Joshua 22 is Joshua’s farewell address and more importantly his farewell instructions to the two-and-a-half tribes that will be east of the Jordan River.
This is a continuation and culmination the Torah here, regarding the realization and actualization of taking the land of Israel as a heritage. What is spoken of and promised in the Torah the LORD now delivers as a concrete reality.
We also see the continuation of Moshe with Joshua, as Joshua reminds the Israelites that Moshe was a servant of the LORD; something very very very few men were called! It also indicates a very very high spiritual level.
Joshua 22 consists of Joshua’s final instructions to the two-and-a-half tribes that will dwell on the east side of the Jordan apart from the other nine-and-a-half.
Joshua praises the two-and-a-half tribes for doing and going beyond what they said in fighting with their brothers and taking the Land the LORD gives them as a heritage; something that ultimately is theirs and cannot be permanently lost!
Joshua reiterates and instructs them on what the real essence of the Torah is.
That it is not about legal laws in the Western sense; but rather Joshua instructs them and reiterates what Moshe instructed the Israelites with regarding what the Torah’s real essence is.
It very much should be noticed that the Teaching On The Hill, a more accurate name than Sermon on the Mount by Yeshua, is his illumination in greater detail the real essence and substance of the Torah.
This is what Yeshua teaches following his reiteration and affirming of the Torah Mt. 5:17-20.
Joshua’s farewell instructions are of course a continuation and along the lines what Moshe did in his old age.
What are called The Upper Room discourses of Yeshua Yoch. 13-16, are not at all discourses but as with Moshe and Joshua his final teaching instructions before his death.
After Joshua’s instructions to the two-and-a-half tribes and his blessing and sending them to return to their tents, it seems the two-and-a-half tribes did something very rebellious.
They built what was mistakenly thought to be an altar and so appeared to the rest of Israel that they were rebelling against God.
In fact they were not but rather their concern was that their future generations might not be seen by the future generations on the other side of the Jordan, as having an allotment with the LORD.
What they actually built was to be a witness to the descendants on the western side of the Jordan; that the descendants on the eastern side of the Jordan still had their allotments and connectedness with the LORD!
It was to serve as a literal concrete reminder of this.
The nine-and-a-half tribes are concerned that this is, not only rebellious against the LORD, but will cause the LORD’s anger to flare against them too!
In short:
We learn and see an emphasis and the impact of the actions between brothers.
In one sense this is the collective answer to Cain’s question “Am I my brother’s keeper”? “Keeper” comes from “safeguard by observing, observance” and more deeply means “protect; distance from danger”.
The answer is a resounding yes!
We should note that Yeshua’s Hebrew type prayer in Yochanon 17:20-23 includes that his followers be absolute compound oneness absolute one as he and the father.
Paul tries to get the Corinthians to understand this in 1 Cor. 12:12-27; his very Hebrew based idea about many parts of the body – but one Body.
We should know that Paul says to mourn with those who mourn 1 Cor. 12:26. We should particularly note vss. 18-20 v. 20 and especially v.25!
Summing up of what Joshua reiterates and instructs the two-and-a-half tribes with regarding the LORD and His Torah:
Love the LORD your God with the totality entirety of your heart.
Serve Him with the totality entirety of your heart and personal being and your possessions.
Love means in part “desire for the best for the other, complete devotion to the other; to breath after”.
To love the LORD is given as (in part) “fulfilling of which leads to fullness of life”.
To walk collectively, that is, as His People, in His Ways.
Walk/go more deeply means “strive towards(a)goal”.
Paul incidentally uses the KG “peripateo” “walk”, 32 of the 49 uses do not pertain to physical walking. This reflects his use of his P’rush “Pharisee” teaching; cf. Acts 23:6; cf. 28:17 etc. etc.(The P’rushim emphasized it as had emphasis in the Hebrew Bible).
We should note: the “Christian walk” is in fact Hebrew Bible and P’rushim based.
It should be noted; the Biblical model is not an individualistic devotional walk.
It is striving collectively towards the goal of godly living by walking in His ways!
What is translated cling or cleave can be thought of as “superglue” yourselves to the Lord!
There is also a word in Josh. 22 used which means to passionately love the Lord
“KEYS TO VERSES”
V. 5 emphasis on safeguarding by observing; very much to do the essence and substance of the Torah to collectively – not individualistically – love the Lord your God and to walk in his ways.
