Joshua 22 deals with false criticism, he starts by commending the 2 ½ tribes because they had obeyed Moses, Numbers 32:1 ff. Following the defeat of the Midianite kings, the 2 ½ tribes requested that the land east of Jordan be given to them as their possession. Moses at first was suspicious of the idea because he felt it would prevent the rest of the people from crossing over.
The men of the 2 ½ tribes assured Moses that they would fight with their brothers until the land was subdued west of Jordan. Moses then made an agreement with them that if they would help take the land of Canaan then they could have the land east of Jordan.
Moses then gave the word to Joshua and to Eleazar the priest that the 2 ½ tribes were to receive the land east of Jordan that had belonged to Sihon and Og, kings of the Amorites.
In short, they had obeyed Joshua, they had fought alongside their brothers, they had obeyed God and therefore, they can go and possess the land east of Jordan.
Joshua then goes on and commands the 2 ½ tribes to love God, walk in all His ways, keep His commandments, hold fast to Him and serve Him with all their heart and soul.
Joshua then proceeds to compensate the 2 ½ tribes and so he blessed them, gave them a portion of the spoil and sent them home.
The 2 ½ tribes returned to the land that had been given them to possess. Now, across the Jordan, they are separated from their fellow Israelites. So, there may have been a feeling of isolation. The 2 ½ tribes, therefore, decided to build an altar.
The altars were important because it was upon the altar that sacrifices and burnt offerings were made. This one must have been large enough to be seen at a great distance.
Word got to the rest of Israel that the altar had been built, somehow misunderstanding always travels fast. It’s like a wind, there’s no way of stopping it and so the ‘whole congregation of Israel’ was ready to go up against their brothers in war.
This reminds me of my brethren, we hear something, and before we get all the facts in the case we’re ready to go to war. How many congregations have been split down the middle because all the facts weren’t gathered in the case?
Somehow, we forget all about Ephesians 4:3 where Paul says, ‘Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.’
And Colossians 3:14 where he says, ‘And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.’
No, we sit back in our smugness, and say, ‘Nope, not gonna be anybody ruling the roost here but me. If things don’t go to suit me, then things just won’t go.’
Or, ‘Even if all I heard wasn’t true, most of it probably was anyway. So, we’ve just nipped it in the bud now.’
The whole group of people did not cross the Jordan, they sent the son of the priest and ten chiefs from the tribes. Maybe, out of love they didn’t attack immediately. Isn’t that how we are to act? Galatians 6:1.
The committee let the issue be known. The committee reminded them of past apostasies. Peor, this is where the people worshipped idols, Numbers 25:1-9. 24,000 people died as a result of it. Achan and the sin he committed. The committee offered land west of Jordan in order to keep them from rebelling.
The 2 ½ tribes were willing to discuss the issue which is great news, the name of God was invoked, and notice that the 3 names of God are repeated, the Mighty One, God, and the Lord.
Three different names but each one has a meaning, the Mighty One, El, represents the earliest Hebrew idea of God meaning strength, God, Elohim, suggests the manifold ways in which El the Mighty One displayed His greatness, as the source of all power, mental, moral, and physical, in heaven and earth.
The Lord, Jehovah, the name by which God revealed Himself to Moses; the Self-Existent One, the author of all being, He whose supreme prerogative it was to have existed from all eternity, and from whose will all things were derived.
God’s judgment is asked if any wrong was intended, and will be used ONLY if God required it. And what was it? It was a fear that future generations would question the 2 ½ tribes’ part with God’s people. The Jordan would be looked upon as a border forbidding them from having a portion with God’s people.
The good news is, there is a solution to this problem, an altar was built, and the altar would serve as a witness to the fact that the people were one and the altar was not intended to show rebellion against God.
The explanation was heard but how often do not brethren listen to what someone has to say? We close our minds and let words pass by and sometimes we do not even sit down and discuss. Phinehas spoke up and said that the Lord was in their midst.
We must beware of being so prejudiced that we will not accept the truth from the person we have called in question. Love demands that we do.
The committee went back to spread the word that they had jumped to a false conclusion. If you’ve told something about someone else that wasn’t true, did you go back to correct it when you found out the truth?
We can learn from this, don’t tell anything bad about anyone, check it out with the person you’ve been told about and if it’s true, try to help them but if it’s not true, straighten out the person who talked to you.
The people returned to their homes. When the truth was learned, the issue was settled and it wasn’t brought up anymore. And so the altar was set up and it was called ‘Witness’.
Their fruit bore witness, Matthew 7:15-20. Can we judge by anything else?
We ought to be zealous for the purity of faith and doctrine, we ought not to judge people on circumstantial evidence, we ought to sit down and discuss calmly and clear the air, we ought not to let anger get in the way of resolving differences and finally, we ought to let love rule in everything.
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."