Joshua Chapter 22

The Danger Of Jumping To Wrong Conclusions

 

Intro: Have you ever been the victim of someone jumping to wrong conclusions.

A)Awhile back – Howard was standing by Dawn Hill [ Eddie’s Wife] after a service – She was holding daughter Emma – So cute looks like…

 

B) When I was kid – One Halloween – Indian – Mom made me an Indian Costume complete w/ Wig & Pigtails { Little girl

1)   Next Year I was a Soldier – Gun I will use it Pal

 

C) Now those were innocent mistakes – that didn’t cause a lot of damage but that is not always the case –

1)Sometimes we in the Body of Christ who are supposed to be spirit filled/  & spirit led believers – can be guilty of Jumping to wrong conclusions that can cause great Damage.

 

D) Acting before we have all the Facts or before we really Know the whole Story – and the Results can be very Damaging

1) In our Text tonight – we see a great Example of that-

 

CH. 22  Deals with the return of the Reubenites, the Gadites and the 1/2 tribe of Manasseh  { Going to the other side – On the Fringe

A). V. 1-4) Joshua thanks them for a job well done.

 

Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, 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. 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. 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.”

 

B) So  In the seven years they had been with Joshua, helping the tribes west of the Jordan to conquer their enemies, they had been completely obedient

 1)Now that the land was conquered and fully distributed to the tribes, they could go back to their families and lands on the eastern side of the Jordan.

C) But before they leave, Joshua gives them an exhortation & a blessing.

 

V.5,6 “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.” So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.

 

Notice that Joshua gives them 3 Exhortations

A)1st He tells them to take diligent heed to the word of God, in the sense of carefully hearing it and knowing it.

 

B) 2nd He tells them to love the Lord.   

1) 3rd He tells them to obey God with all they have, to serve Him with all your heart and soul.

 

C)We should not miss the order here.  First we should take care to hear God.  Then we give Him our love.  Next comes a walk of obedience. 

 

D)To mix this order up is to get off into HERESY  (loving without hearing)

  1)Free for all

 

E) LEGALISM:  (obeying before loving).   Duty Drudgery

 

So these 3 tribes head back to the land of their inheritance – They go back bearing rewards for those who stayed behind [ V. 7-9]

A)Here is Another good example – some fight – some guard – both are honored – Similar 1 Sam 30 200 men grow faint – stay behind

 

B) Fighters come back – forget these guys – David says No  they are part of us they have their place –we are going to share

1) Same thing here they were to share the Spoil

 

C)Now what happens next is a huge misunderstanding – RD V 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.

 

 So Before crossing over the Jordan, the soldiers from the two and a half tribes build a great, impressive altar near the Jordan River.

 A)This was significant not only because of its size, but because of the meaning of an altar. 

 

B)An altar was a place of sacrifice, and both the Israelites and pagans had altars they used for sacrifice.

 

C) This is where the Problems start – You see God had clearly commanded that there was one place of sacrifice and burnt offerings for Israel:

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, 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. (Lev 17:8-9)

 

D) We understand from this that we cannot worship God any way we please, or justify a manner of worship just because we like it. 

1) First and always, our worship must be pleasing to God.  We must worship Him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)

 

1 Cor 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

 

When it comes to Worship – when it comes to approaching God there is always an way and an Order –

A)The way is Jesus – His Blood – the order is the Word –

  Peter at Pentecost - This is that ………

 

B) So the western tribes were concerned that the eastern tribes were messing w/ God’s order

1)   They are erecting another place for worship or they are becoming isolators –

C) Their hearts are right because they are Concerned about the Holiness of God –

1)   But because of the way that this situation was handled – it had the Potential of turning into a huge mess !!!

 

D) This story can serve as a lesson to us – about dealing w/ Confrontation & how not to Jump to wrong Conclusions

 

1st This Situation Started w/ Here say:

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

 

 A)They heard someone say:   How often do we see Problems start in the Body of Christ – because someone heard that someone said –

 

B) It is the age old Problem of Gossip – Right information – that shouldn’t be shared or it is shared in a wrong way !!!

It isn't the things that go in one ear and out the other that hurt as much as the things that go in one ear, get all mixed up, and then slip out the mouth.

 

A gossip usually makes a mountain out of a molehill by adding some dirt.

 

A man was said of his wife who was a gossip - First thing in the morning she brushes her teeth and sharpens her tongue.

 

George Meredith Gossip is social sewage. – It stinks it pollutes

 

C) So it started w/ Hear say – Did you hear what those 3 tribes did ….. they Proceeded to jump to conclusions – Idolatry or False Worship

 

 

 

 

Next we see what is often Peoples reaction to Here say: They  Jump to conclusions they get worked up in the flesh   ." 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.  

