Joshua THE LION AND THE MOUSE

Transcription

1 Joshua Watch Where You re Jumping Joshua 21:1-22:34 THE LION AND THE MOUSE A Lion was awakened from sleep by a Mouse running over his face. Rising up angrily, he caught him and was about to kill him, when the Mouse piteously entreated, saying: If you would only spare my life, I would be sure to repay your kindness. The Lion laughed and let him go. It happened shortly after this that the Lion was caught by some hunters, who bound him by ropes to the ground. The Mouse, recognizing his roar, came, gnawed the rope with his teeth, and set him free, exclaiming: You ridiculed the idea of my ever being able to help you, not expecting to receive from me any repayment of your favor; now you know that it is possible for even a Mouse to confer benefits on a Lion. 1 The lion jumped to a conclusion about mice in general and this one specifically. But it was a false conclusion. The Jordanian tribes were about to jump to a conclusion. We too must be careful about making assumptions. THE CITIES OF REFUGE have been established, therefore much of Moses original instructions, as received from God, have been carried out. The Land has been fully distributed, though not fully occupied. Yet, there are still a couple of pieces of unresolved business. First, the Levites need to be provided with homes. Second, the 2 1/2 Trans-Jordanian tribes need to return to their homes. We will also find a warning about the dangers of jumping to conclusions based on circumstantial evidence. Even when we are zealous and jealous for the Lord, we are still to avoid jumping to conclusions. Incorrect assumptions and actions based on those assumptions can lead to disaster and destruction. And that is almost what happened in this passage. I A LOT OF LEVY 21 II YOU HAVE OBEYED, KEEP OBEYING 22: 1-9 III THE APPEARANCE OF DISOBEDIENCE 22:10-20 IV THE REALITY OF OBEDIENCE 22:21-34 Chapter 20, As we have already noted, Levy s primary inheritance is the opportunity to glorify God by service to the Tabernacle, providing the priesthood and being the representative of the people to God. Nevertheless, the people still need dwelling places. And Moses had promised they would receive them. 1 Aesop, Aesop s Fables, The Lion and the Mouse.

2 Now the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying, Command the sons of Israel that they give to the Levites from the inheritance of their possession, cities to live in; and you shall give to the Levites pasture lands around the cities. And the cities shall be theirs to live in; and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle and for their herds and for all their beasts. And the pasture lands of the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits around. You shall also measure outside the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits, with the city in the center. This shall become theirs as pasture lands for the cities. And the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the manslayer to flee to; and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities. All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities, together with their pasture lands. As for the cities which you shall give from the possession of the sons of Israel, you shall take more from the larger and you shall take less from the smaller; each shall give some of his cities to the Levites in proportion to his possession which he inherits (Numbers 35:1-8). It may have been that these cities didn t actually belong to the Levites, but were places of residence, shared with the population of the specific area. Were they given for occupancy or were they given with entitlement? And does it really matter anyway? Madvig makes the following observation. Some towns were assigned to the Levites even though they were still held by the Canaanites. This is the reason why some have argued that the institution of Levitical towns arose years later, perhaps in the time of the monarchy. Joshua, however, assigned many portions of the land that had not yet been conquered. He was confident that God would give Israel possession of these areas, also. Four towns from each tribe were set apart for the Levites with the exception that only three were from Naphtali and nine were selected from the combined territories of Judah and Simeon (actually all the towns of Simeon were from the original allotment of Judah; cf. 19:1-9). Though Levitical towns were selected from every tribe, they were not evenly distributed throughout the land. They seem to have been clustered on the frontiers and in other endangered areas. 2 Verses 4-42: The balance of the chapter lists the specific cities given to the Levites. The real purpose of these was not just to provide for the needs of the Levites, but to place them in the midst of the tribes so they could serve God and the people. The Kohathites are identified as receiving thirteen cities. These are the descendents of Aaron. This is the family of the High Priests. God uniquely meets their needs. Madvig notes: Inasmuch as the temple would be built in Jerusalem, the towns of the high priest s family were conveniently located in the territories of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. Some see this as evidence that the Levitical towns were not selected until after Jerusalem was chosen as the site of the temple. Much to the contrary, it is evidence of God s providence. 3 And so the Levites received a total of 43 cities scattered throughout the nation. It was from these that they were called to serve God and the nation. 2 Madvig, Donald H., The Expositor s Bible Commentary, Joshua, Zondervan I nteractive Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1990, Electronic text hypertexted and prepared by OakTree Software, Inc. 3 Ibid. ) 108 (

