Joshua 22:30-34 - Truth, Purity, and Peace

In Joshua 22, the conquest of the Promise Land by the twelve tribes of Israel is complete. The battles have been fought and won. The inheritance of the land has been successfully distributed to all the tribes. It is at this point, after seven years of battles, that Joshua gives an honorable discharge to the two tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh (v. 1). Now they can return to their families and to the land that they had chosen on the east side of the Jordan River.

 

There was no question that Canaan was God's appointed land for His people; anything short of Canaan wasn't what He wanted for them. The two and a half tribes made their decision, not on the basis of spiritual values, but on the basis of material gain; for the land east of the Jordan was ideal for raising cattle. By making this decision, the people of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh divided the nation and separated themselves from the blessings of the land of Canaan. They were farther away from the tabernacle and closer to the enemy and they become what we call “borderline believers." Just before they cross the border back to their inheritance, they built a big, great impressive altar. When they are confronted by Phinehas and his delegation, they claim it was built be a witness that they are still a part of Israel for future generations.

 

Phinehas was pleased, the delegation was pleased, and the Children of Israel across the Jordan were pleased; but was the Lord pleased? The delegation rejoiced that the purpose of the altar was for witness and not sacrifice, and this seemed to settle the matter. They rejoiced that God wouldn't send judgment to the land (v. 31) and that there would be no civil war in Israel (v. 33). But the nation was divided, in spite of the "altar of witness." Like Abraham and Lot (Gen. 13), part of the nation had a spiritual outlook while the other part was concerned with material things.

 

"Peace at any price" is never God's will for His people. This decision in Gilead was made on the basis of human wisdom and not God's truth. "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable" (James 3:17). The peace that God's people achieve at the price of purity and truth is only a dangerous truce that eventually explodes into painful division. There is always a place in human relations for loving conciliation, but never for cowardly compromise. "I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality" (1 Tim. 5:21).

 

Remember the two and a half tribes named their altar "A witness between us that the Lord is God". But if the Lord is God, why didn't they obey Him and live in the land He had appointed for them? The stones may have been a witness, but the people certainly were not. Surrounded by heathen nations and separated from their brothers and sisters across the river, these tribes quickly fell into idolatry and were eventually taken into captivity by Assyria (1 Chron. 5:25-26).

 

Church history is replete with agreements and accords that magnified unity over purity and truth, and therefore never lasted. Whether in our personal relationships in our homes and churches, or in our nation, the only peace that lasts is peace that is based on truth and purity. It's a peace that demands sacrifice and courage, and a willingness to stand up for God's Word; but the results are worth it.

 

God bless!