Bible Study - Joshua (5) - Work through Conflict - Joshua 22:11-12, 15-18, 26-27 and 33-34 - July 5, 2015

Bible Study – Joshua (5) – Work through Conflict – July 5, 2015

This is lesson five (5) in our series entitled “Be Strong and Courageous: 

Leadership Lessons from Joshua.”

Our focus scripture is Joshua 22:11-12, 15-18, 26-27, and 33-34.

Leaders handle conflict with clear communication.

This lesson fast forwards us to the time when the Promised Land had been conquered. The twelve tribes of the Israelites had fought in unity with each other in obedience to GOD to achieve GOD’S plan and purpose for HIM and them. Now it was time to go occupy the lands they had conquered.

The tribes of the Reubenites, Gadites and half the tribe of Manasseh had negotiated with Moses, as recorded in Numbers 32, that they wanted to occupy the land east of the Jordan because it was good grazing land for their livestock. Moses told them if they would help the other tribes secure their land then they could have the land east of the Jordan.

The land west of the Jordan had been secured so now it was time for these tribal warriors to go back to their families and occupy the land east of the Jordan.

Let’s read Joshua 22:1-10:

1 Joshua summoned the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh 2 and told them, “You have done everything Moses the Lord’s servant commanded you and have obeyed me in everything I commanded you. 3 You have not deserted your brothers even once this whole time but have carried out the requirement of the command of the Lord your God. 4 Now that He has given your brothers rest, just as He promised them, return to your homes in your own land that Moses the Lord’s servant gave you across the Jordan. 5 Only carefully obey the command and instruction that Moses the Lord’s servant gave you: to love the Lord your God, walk in all His ways, keep His commands, remain faithful to Him, and serve Him with all your heart and all your soul.” 6 Joshua blessed them and sent them on their way, and they went to their homes. 7 Moses had given territory to half the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, but Joshua had given territory to the other half, with their brothers, on the west side of the Jordan. When Joshua sent them to their homes and blessed them, 8 he said, “Return to your homes with great wealth: a huge number of cattle, and silver, gold, bronze, iron, and a large quantity of clothing. Share the spoil of your enemies with your brothers.”

Eastern Tribes Build an Altar

9 The Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in the land of Canaan to return to their own land of Gilead, which they took possession of according to the Lord’s command through Moses. 10 When they came to the region of the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh built a large, impressive altar there by the Jordan.

The eastern tribes left with Joshua’s blessings and for them to continue to be obedient to GOD (V. 5). They had fulfilled their promise to Moses. The Promised Land had been conquered. When the tribes came into the area of the Jordan on the Israelites side, they built a large, impressive altar which was a replica of the altar built by their forefathers not for sacrifices or burnt offerings (V. 28). Their intent was pure and not intended to offend. But the altar offended the tribes on the western side of the Jordan because they made some false assumptions. The western tribes were afraid that the eastern tribes were planning to establish their own religion and rebel against GOD. The western tribes knew that they had the LORD’S Tabernacle with them. (The Ark was kept at Shiloh.) Communication is critical between powers, families, friends, businesses, etc.

The western tribes prepared to go to war against the eastern tribes because if the eastern tribes go against the One True GOD of Israel, they feared GOD’S wrath would come upon all of the tribes.

Wisely, the western tribes formed a delegation made up of Phinehas, the priest and ten of the chief men, one from each of the tribes of Israel, each the head of a family division among the Israelite clans.

The western delegation explained their concern to the eastern tribes and the eastern tribes explained their intent for the altar to the western delegation. Once communication had been established and there was dialogue, truth and understanding emerged.

With this overview, let’s explore our scripture.

Let’s read Joshua 22:11-12, 15-18: (Joshua honors the agreement the eastern tribes made with Moses now that the Promised Land had been conquered. It was time for the eastern tribes to go occupy their land.)

11 Then the Israelites heard it said, “Look, the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the frontier of the land of Canaan at the region of the Jordan, on the Israelite side.” 12 When the Israelites heard this, the entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh to go to war against them.

Explanation of the Altar

13 The Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead. 14 They sent 10 leaders with him—one family leader for each tribe of Israel. All of them were heads of their families among the clans of Israel.

Let’s read Joshua 22:15-25: (The western delegation meets with the eastern delegation.)

