Confusion and Clarification (Part B)

When a Christian puts career decisions above worship, troubles on the horizon. Now, he who receives seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

So we have to be careful. And over the years of ministry, three decades now, I've watched Christians go move away, and some of them make sure they have a solid place of worship as best they can from a distance, and they do well. This is Cross-Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Joshua.

Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Cross-Reference Radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. Now, here's Pastor Rick with part two of his message, Confusion and Clarification, in Joshua chapter 22. And if it indeed is true and certain that such an abomination was committed among you, you shall surely strike the inhabitants of the city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it that is in it and its livestock with the edge of the sword. So he's saying here in Deuteronomy, if you find a corruption to the faith in one of our cities, this is how you have to deal with it. Well, this is a corruption of the faith. It doesn't have to be the altar.

It could be a lot of things. The false altar would be one, unauthorized. An unauthorized deal is just worse than that. It is an unpardonable sin in Israel to have had such a thing. It would suggest that God's commandments were meaningless and would undermine the entire faith. And those who would do such a thing, of course, would be guilty of homemade religion. New Testament theology answers this also. It says there are those that use the language of Christianity. They even may use the Bible. They may love religion.

They have this disappearance. Paul says it like this, having a form of godliness but denying its power and from such people turn away. They act like it, but they don't mean it. It's just a form.

It's not genuine. And of course, the New Testament writers deal with false faith throughout their writings. And we look at this other section of verse 16, in that you have built for yourselves an altar that you might rebel this day against Yahweh.

Again, no need for supplements. They didn't need it and we don't either. For the Jews, there was one place for the blood sacrifices, one place for atonement. For the Christian, it's the same.

It's the cross of Christ. There's no other way to heaven. Of course, there are, I believe, unborn children automatically go to heaven and not just the unborn children. There are exceptions and they are laid out for us in scripture. David said, the child shall not come to me but I shall go to the child, which presupposes the child is in heaven. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Well, that's where David says I'm going and that's where the child is.

Thank God for his great mercy. Verse 17, is the iniquity of Peor not enough for us from which we are not cleansed till this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the Lord? So the tribal elders come, Phinehas is part of them, he's the priestly representative and they're saying to the tribe, you're building this altar, didn't you learn a lesson?

They're not giving them a chance to speak yet but they will. We learned this lesson already in Baal Peor. That's where Phinehas speared those who were sinning. He was there, Phinehas was at Baal Peor, he was intolerant of the apostasy, at the hint of apostasy.

Numbers 25, now here we see the advice of Balaam taking shape. Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, now here it comes, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

It was successful. So Israel was joined to Baal Peor and the anger of Yahweh was aroused against Israel and of course there was this great plague and slaughter. But that's what's being referred to in verse 17 where he says we are not cleansed till this day, he says the shame of the sin is still with us, not only that, the influence, we still are catching people, we're still busting people who have these sympathies towards these man-made gods. Verse 18, but that you must turn away this day from following Yahweh and it shall be, if you rebel today against Yahweh, that tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. Saying, you're putting us on the spot with this auxiliary altar. If we don't deal with you, God's going to deal with us, so we're going to deal with you. This monument that they had, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Brothers, let's put a monument or altar here and this will remind us and remind our brothers that we are brothers, they won't forget us. The intention was good, the idea was bad. Some commentators tend to side with the ones who built the altar. I don't, I disagree with them, I think they're wrong. They try to say, well, they shouldn't have jumped to conclusions.

Why not jump to conclusions? Someone told them they have a fake altar, they come riding down there and they see it and now they're dealing with it. Then these are the lessons that abound for us and they're coming up in verse 19. Nevertheless, if the land of your possession is unclean, then cross over to the land of the possession of Yahweh. Yahweh's, where his tabernacle stands and take possession among us. But do not rebel against Yahweh, nor rebel against us by building yourselves an altar besides the altar of Yahweh, our God.

It's interesting, if Phineas is doing the talking, whoever it is, I like to say Phineas, he's like the Peter of the group, he's the vocal one, he's spiritual authority, he's the one that was at Baupe, you're killing people for messing with God. But he refers to their land as the land of your possession, the east side of Jordan, the trans-Jordan side, that's your possession, he says. But the land of the west side, the promised land of Israel, he refers to as the possession of the Lord. He makes that distinction.