A)When People get worked up in the Flesh – they often REACT – instead of Responding – React in the flesh instead of Responding in the Spirit!!!

 

Prov 18:13 He who [answers or acts] on a matter before he hears it,

It is folly and shame to him.

 

B) Ever do that – You hear something  - get all worked up  - Lash out – you call so & so – Give them a piece of your mind –

1)   Problem is You didn’t have all the facts – they are like what are you talking about ? -  Jumped to conclusions

 

C) You know one thing that is always very easy to FIND? FAULT –

1)   They quickly found fault – didn’t take the time to check it out to see if it was accurate

 

D) They Heard – they jumped to conclusions & they Reacted – War !!!!

      RD V.13-20

 

3rd Thing that often happens when Christians Jump to Wrong  conclusions is they make False Accusations

A)Notice the Language here v.16 – What Treachery is this…….

 

B) Now what is interesting is these tribes hadn’t done anything wrong – it was true they built an Altar but it wasn’t to sacrifice anything [ Shall see]

1)They hadn’t forsaken God – but the way it was interpreted is that they did

 

C)Phinehas reminds the eastern tribes that Israel had been punished for rebellion against God before, using the rebellion at Peor as an example.

1)      At Peor, Israel’s men had sex with Moabite women, and they gave themselves over to the worship of the Moabite gods. 

2) In judgment, God sent a plague that killed 24,000 people.

Phinehas  knew that the sin of these tribes would reflect on the whole nation.  He knew that no one really sins unto himself.  [Ex.  Achan]

A)Now in V.19 Phineas makes a bold Gesture – one that shows the rightness of his heart – even though actions were maybe wrong –

 

 B)Take possession among us: To Phinehas, anything was better than seeing these tribes go off in rebellion against God. 

1) If there was something unclean in their land, he invited them to come and live with the tribes on the western side of the Jordan.

 

C) This was an invitation made at great cost.  It would have meant a must smaller area of land for the western tribes. 

1) But it didn’t matter, because they were willing to sacrifice to see their brothers free from this sin.

 

D) Too many of us lack this willingness; we tell people to stop sinning, but are not willing to help them if it costs us something.

 

 Now in (21-29 ) The eastern tribes respond.

A)So They explain that they have no intention-of forsaking the Lord or worshipping other God’s

 

B) And even went so far as to say  If we are doing that feel free to punish us

1) They recognized the rightness of what the others were doing in coming against them.

 

C) But These 3 tribes recognized their distance from the center of worship in Israel, and that the Jordan River WAS a natural barrier between them and the rest of the nation. 

 

D)So they built the altar as a memorial to link themselves to the rest of the nation

 1)They built it so big and impressive so that it would last.  They wanted it to stand as a memorial to future generations that the tribes on both sides of the Jordan worshipped the same God.                      RD V.30-31   

  Here we see that The explanation of the eastern tribes is accepted by the western tribes.

A)This story gives us some insight into what should be our attitude in dealing with  Confrontation or Misunderstanding

 

B)We should respond to misunderstanding in the same manner, according to these same principles.

 1) Our motivation in responding should be  with a concern for God’s holiness.

 

C) 2nd Be willing to hear the other persons heart and to see things from their perspective – Having the Courage to confront in Love

 

I once formed a mutual encouragement fellowship at a time of stress in one of my pastorates.  The members subscribed to a simple formula applied before speaking of any person or subject that was perhaps controversial.  T -- is it True?  H -- is it Helpful?  I -- is it Inspiring?  N -- is it Necessary?  K -- is it Kind?  If what I am about to say does not pass those tests, I will keep my mouth shut!  And it worked!  -- Alan Redpath

 

 

 3rd Respond with a Desire for Reconciliation 

A)The Purpose of Confrontation & Rebuke – Purpose of Church Discipline –

4th Determine that you are willing to sacrifice to help them; don’t confront unless you are willing to help.

  

5th  Determine that you will believe the best of the other person – Know no man after the Flesh –

2 Cor 5:16  Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh.

 

RDv.32-34  

 

So the thing pleased the children of Israel, and the children of Israel blessed God:

A) Everyone is glad, and everyone enjoys the blessing of having peace among the people of God.

 

B) Now The altar is given the name Witness, because it was a witness to the tribes on both sides  of the Jordan that the Lord is God.

 

C) The altar was called WITNESS   This is significant:

1) Where is the witness found? In UNITY

 

D) NOT in false witness or put downs

  1) Unity is found at the ALTAR of Calvary... the cross

 

E) There all of our faults are washed away