The sermon, titled 'Unity Around Fidelity,' focuses on Joshua 22, where Joshua calls the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh to commend their obedience and fidelity to God's commandments as given by Moses. Joshua instructs them to return to their land of possession, emphasizing the importance of loving and serving God wholeheartedly. As the tribes are released to their inheritance, they build an impressive altar by the Jordan River, prompting concern among the western tribes of Israel, who prepare for war fearing idolatry. Phineas, a warrior priest, leads a delegation to investigate, referencing historical events of rebellion and idolatry. The eastern tribes clarify that the altar is a witness to their unity and faithfulness, not for sacrifices. The incident underscores the importance of unity through fidelity to God and adherence to the covenant, highlighting that the land is not Israel's by right but by conditional covenant. The sermon concludes by emphasizing love for God as the foundation of obedience and unity among His people.

Alright, the sermon text for today is Joshua chapter 22. So we'll begin in verse 1. Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the 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 commanded you. You have not left your brethren these many days, up to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord your God. And now the Lord your God has given rest to your brethren as he promised them.

Now therefore return and go to your tents and to the land of your possession which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan. But take careful he to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commandments, to hold fast 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. Now to half the tribe of Manasseh, Moses had given a possession in Bashan, but to the other half of it Joshua gave a possession among their brethren on this side of the Jordan westward. And indeed, when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them, and spoke to them, saying, Return with much riches to your tents, with very much livestock, with silver, with gold, with bronze, with iron, and with very much clothing.

Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren. So the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh returned and departed from the children of Israel at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession, which they had obtained according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses. And when they came to that region of the Jordan, which is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, a great impressive altar. Now the children of Israel heard someone say, behold, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the frontier of the land of Canaan in the region of the Jordan on the children of Israel's side. And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered together at Shiloh to go to war against them.

Then the children of Israel sent Phineas the son of Eliezer the priest to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to half the tribe of Manasseh into the land of Gilead. And with him ten rulers, one ruler each from the chief house of every tribe of Israel, and each one was the head of the house of his father among the divisions of Israel. Then they came to the children of Reuben, to the tribe of Gad, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying, thus says the whole congregation of the Lord, what treachery is this that you have committed against the Lord God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the Lord and all that you have built for yourselves and altar? You might rebel this day against the Lord. Is the iniquity of Peor not enough for us from which we were not cleansed till this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the Lord, but that you must turn away this day from following the Lord?

And it shall be, if you rebel today against the Lord, what tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. Nevertheless, if the land of your possession is unclean, then cross over to the land of the possession of the Lord, where the Lord's tabernacle stands, and take possession among us. But do not rebel against the Lord, nor rebel against us, by building yourselves an altar besides the altar of the Lord our God. Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass, and the accursed thing and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel. And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity.

Then the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh answered and said to the heads of the divisions of Israel, the Lord God of Gods, the Lord God of Gods, he knows and let Israel itself know, if it is in rebellion or if in treachery against the Lord, do not save us this day. If we have built ourselves an altar to turn from following the Lord, or if to offer on it burnt offerings or grain offerings, or if to offer peace offerings on it, let the Lord Himself require an account. But in fact, we have done it for fear, for a reason, saying, in time to come, your descendants may speak to our descendants, saying, What have you to do with the Lord God of Israel? For the Lord has made the Jordan a border between you and us, you children of Reuben and children of Gad. You have no part in the Lord.

So your descendants would make our descendants seize fearing the Lord. Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build ourselves an altar not for burnt offerings nor for sacrifice, but that it may be a witness between you and us and our generations after us that we may perform the service of the Lord before Him with our burnt offerings, with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings, that your descendants may not say to our descendants, in time to come, You have no part in the Lord. Therefore, we said that it will be when they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say, Here is the replica of the altar of the Lord which our fathers made, though not for burnt offerings nor for sacrifices, but it is a witness between you and us. Far be it from us that we should rebel against the Lord, and turn from following the Lord this day, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for grain offerings, or for sacrifices, besides the altar of the Lord our God, which is before his tabernacle. Now Infinius 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. Then, Infinius the son of Eliezer 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. And Phineas, the son of Eliezer the priest, and the rulers returned from the children of Ruben 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. 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. 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. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we do thank you and praise you for your word. Thank you that it is sharper than a two-edged sword.

