Chapter 5
Joshua’s Altar
Part
1 White Altars of Joshua
Thou
shalt build the altar of the LORD thy God of
whole stones: and thou shalt offer burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD thy God: Deuteronomy 27:6
The problems faced by governments
throughout the ages have always been the same problems. The chosen
solutions either alleviate the problem or they compound it. The same
precepts that applied to God and man thousands of years ago apply
today. The daily choice is ours. The solution is within our reach.
Moses chose to be a servant of the
people rather than their ruler. Joshua was his servant. Joshua was
told to build an altar when he crossed the Jordan. There were
conditions placed upon Joshua’s altar of stones.
And
it shall be on the day when ye shall pass over Jordan unto the land
which the LORD thy God giveth thee, that thou
shalt set thee up great stones, and plaister them with plaister:
Deuteronomy 27:2
The stones were to be plastered white.
This whitewash was made by burning bones to make lime plaster. This
is symbolic of being clothed in white linen or the white
stones mentioned in Revelation 2:17. These white stones were
representative of men of good character, tested by fire and pure of
heart.
And
thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art
passed over, that thou mayest go in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, a land that floweth with milk and honey; as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee.
Deuteronomy 27:3
They were also to have the law written
upon them before they passed over the Jordan. Does anyone really
imagine that the God of the universe cares whether you cover stones
with plaster or write words on them? Or is there a message in these
rituals?
God makes it clear throughout the
Bible that he wishes to make a covenant with men by writing His laws
upon their hearts and minds, not upon dead stone. These stones and
altars were an external reminder of the precepts of God. In
some ways, they better understood the practical necessities of the
day than the learned seminarians and their professors do today.
The altars of sacrifice were
instruments of sacrifice and part of a system of trust and liberty
used by the government of Israel according to the character of or in
the name of God the Father. The Hebrew word for “offer” is korban [Nbrq qorban].
Some scholars say that the word korban does not have the idea
of gift at the center of its meaning. Their conclusion is based on
the fact that korban is from the word qarab [brq],
which is also translated “offer”, but means “come” or “draw near”.
True giving in charity does draw us near to the character or name of
God. More than anything else, charity includes, in its operation,
both love and hope with the byproduct of faith, which is also a gift
from God.
And
now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of
these [is] charity. 1 Corinthians 13:13
It is not the shape or dimension of
the altar or the etching upon it, but the act of freely giving that
consecrates the stones of man’s altars. God’s stone
altars are made of living flesh, of men, who have His law written
upon their hearts and upon their minds.
Ye
also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by
Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5
If you are to build an altar of living
stone, it should be built in the fashion laid down from the
beginning, precept upon precept. The stones should not be hewn by the
regulations of men, but left free to give and be given to by faith,
hope, and charity; choosing daily under the law of liberty to consume
our bread or charitably cast it upon the waters of mankind. This is
nurturing to the soul of men and allows God’s Spirit of love to
move in us concurrently.
I
have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support
the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said,
It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35
Joshua would not rule over the people
and made it clear that he and his house would serve the Lord. This
was leadership not a rulership or exercising authority.
The altars constructed were not regulated by a top-down authority,
but by the freewill choice of the people. These altars acted as the
left hand of God’s government of liberty and freedom. The
people chose to whom and how they were to make their offerings under
the guidelines of the few hundred statutes of Moses.
The nation would remain strong and
united as the people remained strong in the character of God, being
remade daily in the image of God by their voluntary sacrifice. They
were bound under this system of love and brotherhood, unlike the
other nations who were bound together by compulsion, intimidation,
control, power, and subjugating regulations of other men. As long as
the people accepted their responsibilities and loved their neighbor
as themselves, in faith, hope, and charity, according to the name of
God, the nation remained indivisible and invincible.
If the people called for a central
government and compelled their neighbor to contribute to their
favorite project or charity, then they were going against the
precepts of God and His kingdom and they would soon be serving the
gods to whom they had applied.
And
if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD,
choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your
fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the
gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my
house, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15
Moses, Joshua, and even Gideon kept
repeating this common theme of God’s people, which is contrary
to tyrants, despots, and social democracies. They would not covet
their neighbors' goods nor rule over the people.
Judges
8:23 And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither
shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule
over you.