It's a subtle distinction, but it is quite profound. He's saying, look, if you need to come home to the west side, cross Jordan, come back, we'll make a space for you, but don't build this altar. That's what their argument is. So at this point, I pause, and we're going to talk about the unpromised land, because that's where they were dwelling, these two and a half tribes. God did not promise that land, that was plan B. God in his mercy says, you know, if I shut them down, I gotta deal with the fussing for the rest of their lives. Fine, you want this land, take it.

But it's plan B, understand that. And they will be the first tribes to collapse, incidentally. But they were satisfied with what was just short of the promised land.

How many lessons are in that? Now granted, we have these big ambitions for serving the Lord, and we fall short. That's not the same thing, because the ambitions are still there, and they're still right, and we would love to have them.

But these made a conscious decision. You know what, we like it over here. We haven't even been to the promised land, and we like this. Numbers 32 verse 5, therefore they said to Moses, if we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession.

Do not take us over Jordan. God, do you hear what you're saying? Had all Israel felt this way, who would have entered the promised land? Had all Israel felt this way, would God's will have been done?

See, these are the lessons that we have to chew on. Let me think about this now. Am I one of the trans-Jordan types, or am I wanting to go into the land that Moses was punished? Moses' punishment involved not getting into the land. So I would say, wait, wait, so if that was a punishment, I don't want to voluntarily stay out of the land, I want to go into the land. Moses is not impressed, by the way, when he gets into the land centuries later with Jesus. He's just talking with the Lord, him, and Elijah, and it's not like, this is it.

No, he just does nothing. You should see where I come from. Location, location, location. So the choice made, they made, based on material convenience. They said it's good for pasture. They said, we have all these flocks, this is good. But God was saying, I got something better, now wait up, this is good, good enough. So they decided that almost there was good enough.

I know I said that, but I want to say it again. The Levites, the servants of the Lord, they were dragged into this, because the three refuge cities and other promised territory was for them, for their cattle, and so they had to endure this also. I don't know if I was a Levite living on the east side of Jordan, I said, I sure wish I were closer to Jerusalem.

I wish I was on the other side, but I got it, this is my duty station. Okay, I'm faithful servant. This same attitude is, it shows up in Esau. Esau did not want to stay in his father's land that was given to him, given to his father. He left the land of promise, and his brother, for greener pastures.

I have it here in Genesis 36, verse 6. Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all his possessions, his households, cattle, animals, all his goods, which he had gained in the land of Canaan, and went to the country away from the presence of his brother Jacob. You see, away from the presence of his brother Jacob, where their possessions were too great to dwell together, the land where they were strangers could not support them because of their livestock. So Esau felt, you know what, I'm out, I can leave my brother.

So some of that attitude is there, and he's not the only one. There was Lot, Lot, Genesis 13, verse 10. Lot lifted his eyes, saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as you go towards Zohar.

Zohar was corrupt, incidentally, just like Sodom and Gomorrah would be, that reminiscent of that attitude found in Lot and Esau, those other tribes. You say, aren't you overdoing it? It's the lesson that's coming out of the page. We're not beating up on the tribes, a little bit.

They're part of the story. When a Christian puts career decisions above worship, troubles on the horizon. Now he who receives seed among the thorns is he who hears the word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

So we have to be careful. And over the years of ministry, three decades now, I've watched Christians move away, and some of them make sure they have a solid place of worship as best they can from a distance, and they do well. I don't know of any of them that moved away not putting their worship first that did well. I know of them that did not do well.

It is a serious thing, and that's, again, the lessons that come off the pages. Those who stayed in the unpromised lands. When you get to 2 Kings Chapter 10, you'll read about it.

Very clearly, these were the first tribes to begin to fall. They were separated. This environment of separation, they created.

God did not create this. Verse 20. Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing? The wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel, and that man did not perish alone in his iniquity. His family did with him because they were part of the cover-up. And that's what they're saying to him. They're still not giving them a chance to defend themselves.

They're presenting their case, their prosecution speaking, the charges. And they're saying, remember Achan? He paid for his sin.

