Last article we discussed the ‘Transjordan’ tribes (the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh) who fell in love with the pasture land on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Joshua commended them for honorably fighting alongside their brothers in the conquest of the Canaanites. Joshua blessed them as they returned over the Jordan to their families and their homes.
This all sounds great and like a ‘happily ever after’ type story but as we continue in chapter 22 we are shocked to see them arming up for war against one another! Why, after such a display of cooperation in the former battles, and after brother Joshua had given them this wonderful blessing, are they so disturbed that they would actually go to war against one another?
To understand the coming conflict between them and their brothers on the western side of the Jordan we need to go back in time. God had promised to give the seed of Abraham the land of Canaan for a possession: this was a real promise for a real land (Genesis 13:14-15). As we have seen, the book of Joshua relates the history of that conquest. Clearly, the land of Canaan was that land west of the Jordan River. So when Moses and the nation approached Canaan from east of the Jordan River, “… the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad [saw] that [the land east of the Jordan] was … a place suitable for livestock, [so they] came and spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession; do not take us across the Jordan.”” (Numbers 32:1-5). Moses replied, “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 before 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 point being that God gave Abraham’s descendants the promised inheritance – Moses gave the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh land outside of that promise. It seems likely that the nine and one half tribes who now occupy the land that God gave them would think less of those who chose to dwell outside the ‘Promised Land’ inheritance. But the two and a half tribes east of the Jordan might also be concerned that their brothers west of the Jordan would eventually forget that they too were part of the Nation and that they too remained faithful to Yahweh. In their defense, the eastern (Transjordan) tribes believed that Moses was speaking as a prophet when he granted them that land east of the Jordan. In their minds, this land was their lawful inheritance even though they were aware of the possibility that the western tribes might doubt their connection to the nation and to Yahweh.
So we have here a classic set up for misunderstanding between two groups who ought to have been united in their common devotion to the Lord. Though they nearly come to the point of war, Joshua records the wise resolution to this conflict. But we will discuss that resolution in a future article!
At this point, the application I would like to suggest is simple: there are many opportunities for misunderstanding between believers. Geography or culture ought not be the source of suspicion or division within the Church of Christ. Within our association of churches (local and national) we should take care not to be divided over non-essentials. Because we are ‘confessional’ we have particular standards to assess our unity. For example, we would not have unity with those who deny the Trinity. Confessions also guard against division over items not addressed in the confession. The 1689 London Baptist Confession does not specify how we ought to dress for worship – these are call non-essentials. Non-essentials include differing orders of worship, what political party we belong to, or how we style our hair, etc. As members of Christ’s body we should be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3).
That means we ought to:
1) have an objective basis for our unity (the Bible and the Confession),
2) have a mechanism in place for resolving our misunderstandings. First, by being humble, gentle, patient, and showing tolerance with love for one another (Ephesians 4:1-6). Secondly, by bringing your concerns to your brother or sister in Christ – perhaps instead of an offense we have merely a misunderstanding between believers (Matthew 18:15).