King
over us
Before John Wycliffe was imprisoned by
the government and his body burned at the stake by the orthodox
Church, he had translated the Bible into English. He identified the
books of “Samuel” and “Kings” as Kings 1
through 4. “Kings”, as opposed to “Judges”,
is the period in history where Israel went under kings, rather than
the once free nation of God where every man was prince in his own
house and there was no king in Israel.
Moses had known the weakness of the
people. They would eventually desire a central king. He prophetically
warned the people what such rulers would be inclined to do and wisely
established constitutional limitation for those chosen governing authority.
That king was to be from among thy
brethren. They were not to set a stranger over them as an
authority. “Brethren” had to do with the same Father which, of course, is God the Father.
We know that those who are of the Father know the Father and do His
will.
The king was not to multiply
horses. God was not concerned with the king owning horses. He
qualifies this statement by correlating the multiplying of horses to
the returning to Egypt, which was absolutely forbidden.
But
he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to
return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch
as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall
henceforth return no more that way. Deuteronomy 17:16
The bar against returning to Egypt had
nothing to do with its geographical location, but was about returning
to that form of government, where a portion of the labor of a man
could be extracted by the government. God had taken the people from Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
I
[am] the LORD thy God, which have brought thee
out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt
have no other gods before me Exodus 20:2-3
This idea of not returning to that
house of bondage was also seen insofar as barring of the king from
the accumulation of the gold and silver of the nation, as was the
case in Egypt.
Neither
shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away:
neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
Deuteronomy 17:17
Babylon, Egypt, eventually, Rome, and
other countries throughout history have often regulated the ownership
of gold and silver and its use as money. Often, these countries went
to the use of some form of monetary exchange that was supported only
by an artificial value imposed by the state, rather than an actual
commodity money with present value. The removal of these
honest weights and measures was a common and often last ditch effort
to maintain some stability as their usurious economies began to
collapse.
Just
balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have:
I [am] the LORD your God,
which brought you out of the land of Egypt. Leviticus 19:36
[Deuteronomy 25:13 ]
The bar against the multiplying of
wives was another of many limitations placed on any king or ruler
that the people might choose. In those days, when a ruler signed a
treaty, it was common to consummate the contract by giving a daughter
in marriage to the other ruler. David did this as well as many other
kings.
Although multiple wives leads to
trouble of its own, the real bar in relation to the king is the
making of treaties. Because the people are bound under the king, then
the king, by his agreements, can bind the whole nation. In a pure
republic, where the leaders remain titular, they cannot bind the
people. The whole body must sign because each one remains free.
And
ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall
throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye
done this? Judges 2:2
God forbade the king from making
leagues or treaties with other nations and their leaders. This was
also stated for all the people in Exodus 23:32, “Thou shalt
make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.” The word
“covenant” in
this commandment and the word “league” are both brriyth and is translated “covenant,
league, confederacy”. It means a covenant,
alliance, pledge; between men; treaty, alliance, league (man to man). All these things meant that they were making men authorities over
themselves instead of God the Father.
Moses directed the king to, not only
remember all these basic rules, but write them down and read them
over and over. He was also still bound by the Ten Commandments, which
did not allow him to covet his neighbors goods, nor kill, commit
adultery, nor bear false witness…
And
it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he
shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is
before the priests the Levites: And it shall be with him, and he
shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to
fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of
this law and these statutes, to do them: That his heart be not lifted
up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the
commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he
may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the
midst of Israel. Deuteronomy 17:18-20
Moses knew what he was talking about
and, though it took centuries, eventually, the people wanted a king.
God made it clear through Samuel that the voice of the people showed
that their hearts had, in fact, rejected God and his kingdom on
earth, according to all the works which they have done since the
day that he brought them out of Egypt, wherewith they have
forsaken Him, and served other gods. God warned
them of what kind of ruler this government leader would eventually
be.
And
he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over
you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his
chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his
chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and
captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to
reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments
of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be
confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take
your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best
of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of
your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to
his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your
maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put
them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall
be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your
king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day. Nevertheless the people refused to
obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king
over us; 1 Samuel 8:11-19
Law and justice, as well as national
security, had been in the hands of the people who assembled
themselves in voluntary militias or armies based on a pattern of tens
and fifties, hundreds, and thousands. These leaders were titular in their authority and held office by
mutual respect and the consensus of those they served. Every captain
was chosen by the ten men he served. This was a pure republic
designed by God where the people were free from things public under the perfect law of liberty.
Saul was chosen because he was a great
man who defended justice and fought for the rights of the people. But
once he was given the power of a king he was tempted by that power.