Lord God that you and your holiness and wisdom and mercy, Lord God, have ordained that we gather together on Sunday on the Sabbath day your day to hear proclaimed and preached help us today father help those of us that know you help our hearts to be ready to receive it give us hearts of repentance Lord God to repent of the ways that you reveal to us, the sins that you reveal to us. Let us see more of your glory. Lord God, we know your word does not return void. It will go out and accomplish exactly what you have intended for it to accomplish and your sovereignty. We pray, Lord God, if it be your will today that some today would even be saved.

They would hear Joshua 22 and Lord God that your your hand would pull out that heart of stone and put in a heart of flesh and that the Word of God they would hear the Word of God in ways that they've never heard it in their life and that they would see your glory in ways that they've never seen their entire lives. Bless Jason in his preaching, Give him strength, give him words to speak. Help him today. Junior Sons and we pray. Amen.

The title of the sermon this morning is Unity around Fidelity. Our unity is because of, and only because of, God and His mercy poured out on us and our obligation to walk in his ways and love him and follow him. That was to be the unity of the people of God. The time of our text, that is to be the unity of the people of God. Now we have no unity apart from the love of God.

That's really what this text is about. Unity around fidelity or faithfulness to God. This week we begin the final section of Joshua. The final three chapters of Joshua. Each chapter begins with a gathering of the people of God.

They're not in quick succession. Chapter 22, what we're studying today, will happen and then a long time will pass. I don't know exactly how long but it will say at the beginning of chapter 3 that a long time has passed. But then there will be another great assembly and then another in chapter 24. So You have three chapters, three gatherings of the people of God.

Here in chapter 22, Joshua sends the two and a half tribes to their inheritance with blessing. The Transjordan tribes that are going to the east of the Jordan. Chapter 23, Joshua will gather all Israel again, and he will give them his farewell address, the end of his life. And then finally in chapter 24, he gathers all the tribes, and they make a covenant together to serve the Lord and they set up the final monument of the book of Joshua. Think of how many monuments we keep encountering.

There's actually another one this week. Well in chapter 24 we'll have one final monument to commemorate that the people have entered into a covenant, really renewed the covenant to follow the Lord. God, I thank you for your Word, And I thank you that you don't leave us alone to struggle with us and struggle with it and try to determine what it means and what it means for us. But you have given your people your spirit to throw light on it and to help us. So we thank you for your word and pray that your spirit would be so active helping us to know exactly what you want us to know from it, the truths that are there and what we should do with those truths.

I pray this in Jesus name, Amen. We will be subdividing into four sections this morning. I won't be rereading everything because 34 verses is a lot of verses, you just heard them. But we'll begin with verses 1 through 9, that's our first subdivision, where Joshua commends, then commands, then blesses and releases the trans-Jordan tribe. So if you're taking notes on the handout by filling in the blanks, there's one blank for this first section.

And releases fills in the blank. Joshua commends, he praises, then he commands, gives a warning. Then he blesses and releases the Transjordan tribes to go and dwell in their allotted inheritance. Look at verses 1-4. I will re-read that.

Joshua 22, verses 1-4. Then Joshua called the Rubinites, the Gadites, and half the 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 commanded you. You have not left your brethren these many days, up to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord your God. Now the Lord your God has given rest to your brethren as he promised them. Now therefore, return and go to your tents and to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan." Now, what is this about?

Well, in Numbers chapter 32, the people, the whole nation, defeated two kings, Sihon and Og. And when they defeated those two kings, the land of those nations was so perfect for livestock, these two and a half tribes, the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, they specialize in livestock, they have much livestock, so they ask that this land, perfect for livestock, be given to them for their possession. Moses was really only willing to do that on one condition, that they would send their warriors with the rest of the nation across the Jordan so that the strength of the nation wouldn't be diminished. And when all of the nations west of the Jordan had been conquered, then after joining in with all, in all the fights, they could go back and dwell in their land. We saw this again in Joshua chapter 1 where Joshua reminded these two and a half tribes before they crossed the Jordan of the commitment that they had made to Moses in Numbers chapter 32.

And They recommitted to Joshua and to the nation. That's exactly what they would do. They would send their armed men before the other tribes. They would fight all of Israel's fights with them until God had given them all the victories. Chapter 4 verse 12, when the nation crosses the Jordan, their armed men, about 40, 000 of their armed men went before the other tribes, and they joined in all the fights on the west side of the Jordan.

