly reason for building
their altar. And now they’re being accused of being backslidden,
idol-worshipping pagans!
Notice how the
eastern tribes DON’T respond. They don’t
say (ala 3 stooges),
“So, you’re going to make stupid accusations of us, huh? I see you’re all armed to the teeth and ready
to fight! If you want to fight, let’s
fight!”
Too many times we respond to misunderstanding more like the Three Stooges.
Play
“Slap Happy”
Three Stooges Clip
It would be
better to slow down, take a deep breath and be careful in how we respond.
(Pr 15:28 NKJV) The heart of the righteous
studies how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.
Too often we respond to miscommunication with answering
ugliness for ugliness. We get our pride hurt, and rather than pursue to clear
up the matter, we just make things hotter. Take time to think before you speak.
:24 But in fact
we have done it for fear, for a reason, saying, ‘In time to come your
descendants may speak to our descendants, saying, “What have you to do with the
LORD God of Israel?
:25 For the LORD has made the Jordan a border between you and us, you
children of Reuben and children of Gad. You have no part in the LORD.” So your
descendants would make our descendants cease fearing the LORD.’
:24 your
descendants may speak to our descendants
The Eastern tribes
were concerned that the natural barrier of the Jordan River might eventually
cause a great separating from their brothers.
Eventually the Israelites on the western side of the Jordan might not even
recognize that they are related to the Israelites on the east.
They might even prevent the eastern tribes from crossing the river to come
and worship the Lord.
:26 Therefore
we said, ‘Let us now prepare to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt
offering nor for sacrifice,
:27 but that it may be a witness between you and us and our generations
after us, that we may perform the service of the LORD before Him with our burnt
offerings, with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your
descendants may not say to our descendants in time to come, “You have no part
in the LORD.” ’
:27 a witness – ‘ed – witness
These tribes are thinking “big picture”.
They are thinking way down the line.
They are thinking about the natural flow of events that might happen
because of the Jordan River dividing their lands.
There is no “Wikipedia” or history books to refer to. They are afraid that the descendants of all
the tribes may one day forget that they are all Israelites.
Lesson
Memories change
They have realized that man over time has the capacity to forget. They’re
insuring that in the future, someone will be able to remember that they belong
to each other.
This is why the altar was so big and impressive. They didn’t want anybody
to miss their witness.
The truth is, people remember things differently.
You don’t even have to wait for three generations to pass for memories to
change.
Illustration
I don’t know if your family is like mine, but we have
problems in our family.
We have one set of family members who won’t talk to
another set of family members.
Though there are quite a few reasons for the problem, one
event in particular gets pointed to often.
It’s an event that happened thirty years ago.
Both sides have remembered the event differently.
I wish there was a video of the event so we could clear it
up.
It’s important to clear things up before the memories change.
Don’t let
unresolved issues linger too long. Paul
wrote,
(Eph 4:26 NKJV) “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your
wrath,
:28 Therefore we
said that it will be, when they say this to us or to our generations in time to
come, that we may say, ‘Here is the replica of the altar of the LORD which our
fathers made, though not for burnt offerings nor for sacrifices; but it is a
witness between you and us.’
:28 the replica of
the altar
Apparently the Eastern tribes had built the great altar to be a copy of the bronze
altar that Moses had had built for the tabernacle. (They didn’t really build a Weber bbq)
The fact that it was a replica of the altar now in Shiloh would be a
further testimony to future generations that the eastern tribes belonged to
Israel.
:29 Far be it
from us that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn from following the LORD
this day, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for grain offerings, or for
sacrifices, besides the altar of the LORD our God which is before His
tabernacle.”
:30 Now when Phinehas the priest and the rulers of the congregation, the
heads of the divisions of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the
children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh spoke, it
pleased them.
:30 it pleased them
It’s a good thing to have an issue resolved satisfactorily.
They resolved things through their words.
(Pr 18:20 NKJV) A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth;
From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.
Have you ever had your “stomach” experience the result of strife? Your stomach is in knots.
It’s good to make peace with people.
(Ro
12:18 NKJV) If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with
all men.
(Pr
15:1 NKJV) A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.
:31 Then Phinehas
the son of Eleazar the priest said to the children of Reuben, the children of
Gad, and the children of Manasseh, “This day we perceive that the LORD is among
us, because you have not committed this treachery against the LORD. Now you
have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD.”
:32 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the rulers, returned
from the children of Reuben and the children of Gad, from the land of Gilead to
the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought back word to them.
:33 So the thing pleased the children of Israel, and the children of Israel
blessed God; they spoke no more of going against them in battle, to destroy the
land where the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.
:34 The children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar,
Witness, “For it is a witness between us that the LORD is God.”
:34 Witness
Actually, the name “Witness” is added by the translators.
It’s possible that the full name of the altar was “It shall be a witness between us that the
LORD is God”.
But if the name was shortened to “Witness”, then they named the altar “Ed”.
Mr. Ed. Was it a talking altar? Sorry for the silliness.
I wonder if we
don’t have a witness between us of who God is.
Jesus said,
(Jn 13:34–35 NKJV) —34
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved
you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My
disciples, if you have love for one another.”
I think that experiencing God’s love between each other is
part of that witness of who God is.
He’s
the one that loved us so much He sent His Son.