What do you think is going to happen to you? Verse 21. Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad.

I'm so glad you're telling us this, because I lost sight of it somewhere. And half the tribe of Manasseh answered and said to the heads of the divisions of Israel. Verse 22. Yahweh, God of gods. Yahweh, God of gods. He knows, and let Israel itself know, if in rebellion or if in treachery against Yahweh, do not save us this day.

Okay, so now they're getting to defend themselves. And I mentioned that Joshua is old. He's not part of the group here.

He's not part of the meeting. When he spoke, you know there was passion in his words, that it was, I would believe, a subtle, you know, not honest, you know, coming out fiery. But this passion is fiery.

I mean, not angry, but passionate. And it's in the words. Just look at verse 22. Yahweh, God of gods. Yahweh, God of gods. When you repeat something, it is for effect. It is emphatic. He's making it clear that Yahweh is God.

And all the other ones, junk. Verse 23. If we have built ourselves an altar to turn from following Yahweh, or if to offer on it burnt offerings or grain offerings, or if to offer peace offerings on it, that Yahweh himself require an account.

In other words, go ahead and judge us. Verse 24. But the fact, but in fact, we have done it for fear.

For a reason. Saying, in time to come, your descendants may speak to our descendants saying, what have you to do with us or with Yahweh, God of Israel? So they say, well okay, we built the altar because we want to keep the bond between us. We don't want our descendants to lose sight of each other and be separate. But this happens when people think that they need to improve or embellish God's directives. They need this. God had already built this into his word.

He did not need them to do this. They were to teach their children the scriptures. The scriptures that we call the Torah, the Pentateuch, the first five books, and they're loaded with what?

Reuben and Gad and Manasseh and half the tribe of men. They're loaded with this. The bond is unmistakable.

That's your memorial. But thinking that you're going to put it on this little GPS, this little footprint, and that somehow all the tribes are going to see it and benefit from it, it's not very far-sighted. Their creative amendment was a pain in the neck from the very beginning because somebody had a good idea. To this day, people come up, I have a good idea. Leadership says it's not a good idea. It doesn't work because they see more things.

It still causes problems. God, again, did not need this good idea. He already had plans. Exodus 23 verse 17, three times in a year, all your males shall appear before Yahweh God. There's one. How are you going to forget? Hey, there's a tribe of Gad and Reuben and half the tribe of Manasseh. Let's all say it again. There it is, Deuteronomy 6. These words, which I command you today, shall be in your heart.

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, when you rise up. Those words, all that he's saying when you teach these to your children, they involve this brotherhood. Didn't they realize that it wasn't about unity with each other? It was about obedience to God, and that would produce the unity and all the other things that come with that. They created this environment and it would have just, we can do that. We can create and cultivate an environment that is not necessary and cause problems. So we had the confusion, here's the clarification, but how many lessons come out of this?

Real life lessons for us. Why can I not just be content with Acts 2.42? They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, the study of the word of God, the Bible, fellowship and prayer and that sense of companionship and camaraderie with Christ himself that he allows us. And when Christians would say that's not enough, you need a new Cadillac, you need this, you need that, it just messes everything up. Do you know any Christians that cannot be content with just a simple, with simple expository teaching of the Bible? Just opening up the Bible, this is what's going on here. Do you know Christians that's not enough? I need some chandeliers to swing on.

I need something sensational. I need something more than Acts 2.22. Well, sometimes you can do that and not get in trouble, but I think it has hurt Christianity more than it has helped it by far. Verse 25, for Yahweh has made the Jordan a border between you and us, you children of Reuben and children of Gad, you have no part in Yahweh, so your descendants would make our descendants cease fearing Yahweh. Well, first off, when he says Yahweh has made the Jordan a border between you and us, he has not. You made that border. When you said we want the land on this side of the Jordan, you established a border.

And they're not up to no good, so you really can't slam these men. They really meant well. Their motives were right, but it was still a bad idea and it got everybody up in arms and they were that close to civil war and massacre. It would have been a slaughter. Verse 26, therefore, we said, let us now prepare to build ourselves an altar not for burnt offerings nor for sacrifices, that it may be a witness between you and us and our generations after us that we may perform the service of Yahweh before him with our burnt offerings, with our sacrifices, with our peace offerings, that your descendants may not say to our descendants in time to come, you have no part in Yahweh.