Walk means to strive towards a goal, as explained above. The Biblical walk is actually just that; striving towards the goal of being godly and like Yeshua. It is not at all an individualistic devotional walk with God.
Ways means step forward; progress towards a goal.
This is what Yeshua speaks of in Yochanon 14:6 when he speaks of being the way. What he more deeply says is, he is the positive bearer of existence actuality, step forward, progress towards a goal. Clearly, he is the goal!
In connection with Josh. 22:5 cf. Dt 6:5, 10:12-13, 11:22; especially see Mk. 12:28-34 vss. 28-30.
We must note: that Yeshua draws from the same ideas in the Torah and answering what is called the first commandment Mk.12:28-34, vss. 28-30
The idea of observing the Commandments which more deeply in Hebrew is to be done as described above with “observe”. This is done by doing them; not by believing in or a theological position taken on them
When it seems the two-and-a-half tribes have rebelled against the LORD, then one of Israel’s great men Pinchas (“Phineas”) and other leaders are sent to investigate.
The two-and-a-half tribes explained that what looks like from a distance rebellion against the Lord by building an altar, it is in fact actually for the purpose of being a witness to both their descendants and the descendants of the other tribes that the two-and-a-half tribes on the other side of the Jordan from the rest, have their allotment with the Lord also!
The matter is investigated. The two-and-a-half tribes make their case to their brothers. The reason for what they built is clarified and all ends well!
Josh. 22
V. 1 Joshua calls to the two-and-a-half tribes. “Call” in part means “invite”.
It is also the Hebrew name of “Leviticus”, because the LORD “called/invited” Moshe to tear himself away from where he was, and receive more teaching and revelation from the LORD.
“Leviticus” “pertaining to the priests”, comes from the Greek name.
V. 2 the two-and-a-half tribes are to “collectively safeguard by observing protect distance from danger, in their totality – entirety, what is commanded, as explained above.
Moshe is spoken of as a servant of the Lord.
The two-and-a-half tribes are to hear, which here in Hebrew is something set in motion without stopping. It more deeply in part means taking in and agreeing with the idea of acting upon what is heard.
Hearing in the Bible is not passive listening; when Yeshua speaks of hearing his words he wants them taking in and agreed with, with the idea of acting upon them!
V. 3 the two-and-a-half tribes are praised because not only did they not abandon their brothers; they served them beyond what they said they would do in battle.
V. 4 Begins by emphasizing “now”, and that the LORD actively caused rest for the brothers and repeats the emphasis on love the LORD, as explained above.
V. 5 see above
V. 6 Joshua intensely blesses the two-and-a-half tribes.
Here, more deeply it means the state or condition of blessing that results from an intensive action of blessing.
Blessed becomes a state or condition that the two-and-a-half tribes are now in, from Joshua’s intense blessing of them.
Blessing in short means a conduit through which things passed from one source to where they need to go and involves community
V. 7 things repeated for emphasis
V. 8 material wealth for the two-and-a-half tribes because they filled full their word towards their brothers
V. 10 the other tribes misunderstand as explained above what was not an altar but a witness to remind the nine-and-a-half tribes descendants that the two-and-a-half tribes descendants also had their allotment with the Lord as the nine-and-a-half tribes did.
V. 12 the nine-and-a-half tribes thought the others betrayed/rebelled against the LORD!
This would cause the LORD’S wrath to flare up against them also.
The tribes assembled together as a congregation.
Assemble must be particularly noted!
The Hebrew word & idea assemble comes from a verb “assemble for a higher spiritual purpose”.
This is exactly why the Jewish Brothers use the Greek term “ekklesia“(“called out from within”) in the RCS.
They are not – at all – thinking “church”! They are expressing the HEBREW idea of assembling for a higher spiritual purpose.
Fredrick Danker a very very highly regarded KG scholar, connected with a Lutheran seminary, says the following in his Concise Greek lexicon, about the word ekklesia.
He – and ALL lexicons define it “assembly”.
Danker says after defining ekklesia: “(The gloss “church” is frequently used to render e.(i.e. ekklesia), but with the result that connection with usage in the LXX (Septuagint, ancient Greek translation of the Heb. Scriptures) and connection with Israel is lost).
Danker’s definition includes assembly, congregation & that it is closely connected with the understanding of Israel as God’s chosen community, and in Danker’s terminology “and Christ followers/Messianists in legitimate continuity, hence – 2 – “God’s people as a community”, assembly, congregation – a. Specifically in ref. To OT Israel.”
