Their happy agreement (Josh. 22:30–34)

30 Now when Phinehas the priest and the rulers of the congregation, the heads of the divisions of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them. 31 Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh, “This day we perceive that the LORD is among us, because you have not committed this treachery against the LORD. Now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD.” 32 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the rulers, returned from the children of Reuben and the children of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought back word to them. 33 So the thing pleased the children of Israel, and the children of Israel blessed God; they spoke no more of going against them in battle, to destroy the land where the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt. 34 The children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar, Witness, “For it is a witness between us that the LORD is God.”

I. Phinehas, the delegation, and the Children of Israel were pleased.

A. Was the Lord pleased?

The delegation rejoiced that the purpose of the altar was for witness and not sacrifice, and this seemed to settle the matter.

They rejoiced that God wouldn’t send judgment to the land (v. 31) and that there would be no civil war in Israel (v. 33).

B. The nation was divided, in spite of the “altar of witness.”

Like Abraham and Lot in (Gen. 13), part of the nation had a spiritual outlook while the other part was concerned with material things.

They believed that the unity of the nation is preserved, and the place of the Transjordan tribes assured, and a civil war and the Lord’s punishment was now going to be avoided.

II. “Peace at any price” isn’t God’s will for His people.

A. A decision made on human wisdom and not God’s truth.

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. (James 3:17) The peace that God’s people achieve without purity and truth is only a dangerous truce that eventually explodes into painful division.

There is always a place in human relations for loving conciliation, but never for cowardly compromise. I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality. (1Tim. 5:21)

B. The Transjordanic tribes named their altar.

34 The children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar, Witness, “For it is a witness between us that the LORD is God.” But if the Lord is God, why didn’t they obey Him and live in the land He had appointed for them?

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.

Closing:

Church history is filled with agreements and accords that magnified unity over purity and truth, and therefore never lasted. Whether in our personal relationships in our homes and churches, or in our nation, the only peace that lasts is peace that is based on truth and purity. It’s a peace that demands sacrifice and courage, and a willingness to stand up for God’s Word; but the results are worth it.