Yep, all are necessary. So he's saying we weren't, you know, we plan to obey the law. This is not going, we're not violating anything, at least that's not our intent.

Verse 28, therefore, we said that it will be when they say this to us or to our generations in time to come that we may say, here is a replica of the altar of Yahweh which our fathers made, though not for burnt offerings nor for sacrifices, but it is a witness between you and us. Well, if you're so concerned about isolation and being separated, then come across Jordan, live with us, which they, you know, earlier Phinehas made that clear. Also going on here is hypothetical paranoia. I mean, just what if later on, I mean, so why don't we just make up some other fears? It's unnecessary. All their fears never came out, incidentally. Verse 29, if you, as I'm reading these, you're saying, boy, this is kind of boring. Well, just imagine if you were up here reading them.

Say, okay, I feel better now. Listen, far be it from us that we should rebel against Yahweh and turn from following Yahweh this day to build an altar for burnt offerings, for grain offerings, for the sacrifices besides the altar of Yahweh our God, which is before his tabernacle. So they're making it clear the one before the tabernacle, that's the only place we can offer blood sacrifices. Verse 30, now when Phinehas the priest and the rulers of the congregation, the heads of the divisions of Israel who were with him, heard these words, that the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and guess who? Half the tribe of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them. Remember, Phinehas is a guy, most of us don't know someone who's killed people with a javelin, a spear, and men and women, and he did. And so, you know, when he talks, I think everybody's listening.

That's him. Proverbs 15, 1. How effective is this verse? Talk about a solid proverb, a soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up, anger. Well, it doesn't always work that way. Sometimes you get a person, they are just determined to be in their little, you know, fit.

They're going to have their fit, and you're not going to take it from them. The reason is not going to work here, sorry. I've gone into the emotional zone, I'm really liking this, and if you try to reason with me, it's going to get worse. So you have to learn how to read that. It's so disappointing when someone gets there, is it not? The reason just shuts down, and all that matters is what they want to feel and do and say in their position.

It could be them against everybody, no evidence, no proof, and yet they're still angry. And it's just so, I mean, what do you do? Job, how forceful are right words? But when the words lose their force, then the feelings take over and it's a problem. But all of us have been there. I think all of us have been there. Is anybody so self-controlled you've never lost self-control?

If you are here, you are a very irritating person to the rest of us. So maybe the next time someone loses some of that self-control, says something harsh or mean, maybe we can remember to be kind enough to just take it on the chin, turn the other cheek, and not file it away against them for later. Because that's a practice that does not bear fruit. Well, it does. Rotten fruit, poisonous fruit, you know, even poison ivy has fruit.

Those little white berries, I wouldn't eat them. Then verse 31, Then Phinehas the son of Eliezer the priest said to the children of Reuben, this day we perceive that Yahweh is among us because you have not committed this treachery against Yahweh. Now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of Yahweh. I'm going to look it up after the service. Well, not tonight, when I get home tomorrow or something.

When I get home tonight, maybe tomorrow. At some point I'm going to find out how many times did he have to write that in this chapter, Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh. Verse 32, And Phinehas the son of Eliezer the priest, the rulers returned from the children of Reuben to the children of Israel and brought back word to them. Verse 33, So the thing pleased the children of Israel, and the children of Israel blessed God. They spoke no more of going against them in battle to destroy the land where the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt. Verse 34, The children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar witness, for it is a witness between us that Yahweh is God. They were better off without it. There's no indication anywhere in the scripture that it served any meaningless purpose ever at any time.

And it's forgotten. Thanks for tuning in to Cross Reference Radio for this study in the book of Joshua. Cross Reference is the teaching ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia. If you're interested in more information about this ministry, please visit our website, crossreferenceradio.com.

You'll find additional teachings from Pastor Rick available there. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast. By doing so, you'll be notified of each new edition of Cross Reference Radio. Just search for Cross Reference Radio in iTunes, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. You can also follow the links at crossreferenceradio.com. We're glad we were able to spend time with you today. Tune in next time to continue learning from the book of Joshua right here on Cross Reference Radio.