Joshua 22:12-2012And 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. 13And 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, 14And 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. 15And 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, 16Thus 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? 17Is 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, 18But 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. 19Notwithstanding, 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. 20Did 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. (Joshua 22:12‑20)
The nine and a half tribes had not forgotten what took place because of Achan’s sin, and they feared God would have to deal with them again because of the altar which had been built by the two and a half tribes. They all gathered together at Shiloh, therefore, and were ready to go to war about it. But first of all they sent Phinehas the priest, and ten princes of the people, to tell their brethren how badly they felt about the altar they had built.
When the men of the two and a half tribes had listened patiently to all they had to say, they immediately took the humble place and gave a full explanation of everything. They said that if it was really departure from the Lord, they realized the seriousness of it, and they did not seem to resent the feelings of their brethren about it. The result was a most happy settlement, and the Lord was glorified in it all. There was no feeling or bitterness left among them either, for now that all was explained the thing pleased the nine and a half tribes, too.
First of all, the two and a half tribes had asked for their inheritance on the other side of Jordan without waiting on the Lord to give it to them in His time and place. It is true that God had granted it to them there, but sometimes God gives us the thing we want, even though it is not for our good, if we are very anxious to have our own way. One feels that sometimes in this way dear children of God make their homes in some isolated spot, away from their brethren in Christ, and then it leads to misunderstanding and departure, as with the two and a half tribes in our chapter. Let us wait on the Lord always, realizing that He knows every need, and unless we are separated from our brethren by circumstances over which we have no control, or for the Lord’s service, we are in a dangerous position.
The next step of the two and a half tribes was the outcome of the first, and it gives us the second lesson. Being separated from their brethren they did not ask their advice at all. They did a right thing in a wrong way. It was a fine thing to have an altar to remind their children that they were one with the other nine and a half tribes, but it would have been much better to have built it together with them instead of by themselves. There would have been no misunderstanding if things had been done in this way, but alas, the spirit of independency began so soon, and yet it was expressed by building an altar to say they were one with those whom they had failed to acknowledge. How often we are like the children of Israel, and go about things in the wrong way all because we do not inquire of the Lord.
The third thing we learn here is that the enemy delights to use these things, which so often come up among the people of God to cause strife and division. The nine and a half tribes did not ask the Lord how to meet this unusual situation. They took a very righteous attitude, and thought to set it right according to their own understanding of it, and only the Lord’s goodness hindered a very sad warfare from taking place among them over it. How needful the scripture, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Proverbs 3:55Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5).
ML 06/21/1953