1. Blessings are given before they RETURN home.
Vs. 1-9
1) Joshua seeks to ENCOURAGE them as they return home.
Vs. 2-4
Why had they been so loyal to their leaders and fellow soldiers?
Because they were first of all loyal to the Lord their God.
Matthew 11:28
Matt 5:5

2) Joshua gives them a final EXHORTATION for the future.
Vs. 5
Keeping God’s word is an expression of love for God’s person.
Deuteronomy 6:5

Nothing less is required of Christian believers, for the Lord Jesus himself designated this as the first and greatest commandment
Matt 22:35-40

3) Joshua blessed them and said to return with the wealth taken from their ENEMIES.
Vs. 6-9
The spoils of the conquest were to be shared equally by all its participants.

2. The Altar brought a dramatic REACTION from Israel.
Vs. 10-12
1) They were leaving the land that God had PROMISED to bless.
Vs. 10
When you read and ponder Numbers 32, you discover that there is no record that Moses consulted the Lord about this decision.

2) Their solution created a larger PROBLEM.
Vs. 11
This is now the eighth memorial erected in Canaan (Josh. 4:9, 20–24; 7:26; 8:29–32 [three memorials]; 10:27).
Deuteronomy 12:13, 14

3. REPRESENTATIVES are sent to investigate their concerns.
Vs. 13-20
1) The High Priest and REPRESENTATIVES are sent from each tribe.
Vs. 13-14
Wisely, they waited while an official delegation investigated what was going on.
Prov. 18:13
The delegation was led by Phinehas, the son of the high priest Num. 25; Ps. 106:30–31

2) The altar is seen as an act of REBELLION.
Vs. 16
Phinehas called what they had done a treachery or a trespass (vv. 16, 20, 22 [transgression, KJV],

3) There are two RECENT examples are given for their concern.
Vs. 17-18 and 20
From the nation’s recent history Phinehas cited two serious cases of rebellion.
One is in Num. 25
The second was the sin of Achan after the victory at Jericho

4) There is a gracious invitation to RETURN with them.
Vs. 19b
No man-made altar could substitute for the presence of the Lord among His people in His tabernacle.

4. The REPLY of the tribes on the East of the Jordan brought satisfaction.
Vs. 21-29
1) If they are FOUND guilty, they should be punished.
Vs. 22-23

2) Their motive was a concern for FUTURE generations.
Vs. 24-27
Notice, 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. 22:25, NKJV).

3) The FACT that the altar was a replica is what created the problem.
Vs. 28
Which speaks louder?
Is it a monument or a life given over the God?

5. The REACTION of the leaders brought peace.
Vs. 30-34
1) Their REASON for building the altar is accepted.
Vs. 30-31
For the delegation “it was good in their eyes,” exactly what they wanted to hear.
But was the Lord pleased?

2) The failure in RIGHTEOUSNESS eventually brought judgment.
“A witness between us that the Lord is God” (NIV).
(The Hebrew word edh means “witness.”)

The stones may have been a witness, but the people certainly were not.

Surrounded by heathen nations and separated from their brothers and sisters across the river, these tribes quickly fell into idolatry and were eventually taken by Assyria (1 Chron. 5:25–26).

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We are a non-denominational fellowship of believers in the God of the Bible, who simply seek to know and walk with Him in Spirit and in Truth. A distinctive of Calvary Chapel is that we place an emphasis on the Word of God, simply and yet diligently studying and teaching it book-by-book, chapter-by-chapter, verse-by-verse. Please join us at Calvary Chapel Windward as we worship God and study his word.

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