So the deal was no one rests until everyone rests. And now that day has come. Everyone can rest. All the enemies have been defeated and all the tribes have been given their allotments and they can all go to the places of their possessions and begin to enjoy their inheritances. Here again, this is one of the things that has been and is so refreshing about the book of Joshua.

Some of the Old Testament can be depressing because the people are so stiff-necked and they simply will not obey. But the book of Joshua overwhelmingly has not been like that. It has been people with a heart to obey and we see that again. These two-and-a-half tribes, Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, they made a commitment, they have kept their commitment. Joshua really praises them to the heavens here in this.

He said, everything Moses commanded you to do, you've done. Everything I commanded you to do, you've been done. You made commitments, you've kept all of your commitments. And they kept their commitments in obedience to the Lord through Moses and Joshua. Having commended them or praised them, he now commands them.

Look at verse 5. Right after praising them, he says, But Take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you. To love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commandments, to hold fast to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. Why? Why is Joshua saying this now?

How is it connected with his praise of them and is sending them into the land of their inheritance. Because the land isn't Israel's by right. It is theirs by covenant and This particular covenant is a conditional covenant. If you get the land, and if you will serve the Lord, you can keep the land. But if you won't serve the Lord, he reserves the right to take the land away from you.

And He will, by the way, as you work your way through the Old Testament, He will. They will forsake following Him and He will take back the land by sending the Assyrians and then the Babylonians and then the Persians to take them into captivity. The land is not Israel's by right, it is theirs by covenant, and this is a conditional covenant. So he does praise them for keeping their commitments, but then immediately he warns them to love God and have evidence of loving God by walking in his ways and clinging to him. Now, verse 5 is very helpful to us.

The verse that I just read is very helpful to us. Why? Because it summarizes the law. You can take verse 5 as a wonderful, helpful, concise summary of the law. What does the law require?

Well, it requires these five books. These five books. What page number are we on here? 293 in my Bible. These five books.

Meaning the five books before Joshua. Some of Genesis' law, much of Exodus' law, all of Leviticus' law, some of Numbers' law, all of Deuteronomy's law. That's what the law requires. That's a lot. Could you summarize it for us Joshua?

Sure. Love God. Love God. Jesus does the same by the way in Matthew 22. It's the great commandment in the law.

If you only had one commandment, which one would you keep? It would be to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And, walk in his ways. Remember our study of the book of Ephesians. Walk, walk, walk.

What was that about? That was about the patterns of your life. The established habits and patterns that you walk out day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. And keep His commandments. Jesus said, if you love me keep my commandments.

Love for God and keeping the commandments aren't exactly the same thing, but you can never separate them Because the keeping of the commandments is the evidence of loving God. And holding fast to Him. This is not having a good week, or a good month, or a good year. It is to cling to God and keep following him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul. To have the objectives of your life not be your objectives but about His kingdom, His kingdom's objectives.

The objectives of the king become your objectives, and you serve Him with all your heart and soul. Those five things are what the law requires, starting with loving God. You have nothing if you don't frame all of this in terms of loving God, affection in the heart that works its way out into the life. I will submit to you that it starts with loving God, and then the other four are a subset. The other four are a practical expression of loving God, are proof in your life that there is real genuine affection for God in your heart.

Joshua knows that if Israel will give themselves to those five things that God will let them keep the land. And He'll protect them in the land. And He'll give them abundance in the land. And if they don't, He won't. Finally, Joshua blesses them and sends them away with abundance.

In verse 8, Joshua says to the half-tribe of Manasseh, return with much riches. That sounds good. Return with much riches. Then he tells the tribe of Manasseh to divide the spoil. Why does he do that?

Because each tribe has been accumulating spoils of war. They've crossed the Jordan and they won victories in the central section and then there was a southern campaign and they were always victorious and then a group of kings in the north banded together to oppose them, and they demolished those kings, and all the while the substance of these people that they're defeating becomes their substance. The riches of the people that they're defeating become their riches. And so the tribe of Manasseh is now dividing and they need to divide the spoils of war that they've been accumulating. But Ruben has their spoils of war that they'll go to their inheritance with.