At one of the first signs of trouble, he compelled a tax on the
people.
There was a measured loss of liberty
when the people sinned against God and asked Samuel to establish a centralized government, which now, as Benefactor to
the nation, imposed taxes or “sacrifice” and appointed
officers over the people. Men rejected God’s kingdom; the voice
of the people elected men to make laws, rule with exercising
authority, collect the contributions like a tax rather than a freewill offering and generally rule over man and his
neighbor.
Once, when there was a threat of
invasion and Samuel had not arrived, Saul took matters into his own
hands.
And
Samuel said, What hast thou done?… I forced myself therefore
[In Wycliffe’s translation we see this as, “I was
compelled by need], and offered a burnt offering. 1 Samuel 13:11
The word “offered” here is from the Hebrew alah and can mean “withdraw…
to be taken up, be brought up, be taken away… to be carried
away”. It is also translated “increase,
put” and “raised”.
The word “and” is
not in the original text. What is being said is that Saul compelled
the taking of a burnt offering. A burnt offering is just something
you are not getting back, as we have already seen.
Because Saul was afraid the people
would not come, he compelled a sacrifice, a tax. He coveted the goods
of the people and demanded they contribute. This was a clear
violation of the Ten Commandments. It was a noble cause, but still a
sin.
Samuel’s response to Saul was to
the point and direct. He called him a fool:
And
Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the
commandment of the LORD thy God, which he
commanded thee: for now would the LORD have
established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom
shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a
man after his own heart, and the LORD hath
commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not
kept that which the LORD commanded thee. 1 Samuel
13:12-14
God had not just taken people out of
Egypt and the house of bondage, but had taken them out of all kingdoms like that, so that no ruler
could take from them any more or rule over or oppress them again. The
people did not trust in God’s way, but desired to compel their
neighbor to be bound under a single leader to assure their security.
Samuel had them present themselves according to the assembled units
of the congregation and the tribes.
And
said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you
out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all
kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you: And ye have this day
rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities
and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king
over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands. 1 Samuel 10:18-19
Former freewill contributions became
compulsory and the nation was no longer sustained by love of
neighbor, but by the
demands of governing agents. This power corrupted the leaders even
though it was to be limited according to the constitution laid out by
Moses. This evil system, contrary to the nature of God, also spread to the
temple where the priests soon began to demand a temple tax with the
aid of the King’s right hand.
No one could fire the Porters except
the King. Before the kings, the Porters, officers of the public
treasury, were chosen by the people in the pattern of their
congregations.
The first tithing was only to support
the Levites and their families. Each of the ten families shared a
portion of their prosperity with the family of their minister according to his service. That service was the work of the national government of God’s
kingdom.
The Family was not just a Father and
Mother and children, but consisted of the eldest living Father and
all his children including his Married Sons. In Israel, no one was
Sui Juris as long as his Father and Mother lived. The ultimate property right
always returned to the Elder of the family until his passing. With
the advent of Kings or central government, some of that patriarchal
authority passed to the government.
Excise or income tax was a patrimonial
right and the offerings that were to be dedicated to God were now
hallowed to the patron of the nation. This was a process.
Saul lost his kingdom to David and
David as well, as Solomon broke many of the laws laid down from the
beginning. Solomon’s son took this corruption even farther.
When the people asked Samuel for a
king, they sinned against God. When they asked Rehoboam to set them
free and return them to the ways of God and His kingdom, he
forsook the counsel of the old men and refused.
And
spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father
made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father [also]
chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. 1
Kings 12:14
The people were not to rebel against
the king, but they did. The temple was to remain mobile, but it did
not. The people were not to be taxed, but they were. The kings were
not to return the people to Egypt, but they did.
These abuses divided the kingdom of
God and most of the people. When they would not take any more, they
left. They tried to simply rescind their contract with the king. It
did not work in Egypt nor under Rehoboam. When the king would not
agree:
...
the people answered the king, saying, ‘What portion have we in
David? neither [have we] inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your
tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel
departed unto their tents.’ 1 Kings 12:16, 2Ch 10:16
The people did not like being the tail
of the king and left the house of David, which, without consent,
forfeited the inheritance of the kingdom promised to Abraham and
delivered by Moses. They did not return to the civil powers of
Rehoboam but to their tents. They became the lost sheep. The Kingdom
went farther into apostasy and abandoned the ways of God and his precept upon precept, but it was the kingdom.
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