Eric Hamilton
05/29/17
The nation of Israel is often used throughout the New Testament as an object lesson of sorts. Certain points in its history are illustrated as either worthy of emulation, or warnings for the church. One of the most common periods of Israel’s history that is used as a warning is the generation that ended up wandering in the wilderness as a consequence of their sins. They murmured and complained, longed to go back to the land of their enslavement, and lacked the faith to conquer the land of Canaan. The Hebrews author uses this generation of Israelites to warn his readers “do not harden your hearts as in rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test…” (Hebrews 3:8-9). The point being that the consequences for sin and rebellion against God are real. Even if you find yourself in the midst of the elect, as the Israelites who escaped Egypt did, the blessings of God are bestowed only upon those who live by faith.
In this article, I would like to focus on the generation following the “wilderness generation.” The entire scope of Israel’s history is and can be instructive for our learning, as Paul said, “whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction” (Romans 15:4). These people saw firsthand the sins and subsequent consequences that befell their parents and grandparents. They saw the various plagues and suffering that those rebellious toward God received, and they chose a different path. They took the lessons of the wilderness with them when they followed Joshua into Canaan. But this very real concern about properly following God in all things almost led to civil war over a misunderstanding. This happens in the 22nd chapter of Joshua.
The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh had earlier made an agreement with Moses that they could settle the lands to the east of the Jordan River if they helped the other 10 ½ tribes conquer Canaan. Now that Canaan had been conquered, the 2 ½ tribes crossed the Jordan to settle their lands. But before crossing, they set up an altar resembling the tabernacle’s altar near the Jordan River. The western tribes heard about this altar, and they assumed that the eastern tribes had forsaken God and done exactly what God had commanded them not to do: “What is this breach of faith…” they ask in verse 17.
They mention Peor, where the people of Israel joined in the worship of Baal in the land of the Moabites, and 24,000 people had died of a plague as a result. And they recount Achan, who had hidden some treasure from Jericho which he was not supposed to, which ended in the needless deaths of other fellow Israelites. They realized that the moral breach of one Israelite inevitably and eventually affects the whole. There is no such thing as a victimless crime. They were concerned that the transgressions of the eastern tribes would come around and haunt the western tribes as well. And the western tribes were ready to stop it before it got that far. It was a well-founded concern they held.
There was only one problem with it.
The eastern tribes were afraid of becoming alienated from their western brethren, and they built the altar, not as some offering to a false god, but as a reminder to both sides that they were all the same people, and all worshipped the same God. The altar was not a rebellion against God, but a reaffirmation of submission to God. Once that was explained to the western tribes, everyone was pleased and no longer wanted to go to war.
You could very easily imagine a different scenario playing out. Convinced that the eastern tribes had abandoned God, the western tribes could have gone to war without talking to their brethren first. War between the tribes of Israel happened several times in the book of Judges, so it is not unheard of in the Scriptures. Let’s try to draw a lesson out of this costly war which was thankfully averted.
Even though the western Israelites were acting in accordance with God’s word as they saw it, they still took time to listen to the eastern tribes’ defense. When you read Joshua 22, the western tribes pull no punches; they flatly accuse the eastern tribes of sin worthy of severe punishment. But when they hear the explanation from the eastern tribes’ perspective, they relent. Even if you think you are right, and you believe God to be on your side, be willing to listen to the other person or people. Solomon warns us that we might not have all the facts, and new information may change everything: “The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him” (Proverbs 18:17).
If the western tribes had gone to war thinking they were taking righteous action, they would have actually been doing wrong. And it would have caused a lot of pain and suffering along the way. This is still as applicable today. This is why James tells us “let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19).