It's Really Quite Simple
“At that time Joshua summoned the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and said to them, “You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you and have obeyed my voice in all that I have commanded you. You have not forsaken your brothers these many days, down to this day, but have been careful to keep the charge of the LORD your God. And now the LORD your God has given rest to your brothers, as he promised them. Therefore turn and go to your tents in the land where your possession lies, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan. Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.” So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.”
Joshua was sending the tribes that were given lands on the east side of the Jordan River back to their homes. As agreed, they had come across to the western side of the river to help their brothers, the remaining clans of the Israelites, secure the land that was promised to them (see Numbers Ch. 32). And that had been (mostly) accomplished (see Joshua 11:23). So, Joshua released them from any further obligation, giving them permission to take off their battle gear and get back to their families. And he did so with an encouraging “’at-a-boy!”, a word of caution, and a blessing.
As a good leader, Joshua started off with a positive. He affirmed that they had done well – they stuck to the agreement and were faithful in helping their Israelite brothers claim their inheritance west of the Jordan. No doubt, some of them had given their lives in that effort. Joshua basically said, “Thank you! You have ultimately honored and obeyed the LORD your God by submitting yourselves to Moses and I, serving as warriors on behalf of your brothers. Well done!”
It's the cautionary word that followed that grabbed my attention. Joshua knew that these tribes would be somewhat isolated on the other side of the river. He wouldn't be there to lead them and hold them accountable. So, he basically told them, “Hey! Don’t forget God when you get over there!” Granted, he began with what sounds like a legalistic warning: “Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you,…” as if all they needed to do was to strictly follow all the rules. But then Joshua went on to explain the heart behind it – what it was that God really wanted from them: “to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul” (emphasis mine).
It sounds somewhat familiar, doesn’t it? That’s because Jesus said something similar in Mark 12:28-30.
And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he [Jesus] answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”
Jesus was, of course, quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5, which Joshua would have been quite familiar with. In fact, Joshua was probably referencing the words found in Deuteronomy 10:12 –
“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,...”
Jesus pointed out in Matthew 22:37-40 that any rules or regulations found in the Old Testament Law are dependent upon and subject to two basic, foundational commandments, which are at the heart of what God really wants from us:
And he [Jesus] said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
That basic idea hasn’t changed. Far more important to God than our adherence to a bunch of traditions or religious practices is our heart attitude toward Him, and toward each other. It’s not about the “rules and regulations” of being a Christian. It’s all about a personal relationship with the living God – a relationship that is real and affects and encompasses every other area of our lives (including how we relate to each other).
And this is not a new idea. It’s found throughout the Old and New Testaments. David wrote in Psalm 51:15-17 –
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
The prophet Micah also shared this idea in 6:6-8:
With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
A contrite heart is one that humbly loves God because of who He is, acknowledges His Lordship, and earnestly seeks an intimate relationship with Him. That’s what Joshua was trying to caution the “East-side Israelites” about. He knew that there would be distractions and temptations in abundance to draw their hearts away from the living God. The same is true for us today. There is no end to the things that vie for our attention and loyalty. We must take heed and remember never to let anyone or anything in this world take the place of God as the central, most important recipient of our love and devotion.
“Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works.”