Gad has their spoils of war that they'll go to their inheritance with. Now think of this. They've been wandering for 40 years. Before that, they were slaves. Since then, they've been wandering for 40 years in the wilderness, not accumulating riches.

But now, God has given them cities even though they didn't build cities. These are cities they didn't build. God has given them houses even though they didn't build houses. They're houses they didn't build. God has given them wells.

They didn't dig those wells. God is giving them vineyards. They didn't plant those vineyards. God has given them flocks. They weren't their flocks, but they defeated those people and they became their flocks.

He's given them silver and gold and other metals and other riches. It even names clothing here. It's the riches of God given to them as spoils of war. So he's sending them back to their inheritance with riches, to houses they didn't build, Cities they didn't build. Let's apply this.

We're going to apply as we go today. Brothers and sisters, we should make God-honoring commitments and then honor God by keeping them. We ought to make God honoring commitments. Why would I say that? Because one way to go about never violating your commitments is to never make commitments.

If you never give your word, you never break your word, right? That's not what God is calling his people to. We are actually called to do things, to take ground for the kingdom. So we ought to be making God-honoring commitments, and then we ought to honor God by keeping those commitments. That's what we see of these two and a half tribes here.

They agreed they would go and fight the battles with their brethren and they kept them. And of course, God is to be loved. God must be loved. God is infinitely worthy of all the love that we give him times a million. This is the great commandment.

This is everything. This is the all. The sum total of the Christian life is to love God, but to really love Him so that there are evidences that it's genuine in our lives. Next section, verses 10 through 20. Verses 10 through 20, those Transjordan tribes, when I say Transjordan, it means across the Jordan.

That's what these two and a half tribes are often called because their inheritance is across the Jordan. Those Transjordan tribes build an altar, that's the first blank if you're taking notes that way, and the western tribes prepare for war and send a delegation to confront them. Those trans-Jordan tribes build an altar, and the Western tribes prepare for war and send a delegation to confront them. The two and a half tribes are released to go and dwell in their inheritances. And on the way to dwell in their inheritances, the two and a half tribes stop to erect an altar by the Jordan River.

Verse 10 calls it a quote, great impressive altar. The Hebrew literally means large in magnitude or extent. So this is about the size of the altar that they erect. The ESV renders it an altar of imposing size. It's good translation.

An altar of imposing size, large in magnitude or extent. The tribes west of the Jordan get a report of it. I bet they do. An imposing sized altar is now on the banks of the Jordan. They get the report of it and they immediately prepare for war.

They immediately prepare for war? That Seems a bit extreme, doesn't it? So what is actually happening here? When I read that, I think, all right, what's the puzzle piece that I'm missing? Why would they get a report that an altar of imposing size has been erected on the border of the Jordan, and they immediately prepare for war.

What am I missing here? Well, the answer is Deuteronomy 12 and 13 is happening here. So turn to Deuteronomy 12 and 13. When you look at these sections of Deuteronomy 12 and 13, you understand instantly why they're doing what they're doing. Deuteronomy 12, Turn there so you can follow along.

I'll be reading Deuteronomy 12 verses 5 through 14. Deuteronomy 12, 5 through 14. But you shall seek the place where the Lord your God chooses out of all your tribes to put his name for his dwelling place and there you shall go there you shall take your burnt offerings your sacrifices your tithes the heave offering of offerings of your hand your vowed offerings your freewill offerings and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. And there you shall eat before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice in all to which you have put your hand, you and your households in which the Lord your God has blessed you. You shall not do at all as we are doing here today." So this is God speaking to the people through Moses in the wilderness.

He's saying, when you get in the land, you'll not be doing what we've been doing in the wilderness. Verse 8, You shall not at all do as we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes. For as yet, you have not come to the rest and the inheritance which the Lord your God is giving you. But when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit. And He gives you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety.

Then there will be the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. There you shall bring all that I command you, your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to the Lord. And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons and your daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion nor inheritance with you. Take heed to yourself that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place that you see, but in the place which the Lord chooses in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you." So when the tribes west of the Jordan hear that there is what they believe to be a rival altar erected, they are thinking, Deuteronomy chapter 12, there is to be one place, and that place is where the Ark is. Wherever the Ark is, within the Tabernacle of Meeting, that's where you come to sacrifice, that's where you come to worship.