Ekklesia, assembly, is used and translated assembly not “church”, in Acts 19:32, 39, and 41, in reference to groups of people who assembled in Ephesus against Paul.
We cannot stress enough the fundamental and foundational sea change that affected – and still impacts the Body – through changing the Hebrew Bible idea/usage assembly used in the RCS, into “Church/church”!
To put Danker’s words in stronger terms, the deep and profound loss of organic connection with Israel, was replaced with loyalty and connection to an inorganic organization.
That led to seeing Joshua as “OT”, the Torah as legal laws, and, a “God of wrath of the OT and a God of love of the “NT”.
The actual RCS emphasis on “adelphoi” ” brothers, became, replaced with “Christians”. (370 uses of brothers, 3 for Christians).
Yeshua speaks of a universal Assembly – not “Church”(!) – exactly once.
The Kingdom? 111 times in the Gospel.
Again: the very profound impact of changing the Hebrew Bible model “assemble for a higher spiritual purpose” to “church”, cannot be overstated!
V. 8 Material wealth follows the two-and-a-half tribes keeping of their word to fight together with their brothers.
V. 10 misunderstanding of why an “altar” is built. “Altar” is from a verb “nourish” and means ” act for a higher spiritual purpose”. “Altar” is then, a “source place to act for a higher spiritual purpose”.
Does our LORD need “sacrifices” or “altars”?
Vss. 11-25 In short: the altar was misunderstood.
The two-and-a-half Tribes were not rebelling. They built a witness that though separated by the Jordan, descendants of the nine-and-a-half tribes should see the descendants of the two-and-a-half as connected with the LORD. The two-and-a-half tribes did not want the Jordan to become a spiritual barrier. If the two-and-a-half tribes descendants felt cut off from the rest of Israel -and thus from the LORD – they might lose their reverence for Him.
The nine-and-a-half tribes had felt the others had turned and rebelled against the LORD.
THE nine-and-a-half felt the LORD would be angry with them.
They pointed out the consequences of what just one man had done, referring back to their defeat and the LORD’s anger – with the whole People – at Ai in Josh. 7.
Vss. 22-29 – The two-and-a-half tribes explain that they did not rebel against the LORD.
They explain they built a witness, as explained above.
In v.22 the two-and-a-half tribes in Hebrew repeat three different Hebrew names of God in their first 6 words.
This is very highly unusual. They do so to emphasize how much God knows “by experience, intimacy, personal relationship”, they had done no wrong.
The three Names are Power God, from a word for power; so we render accordingly, God, a plural form of God from the plural form of “these” and defined as “(a) multiplicity of things brought together in unity”.
The third Name is the NAME LORD, the Personal Name, from a verb “Be, Exist, Cause To Exist”.
“Key” – Hebrew uniquely has more names for God; and names that illuminate for us, not a “definition”; but rather, inform us Who He Be, and that He, Be.
V. 29 begins referring to something profane/sacrilegious. The two-and-a-half tribes insist they would not do that.
“Tabernacle” here more deeply means “Source Place of the Presence that dwells like a neighbor”.
Cf. Ex. 25:8-9
Cf. Yochanon 1:14 “dwelt among us” is very Hebraic KG, literally “tented”. (Noun “skene” “tent” used as a verb).
V.31 Recognition that the LORD is in the midst of the two-and-a-half tribes because they did not rebel against the LORD.
Should be noted: LORD in the midst of Israel uniquely found with Israel.
Cf. Ex. 25:8-9. Especially see Lev. 16:16! Cf. Numbers!
“Key” Since the two-and-a-half tribes did not rebel against the LORD, Israel – not just the two-and-a-half tribes – were “freed up” from the LORD’S anger, had they turned away.
“Key” – what affects one affects all!
Cf. Josh. 7
Cf. Yochanon 17:20-23
Cf. 1 Cor. 11:33-34, 12:26
V. 33 What both groups did was “good, well-being; bring benefits to man”.
Israel blesses God, in the sense that they “be and do” as He would have them to “be and do”.
V. 34 Chapter ends that what the two-and-a-half tribes built is a “witness between us” “for (the) LORD (is) The God”.
“The” in Hebrew more deeply indicates “the positive bearer of existence-actuality”.
The Personal Name above all names, LORD, never has “the” attached to it, because He Be unique!