Day 22 - February 10/09

Joshua 22

Now that the land of Israel has been completely occupied, the men from Reuben, Gad and Manasseh have been released from their duties and are being sent home to their families with the spoils of war. As soon as they cross the Jordan River, the three tribes immediately set about building an altar. The other tribes, thinking their brothers had turned to foreign gods, set after them to declare war. They were so upset by the apparent betrayal of the Lord, that they went as far as to say that if it was the land causing Reuben, Gad and Manasseh to stumble, the rest of Israel would gladly give them part of their own inheritance to stop them from sinning. Thankfully, the three tribes were able to respond and explain how the altar was meant to represent their allegiance to God, not to present offerings to other gods.

The Israelites may have jumped to quick conclusions about their brothers, but they had just concern. If we sent missionaries off to another country and the first thing we hear is about them building altars, we'd probably be a little bit concerned. So, in the fashion of the day, the Israelites made plans to go to war. They felt that they were defending God, and were even willing to go so far as to kill their own family.

For me, this brings up two issues.
1. Jesus tells us in the New Testament that we must love Him more than parents, siblings, spouses and children. Here we have an equivalent example from way back in the day. These men, despite their allegiance to family, were willing to kill nearly 10% of their entire country off because they felt that strongly about God. What a way to live, with that much passion!
2. This is also an excellent example of giving others a chance to speak before assuming the worst. Although Israel was assuming that Reuben, Gad and Manasseh were worshipping other gods, they allowed them to defend themselves before going to war and probably condemning all of them to death. I know that in my own life I need to not be so quick to judge.

So someone suggested that I actually type out my prayer to God. I figure I'll give it a go.
Dear God, please give me the wisdom to know when I actually need to call someone out on something, and when I'm completely blowing the situation out of proportion. Patience to listen to their defense and open ears would be awesome, too. Also, continue to help me to have the perseverance to see these devotions through every day, even when life gets crazy. Help me to get the most out of Your Word that I possibly can, and give me insight so that I can help others with the things I'm learning.
Amen.