15 They went to the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, and told them, 16 “This is what the Lord’s entire community says: ‘What is this treachery you have committed today against the God of Israel by turning away from the Lord and building an altar for yourselves, so that you are in rebellion against the Lord today? 17 Wasn’t the sin of Peor, which brought a plague on the Lord’s community, enough for us, so that we have not cleansed ourselves from it even to this day, (Sin of Peor - Numbers 25:1-9 – 24,000 Israelites died because of a plague due to sin.) 18 and now, you would turn away from the Lord? If you rebel against the Lord today, tomorrow He will be angry with the entire community of Israel. 19 But if the land you possess is defiled, cross over to the land the Lord possesses where the Lord’s tabernacle stands, and take possession of it among us. But don’t rebel against the Lord or against us by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of the Lord our God. 20 Wasn’t Achan son of Zerah unfaithful regarding what was •set apart for destruction, bringing wrath on the entire community of Israel? He was not the only one who perished because of his sin.’”

The western delegation lays out their concerns and now the eastern tribes respond stating their intentions for building the altar.

21 The Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh answered the leaders of the Israelite clans, 22 “• Yahweh is the God of gods! Yahweh is the God of gods! He knows, and may Israel also know. Do not spare us today, if it was in rebellion or treachery against the Lord 23 that we have built for ourselves an altar to turn away from Him. May the Lord Himself hold us accountable if we intended to offer •burnt offerings and •grain offerings on it, or to sacrifice • fellowship offerings on it. 24 We actually did this from a specific concern that in the future your descendants might say to our descendants, ‘What relationship do you have with the Lord, the God of Israel? 25 For the Lord has made the Jordan a border between us and you descendants of Reuben and Gad. You have no share in the Lord!’ So your descendants may cause our descendants to stop fearing the Lord.

Let’s read Joshua 22:26-29: (The eastern tribe’s motivation for building the altar.)

26 “Therefore we said: Let us take action and build an altar for ourselves, but not for burnt offering or sacrifice. 27 Instead, it is to be a witness between us and you, and between the generations after us, so that we may carry out the worship of the Lord in His presence with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and fellowship offerings. Then in the future, your descendants will not be able to say to our descendants, ‘You have no share in the Lord!’ 28 We thought that if they said this to us or to our generations in the future, we would reply: Look at the replica of the Lord’s altar that our fathers made, not for burnt offering or sacrifice, but as a witness between us and you. 29 We would never rebel against the Lord or turn away from Him today by building an altar for burnt offering, grain offering, or sacrifice, other than the altar of the Lord our God, which is in front of His tabernacle.”

Verse 27, can be tricky. The eastern tribes established the altar as evidence that they were in unity with the western tribes regarding the One True GOD, Yahweh. But as time goes on this fact could be lost, so the altar was to be a witness that the eastern tribe’s desire was to continue to worship Yahweh in HIS presence, which was where the Tabernacle was located. The altar they built was intended to be a symbol of the resolve.

Conflict Resolved: (Unity restored – a misunderstanding broke unity in the minds if the western tribes but not the eastern tribes. Once communication was established and understanding achieved unity in the minds of the western tribes was restored.)

30 When Phinehas the priest and the community leaders, the heads of Israel’s clans who were with him, heard what the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased. 31 Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said to the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, “Today we know that the Lord is among us, because you have not committed this treachery against Him. As a result, you have delivered the Israelites from the Lord’s power.” 32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned from the Reubenites and Gadites in the land of Gilead to the Israelites in the land of Canaan and brought back a report to them.

Dialogue resulted in satisfaction and unity was restored.  

Let’s read Joshua 22:33-34:

33 The Israelites were pleased with the report, and they praised God. They spoke no more about going to war against them to ravage the land where the Reubenites and Gadites lived. 34 So the Reubenites and Gadites named the altar: It is a witness between us that the Lord is God.

It is interesting that the King James translation states verse 34 “And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed: for it shall be witness between us that the Lord is GOD.”  “Ed is a transliteration of a Hebrew word meaning “witness.” The altar became a marker in recognition of their confession “that the Lord is GOD,” a confession that confirmed their unity as brothers with the western tribes. They were not bound just by religious practice or geographical location. They were one in the Lord GOD.”(Herschel Hobbs Commentary, LifeWay, Nashville, TN, Summer, 2015, page 56.)

When Christians settle a disagreement in an amicable manner it sends a positive message to other Christians as well as to non-Christians.

Great leaders are willing to engage in dialogue to foster understanding. Blessings!!!