3 Verses 43-45: These verses describe the fulfillment of God s word to Israel. First we re told God gave the Land to Israel. All they have, and all we have, is from God. This was done in fulfillment of His promises to their fathers and forefathers. Now the LORD said to Abram, Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan. And Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanite was then in the land. And the LORD appeared to Abram and said, To your descendants I will give this land. So he built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him (Genesis 12:1-7). Second, even though all of the Israelite s enemies were not yet out of the land, there was a cessation of hostilities. They experienced a measure of peace. for you have not as yet come to the resting place and the inheritance which the LORD your God is giving you. When you cross the Jordan and live in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies around you so that you live in security (Deuteronomy 12:9-10). As Keil and Delitzsch (p. 216) point out, God had not promised the immediate and total destruction of the Canaanites, but only their gradual extermination 4 I will drive them out before you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land. And the LORD your God will clear away these nations before you little by little; you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you (Exodus 23:30; Deuteronomy 7:22). Third, they had victory over every enemy they fought in obedience to and dependency on God. Frequently the victories were miraculous. And so, the conquest of the land is complete. Chapter 22, Verses 1-9: It is now time for the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh to return home to the Trans-Jordan. Joshua states two points. The first is a recognition of their obedience to God, by following Moses and his instructions regarding their military support of the Canaanite campaign. So Moses said to them, If you will do this, if you will arm yourselves before the LORD for the war, and all of you armed men cross over the Jordan before the LORD until He has driven His enemies out from before Him, and the land is subdued be- 4 Ibid. ) 109 (

4 fore the LORD, then afterward you shall return and be free of obligation toward the LORD and toward Israel, and this land shall be yours for a possession before the LORD (Numbers 32:20-22). The second point Joshua makes is these peoples are to continue in obedience to God even though they will be separated by the Jordan river from the nation as a whole, He warns them to be careful. He stresses the importance of continuing in the obedience they ve already shown, so they can continue being blessed by God. This is the same warning scripture makes to all of us. Obedience to God is followed by blessings and rest. Joshua also notes as result of the involvement of these 2 1/2 tribes in the taking of the land they were going home with a substantial portion of the booty taken from the defeated nations. Verses 10-12: The tribes arrived at the Jordan where they build a really large altar. It was intended to be seen. It was built on the west side of the Jordan, not on the Trans-Jordanian side where these people were settling. At some point, and the time frame isn t spelled out, the Jordanian tribes heard about this altar and immediately assumed that disobedience to God was taking place. They put an army together and prepared to go to war against Rubin, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh. Obviously the Jordanian tribes believed a rebellion was in place. While their desire to prevent idolatry within the nation was sound, the conclusion they jumped to, wasn t. Drucker notes: Our verse implies clearly that their motive in constructing the altar was honorable, in hsar contrast to that ascribed to them by the rest of Israel The fact that they built the altar on the west, rather than the east bank of the Jordan, indicates that they had no intention of separating themselves from the rest of the nation (Malbim). Had they truly intended to offer sacrifices on this altar, they would have constructed it on the east bank of the Jordan where they were to reside. 5 Verses 13-20: The leadership came to these tribes, stating they were speaking for the entire nation. Well it s clear they could have used a communication seminar. The don t come asking, they come accusing. Why are the 2 1/2 tribes in rebellion against God? Don t they understand their own history? Remember Peor where 24,000 people died? Then there was Achan who took booty when it wasn t allowed and then his entire family died. Obviously the sin of the 2 1/2 tribes was just going to lead to further destruction in Israel. But there s a problem here Verses 21-29: The Trans-Jordanians agreed, disobedience to God would be terrible. This would be the last thing they would want to do. And that s not what they were doing. Instead they were setting up a memorial to remind future generations of their relationship to the Jordanian tribes. They were concerned the divider, the Jordan river, would inevitability lead to a sense of separation. Madvig notes: Joshua was afraid that the isolation caused by the Jordan might lead to the Transjordanians turning from the worship of Yahweh (v.5). On the other hand, they were afraid that this isolation might cause their descendants to be rejected by the rest of Israel. Neither fear was unfounded. Keil and Delitzsch (p. 221) comment: For, inasmuch as in all the promises and laws Canaan alone (the land on this side 5 Drucker, Rabbi Reuven, The Book of Joshua, Mesorah Publications, Ltd. Brooklyn, NY, 1998, p ) 110 (

