Joshua 22

“Working out Disputes”

Scripture: Joshua 22:1-34

Memory Verse: Galatians 6:1:“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.”

Lesson Focus: God wants us to work out differences with each other.

Activities and Crafts: Coloring sheet, Word search

1st & 2nd grade Craft: “Watch Dog” give each of the kids a dog pattern. Have them color their dog and them attach the head with a pipe cleaner. Tell the kids that they are to watch and pray, before they say” anything to anyone about their behavior.

Introduction: “The Best Way to do it!” This is a game where you will ask the kids to tell you the best way to do something. (They object of the game is to get the kids to have several different ways of doing something.)

Ask the kids:

Which is the best way to:

  1. Clean your room
  2. Do your homework
  3. Help your Mom
  4. Be kind to others
  5. Be a Christian
  6. Run fast
  7. Eat your dinner
  8. Be kind to your brother or sister

Bible Study:

Joshua 21:45:

God was faithful to give Israel all of the land that He promised. They now entered God’s rest to live in the land and to be free from war and to walk with God.

Joshua 22:1-8: “The Promise Kept”

If you remember in Joshua 1:12-18, Joshua told the tribes of Reubenites, Gad and ½ of the tribe of Manasseh that they would get the land on the east side of the Jordan. This was a promise made by Moses in Numbers 32:20-28. They would receive that land if they fought with the whole nation of Israel to win the land on the other side of the Jordan river. These three tribes kept their promise and fought with the entire nation of Israel to take over the land. Now Joshua is going to let them leave and go back to the land that God was giving to them.

√ What does Joshua say to these three tribes:

  1. They did not leave their brethren and fought with them during the time of war.
  2. They obeyed Moses and Joshua

√ What is their reward for obedience?

  1. Rest: Rest from war and rest to enjoy all that God has given to them.
  2. Now they could return to the other side of the Jordan to the land that God gave to them.

√ What instructions did Joshua give to them?

Joshua did not give them instructions of how to take care of the land or of how to govern their people. He told them to:

  1. Obey and keep the commandments of the Lord
  2. To love the Lord
  3. To walk in God’s ways and hold fast to God
  4. To serve God with all your heart and soul

The most important thing to Joshua is that they would love and follow God. All other things would fall into place if that is done first.

Joshua 22:10:

√ What is the first things that these tribes did? (they built an altar)

√ What kind of altar? (a big and impressive one)

√ Which side of the Jordan river did they build the altar? (on the children of Israel’s side.)

Joshua 22:11-12: “The Reaction”

√ How did the Children of Israel react?

-they planned to go to war against them

-They reacted to what they had heard – not what they had seen

Joshua 22:13-14: “The Delegation”

√ Who was sent to these 3 tribes?

  1. Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest
  2. 10 rulers – one ruler each from each tribe
  3. They got ready for war before they knew the whole story

Joshua 22:16-20 “The Problem”

√ What was the problem?

They felt that they had performed a treachery against God?

√ What does the word “treachery” mean?

(to betray) They felt that these tribes had betrayed God by building this idol. They thought that they had it built to other gods.

The mad a “false” accusation against the 2 ½ tribes. They blamed them for something that they did not do?

Joshua 22:21-29 “Their Answer”

  1. God knows our hearts
  2. If we did it in rebellion to the Lord that we do not deserve to be saved
  3. If we built this altar to do the wrong thing then we will answer to God

Their Reason for Building the Altar:

  1. Fear: that the descendants to come would not know that they were a part of the nation of Israel.
  2. The Jordan river was now a division between the tribes
  3. We built the altar to be a witness.

√ What is a witness? (a strong public statement of truth)

  1. They did not build the altar out of rebellion but to point to God.
  2. They built the altar to show that their “solidarity” with their other Jewish brothers.

Joshua 22:30-34: “The Resolution”

The delegation from the children of Israel where pleased with their answer. They returned with the good news to their own people. The altar stood as a “witness” to all of the tribes belonging together and following after God.

Conclusion; What is the lesson for us?

  1. Be careful when you criticize others? We can see other’s faults easier than we can see our own. Jesus said in Matthew 7:1-5, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the spec in your bother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brothers eye.”
  2. Be careful how you approach someone who has done wrong?

Galatians 6:1 says “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” When we see someone who is in sin we do need to help them. But our attitude matters in how we approach them.

  1. We observe the sin and must take action
  2. We must be a “spirit filled” person
  3. We must “restore” the person. The word restore is a term of a medical doctor would use to restore a broken bone. We must restore them to the faith very carefully.
  4. We must be gentle and kind
  5. We must be humble and careful – to realize that we too are sinners and that we could fall into their same sin.

3. Unity in the body matters. Right before Jesus went back to heaven he prayed that all believers would have unity. John 17:21 says, “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent me.”

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