And so The erecting of an altar of imposing size on the banks of the Jordan sets off the alarm bells for the tribes west of the Jordan. Here's what Dale Davis, the commentator, says, to oversimplify it meant one altar, one faith, one people. So he's talking about Deuteronomy 12. That's the message of Deuteronomy 12. One altar, one faith, one people.

But allow such worship wherever folks hankered to experience God, and it would soon take on a Canaanite color. Soak up Canaanite beliefs, sport Canaanite practices, adore Canaanite gods. In short, it would at one blow kill both fidelity to Yahweh and the unity of Israel. That's what they see happening. That's what they're reacting to.

That's why they prepare for war. Turn to Deuteronomy 13. Just one page over, maybe. Deuteronomy 13, I'll be reading verses 12 through 16. If you hear someone in one of your cities which the Lord your God gives you to dwell in saying, Corrupt men have gone out from among you and enticed the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods which you have not known.

Then you shall inquire, search out, and ask diligently. And if it is indeed true and certain that such an abomination was committed among you, you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it, all that is in it and its livestock with the edge of the sword. You shall gather all its plunder into the middle of the street and completely burn with fire the city and all its plunder for the Lord your God. It shall be a heap forever, it shall not be built again." So this is saying that if you find that there is a city in rebellion, a city that has turned to other gods in the bounds of Israel populated by Israelites, that you go and investigate. And if you find out it's true, they've forsaken God to embrace other gods, you go and wipe them off the face of the earth and it's never to be built again.

See the preparations for war in this context. It is clear that this is what the Western tribes think is happening when an altar of imposing size is erected on the banks of the Jordan. And this is why they prepare for war. And this by the way is proof positive that it has not been ethnic cleansing that we've been witnessing in the book of Joshua. Because the thing that we've been witnessing in the book of Joshua.

Because the thing that we've been witnessing in the book of Joshua with the defeat of these Gentile enemies is exactly what they're supposed to do with their own kinsmen, with their own fellow citizens, if they turn away from following God to follow false gods. It has not been ethnic cleansing but the judgment of God on rebellion and idolatry. But, before they go to war, and according to the law of Moses in Deuteronomy, they send a delegation to find out, to hear from these two and a half tribes. Who do we need to represent us? Well, we need a tribal head for each of the ten tribes on the western side of the Jordan.

So we have a tribal head now for the delegation of each of the ten tribes. And we need someone to lead the delegation. We're investigating idolatry, so it should be a priest. They're versed in the Word of God, know the worship that God has demanded of his people, prescribed for his people. But it needs to be a priest who means business, You know what I mean?

One who has a track record for fighting idolatry. We need a warrior priest, a proven defender of the faith. Do we have one of those? We do? We have one of those?

We do have one of those. It's actually Phineas, the son of Eleazar. Eleazar is the high priest. Phineas was his son. He's a warrior priest and he's a proven defender of the faith.

Turn to Numbers chapter 25. I'll be reading verses 1-13. I'll be reading verses 1-13. Numbers 25, 1-13. Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove.

The people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. They invited the people to sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel. Then the Lord said to Moses, Take all the leaders of the people, and hang the offenders before the Lord, out in the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.

So Moses said to the judges of Israel, every one of you kill his men who were joined to Baal of Beor. And indeed, one of the children of Israel came and presented to his brethren a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel who were weeping at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Now when Phineas, the son of Eleazar, here's our man, Now when Phineas, the son of Eliezer, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand. And he went after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman through her body. So the plague was stopped among the children of Israel.

And those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Thinneas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with my zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in my zeal. Therefore say, Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace. And it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the children of Israel. For their idolatry, God sent a plague among them that killed 24, 000.

And it would have been much more if it wasn't for a zealous warrior priest who took a javelin in hand and thrust through the idolaters. Phineas was just the man to lead this delegation as a warrior priest and a proven defender of the faith. The delegation arrives and they accuse the two and a half tribes of treachery against God Almighty. They don't mince words, they don't beat around the bush, they get right to the point. You have committed treachery against God Almighty by erecting this altar.

And then they give two case studies. They speak of two historical events in the history of Israel. The iniquity of Peor, which we just read about, joining themselves to Baal, Baal worship in the trespass of Achan. You remember, Achan took of the devoted things from Jericho, the things that they were to utterly destroy, and Achan coveted gold and a garment, and he took them. And they then lost the battle against Ai because of that trespass.