Jos 22:19 | KingComments | STEP | Phinehas and the ten chiefs come to the two and a half tribes. They speak with them on behalf of the whole people. They address those who also belong to the people, but who in practical terms do not live up to it. The accusation is: acting unfaithfully against the LORD and His people, which will have bad consequences for all people. To underline their words, the delegation points to two examples that they also know and in which sin has also brought discipline over the whole people: the iniquity of Peor, and Achan who has seized of the things under the ban. These examples show two major dangers, also in the church, as to holiness. At Peor, the terrible thing is the teaching of Balaam to destroy the people of God by mixing good and false religion, the service of God and that of the idols of Midian ( ). Then the true religion is increasingly outstripped by idolatry. Therefore, God’s wrath has come upon the whole. Phinehas warns the two and a half tribes of this danger with the building of this altar. The construction may seem small in comparison with the iniquity of Peor, but if this iniquity is not nipped in the bud it will have the same terrible effect as the iniquity of Peor. After mentioning the first danger, the second danger is not immediately mentioned. First comes, between the indications of the two dangers, the kind invitation to come to the LORD anyway, to His land and His altar ( ). Here we hear that all who belong to God’s people – for the church this means: all believers – are invited. Phinehas appeals to their spiritual discernment. Only if they see their chosen inheritance as unclean – that is to say, not sanctified by God’s presence – will they want their place in God’s land and be allowed to possess it. But the two and a half tribes do not draw that conclusion. As for the believers of the church, they are all but guests of the Lord at His altar, that is His Table. Those who are there may say to all believers that the Lord also invites them to His Table. It is His Table, not that of a group. It is about the place where the Lord Jesus is, not where such nice or oddly believers are. We must not say: ‘Come with us’, but: ‘Let us remember the Lord together at His Table’. We can and must only be ‘exclusive’ to evil. In the face of the good, we must always be open and not closed. All believers are ‘free brethren’ when it comes to what they are in Christ and all are ‘closed brethren’ when it comes to their responsibility. Whoever wants to act according to the Lord’s will in this will avoid all sectarianism and likewise the freedom of the flesh. Every Israelite is invited by Phinehas to come there. Later Hezekiah does the same ( ). It is about the whole people of God, that is now the church of God. The church is represented, among other things, by a body, because that picture aptly depicts the unity of the church, that is, the whole people of God. The Table of the Lord belongs to all the people. There God’s people can experience unity in a Scriptural way. There God’s people also find a place of worship and priesthood, while in professing Christianity the emphasis is generally on preaching. Where can we still find the desire to give God what He is entitled to and less the question of what is in it for me? We must not make it more difficult for all who seek this place than Scripture indicates. For this it is necessary to possess and reveal the spirit of someone like Phinehas. After this invitation follows the second warning example, which is Achan ( ). Achan did not bring false teaching, but was guided by the desire for the worldly things. In him we see how the flesh is given the opportunity to introduce the things of the world into God’s people, while they may have no place there. An example of this is the desire to be attractive to young people and therefore to introduce popular forms of worship by using compelling melodies and dance and drama.

‏ Joshua 22:19

The Impression the Altar Makes

Phinehas and the ten chiefs come to the two and a half tribes. They speak with them on behalf of the whole people. They address those who also belong to the people, but who in practical terms do not live up to it. The accusation is: acting unfaithfully against the LORD and His people, which will have bad consequences for all people. To underline their words, the delegation points to two examples that they also know and in which sin has also brought discipline over the whole people: the iniquity of Peor, and Achan who has seized of the things under the ban. These examples show two major dangers, also in the church, as to holiness.

At Peor, the terrible thing is the teaching of Balaam to destroy the people of God by mixing good and false religion, the service of God and that of the idols of Midian (Num 25:1-3 ; Num 31:16). Then the true religion is increasingly outstripped by idolatry. Therefore, God’s wrath has come upon the whole. Phinehas warns the two and a half tribes of this danger with the building of this altar. The construction may seem small in comparison with the iniquity of Peor, but if this iniquity is not nipped in the bud it will have the same terrible effect as the iniquity of Peor.

After mentioning the first danger, the second danger is not immediately mentioned. First comes, between the indications of the two dangers, the kind invitation to come to the LORD anyway, to His land and His altar (Jos 22:19). Here we hear that all who belong to God’s people – for the church this means: all believers – are invited. Phinehas appeals to their spiritual discernment. Only if they see their chosen inheritance as unclean – that is to say, not sanctified by God’s presence – will they want their place in God’s land and be allowed to possess it. But the two and a half tribes do not draw that conclusion.

As for the believers of the church, they are all but guests of the Lord at His altar, that is His Table. Those who are there may say to all believers that the Lord also invites them to His Table. It is His Table, not that of a group. It is about the place where the Lord Jesus is, not where such nice or oddly believers are. We must not say: ‘Come with us’, but: ‘Let us remember the Lord together at His Table’.

We can and must only be ‘exclusive’ to evil. In the face of the good, we must always be open and not closed. All believers are ‘free brethren’ when it comes to what they are in Christ and all are ‘closed brethren’ when it comes to their responsibility. Whoever wants to act according to the Lord’s will in this will avoid all sectarianism and likewise the freedom of the flesh.

Every Israelite is invited by Phinehas to come there. Later Hezekiah does the same (2Chr 30:1). It is about the whole people of God, that is now the church of God. The church is represented, among other things, by a body, because that picture aptly depicts the unity of the church, that is, the whole people of God. The Table of the Lord belongs to all the people. There God’s people can experience unity in a Scriptural way.

There God’s people also find a place of worship and priesthood, while in professing Christianity the emphasis is generally on preaching. Where can we still find the desire to give God what He is entitled to and less the question of what is in it for me? We must not make it more difficult for all who seek this place than Scripture indicates. For this it is necessary to possess and reveal the spirit of someone like Phinehas.

After this invitation follows the second warning example, which is Achan (Jos 7:1 ; 19-26). Achan did not bring false teaching, but was guided by the desire for the worldly things. In him we see how the flesh is given the opportunity to introduce the things of the world into God’s people, while they may have no place there. An example of this is the desire to be attractive to young people and therefore to introduce popular forms of worship by using compelling melodies and dance and drama.