Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

Unity and Faithfulness

Bryan Schneider · July 16, 2022

Joshua 22

sharonrpc.org/sermons/unity-and-faithfulness

Summary

After faithfully serving alongside the western tribes, Reuben, Gad, and half-Manasseh receive an honorable release and return to their eastern inheritance with Joshua's charge to love and serve the Lord.
The eastern tribes build a large replica altar as a witness of shared covenant identity, but a report reaches the western tribes that makes it appear to be a rival place of sacrifice.
Because Israel is one covenant people, the western tribes understand that one group's rebellion can bring judgment upon the whole congregation, as at Peor and in Achan's sin.
Their zeal for pure worship is serious, but they seek truth before fighting by sending Phinehas and tribal leaders to confront and hear their brothers.
The delegation even offers land near the tabernacle if distance has tempted the eastern tribes, placing their brothers' faithfulness above their own property.
The eastern tribes swear that the altar was never intended for sacrifice; it was a memorial meant to protect future generations from being excluded from the worship of the Lord.
Once the explanation is heard, the leaders accept it, the people bless God, and threatened civil war gives way to reconciliation and gratitude.
The church's deepest identity and unity are not political, cultural, or preferential but are founded in Jesus Christ, the faithful King, sacrificed Lamb, and High Priest.

Why does Joshua's release from military service not release the eastern tribes from covenant faithfulness?
Why did the reported altar appear to threaten Israel's worship and national unity?
What do Peor and Achan teach about the corporate effects of sin?
How do the western tribes combine zeal for holiness with a desire to preserve life?
What is significant about their offer to share western land with the accused tribes?
Why did the eastern tribes fear that the Jordan might become a boundary of covenant exclusion?
How does hearing the full explanation avert civil war?
What does the congregation's praise after reconciliation reveal about God's role in preserving unity?
Which lesser identities are most likely to compete with unity in Christ in a local church?
How should a church respond when a report suggests serious sin but the facts are not yet established?

Covenant identity: The shared belonging of God's people to the Lord, his promises, his worship, and one another.
Corporate responsibility: The biblical reality that the sin or faithfulness of one member affects the wider covenant community.
Regulative worship: The principle reflected in Israel's concern that God, not human invention, determines how he is to be worshiped.
Zeal: Earnest concern for God's honor and the holiness of his people, which must proceed with truth and restraint.
Reconciliation: The restoration of fellowship after accusation and explanation replace suspicion with verified truth.
Witness altar: A replica altar erected not for sacrifice but as a memorial that the eastern tribes shared Israel's covenant worship.
Communion of saints: The union and mutual obligations of believers who share one Head, Jesus Christ.
Church unity: The spiritual oneness of God's people in Christ that transcends geography, politics, personality, and preference.