5 of Jordan, Num 34:1-12) is always mentioned as the land Jehovah would give to His people for their inheritance, it was quite a possible thing that at some future time the false conclusion might be drawn from this, that only the tribes who dwelt in Canaan proper were the true people of Jehovah. One of the tragedies of denominational and confessional isolation in present-day Christianity is that it is the cause of suspicion and misunderstanding. 6 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Command the sons of Israel and say to them, When you enter the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance, even the land of Canaan according to its borders. Your southern sector shall extend from the wilderness of Zin along the side of Edom, and your southern border shall extend from the end of the Salt Sea eastward. Then your border shall turn direction from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and continue to Zin, and its termination shall be to the south of Kadesh-barnea; and it shall reach Hazaraddar, and continue to Azmon. And the border shall turn direction from Azmon to the brook of Egypt, and its termination shall be at the sea. As for the western border, you shall have the Great Sea, that is, its coastline; this shall be your west border. And this shall be your north border: you shall draw your border line from the Great Sea to Mount Hor. You shall draw a line from Mount Hor to the Lebohamath, and the termination of the border shall be at Zedad; and the border shall proceed to Ziphron, and its termination shall be at Hazar-enan. This shall be your north border. For your eastern border you shall also draw a line from Hazar-enan to Shepham, and the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain; and the border shall go down and reach to the slope on the east side of the Sea of Chinnereth. And the border shall go down to the Jordan and its termination shall be at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land according to its borders all around (Numbers 34:1-12). The altar was to be a witness, similar to the stone pillars which had been put in the Jordan, next to the Jordan, etc. The altar would therefore serve as a reminder to the entire nation that Israel was an whole nation no matter which side of the Jordan it was situated on. So, it is obvious there was no intent to be disobedient here. But depending on how one reads the passage you may find a problem with the thinking of the Trans-Jordanians. Wiersbe has a very negative view of these people and notes: It s interesting that the Transjordanic tribes pointed to the children as their concern. But it wasn t their children who would ask, What have we to do with the Lord God of Israel? No, their children would be provoked by the children of the tribes in Canaan! Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh were not even living in the land of God s choice, yet they feared lest the children across the river would lead their children astray! It seems to me that the danger was just the opposite. Not only did the Transjordanic tribes accuse their fellow Jews of having worldly children, but they even accused God of creating the problem in the first place! For the Lord has made the Jordan a border between you and us (Josh. 22L25, NKJV). No! they were the ones who had made the Jordan River the dividing line! In choosing to live east of the Jordan, the two and a half tribes separated themselves from their own people and from the land God had given to all of them. They put their cattle ahead of their children and their fellow Jews, but they blamed God and other tribes for the problem they created. 6 Medvig. ) 111 (

6 But what kind of witness was this huge pile of stones? Was it a witness to the unity of the nation and to the obedience of the Transjordanic tribes? No, it was a witness to expediency, the wisdom of man in trying to enjoy the best of both worlds. The two and a half tribes talked piously about their children, but it was their wealth that really motivated their decision to live east of the Jordan. 7 I think Wiersbe may be a bit harsh, though Dr. McGee would take a similar view, but over time these tribes, although not at the hands of their brothers, did get sucked in by the Canaanites and practice idolatry. But for now Verses 30-34: So, the misunderstanding was corrected. Now the Jordanian tribes understood and appreciated the wisdom of the others. The Trans-Jordanians named the altar Witness. Its intent was to be a continual remind of the nation s unity. Conclusion: Regardless of the intent and correctness of this altar, the warning to us comes from the Jordanian tribes. We must not jump to conclusions about the behaviors of our brothers and sisters. If something impacts us, which seems to be questionable, let us not go on the attack and assume the worst. Instead, we go to the party or parties involved and ask for an explanation. It is easy to be judgmental. It is much tougher to be concerned out of love for a brother or sister. Do not judge lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye. Or how can you say to your brother, Let me take the speck out of your eye, and behold, the log is in your own You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother s eye (Matthew 7:1-5). 7 Wiersbe, Warren W., Be Strong, Chariot Victor Publishing, Colorado Springs, CO, 1993, p ) 112 (

7 Joshua Watch Where You re Jumping Joshua 21:1-22:34 I A LOT OF LEVY 21 II YOU HAVE OBEYED, KEEP OBEYING 22: 1-9 III THE APPEARANCE OF DISOBEDIENCE 22:10-20 IV THE REALITY OF OBEDIENCE 22:21-34 A. There s No Place Like Home: (Numbers 35:1-8) B. Blessings & Promises: (Genesis 12:1-7; Deuteronomy 12:9-10; Exodus 23:30; Deuteronomy 7:22) C. No Place Like Home, Part 2: (Numbers 32:20-22)

8 D. Fixing Up The House: E. Trouble With The Neighbors: F. Meet Judge Judy: (Numbers 34:1-12; Matthew 7:1-5) Personal Application: When was the last time you jumped to a conclusion? What was the result? How can you avoid this in the future? What is the benefit of not jumping? Prayer for the Week: Father, help me to look at situations and others through Your eyes, which are always clearer than mine. May I act toward others out of Your love and not my fallenness. In Christ s name, amen.