Bible in 365 Days – Day 89

Focus Chapters:

• Joshua 22-24

Standout Verse(s):

THE ACTION

Joshua 22:10 NLT

But while they were still in Canaan, and when they came to a place called Geliloth near the Jordan River, the men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh stopped to build a large and imposing altar.

THE REACTION

Joshua 22:11-13, 26-27, 30-31 NLT

The rest of Israel heard that the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had built an altar at Geliloth at the edge of the land of Canaan, on the west side of the Jordan River. So the whole community of Israel gathered at Shiloh and prepared to go to war against them. First, however, they sent a delegation led by Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to talk with the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

“So we decided to build the altar, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a memorial. It will remind our descendants and your descendants that we, too, have the right to worship the Lord at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and peace offerings. Then your descendants will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no claim to the Lord.’

When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community—the heads of the clans of Israel—heard this from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, they were satisfied. Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, replied to them, “Today we know the Lord is among us because you have not committed this treachery against the Lord as we thought. Instead, you have rescued Israel from being destroyed by the hand of the Lord.”

Observation (s):

1. On their way home, to the other side of the Jordan River, the men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh stopped and built a large and imposing altar. This act, to persons who didn’t understand their reasoning, represented a violation of their covenant with God.
   

   But while they were still in Canaan, and when they came to a place called Geliloth near the Jordan River, the men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh stopped to build a large and imposing altar.

2. Upon hearing of the altar, the remainder of Israel responded in two ways. They prepared for war, in the event the men were guilty and they sent a delegation to speak to the men to understand their reasons.
   

   The rest of Israel heard that the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had built an altar at Geliloth at the edge of the land of Canaan, on the west side of the Jordan River.So the whole community of Israel gathered at Shiloh and prepared to go to war against them. First, however, they sent a delegation led by Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to talk with the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

3. The men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh indicated that the altar was built as a memorial that would help to preserve the righteousness of future generations. In the end, their act was praised by their fellow Israelites.
   

   Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, replied to them, “Today we know the Lord is among us because you have not committed this treachery against the Lord as we thought. Instead, you have rescued Israel from being destroyed by the hand of the Lord.”

Application:

We are oftentimes quite hasty in our execution of judgement and punishment. Recently, I called my Internet Service Provider’s Customer Service Department to clarify an important matter. After waiting for over 5 minutes, I finally got through to the person who could assist me. 5 seconds into my explanation of the issue, I was redirected to take a survey about my experience. In anger and executing rapid judgement, I assumed the agent had cut me off and rated him accordingly. In hindsight, I recognized that any number of things could have occurred that would have resulted in me getting redirected.

The Bible is centered around an “innocent until proven guilty” culture. The Israelites demonstrated their adherence to this culture by making preparations for both the guilty and innocent scenarios.

1. They prepared for war in the event the men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had truly built an altar to offer their own sacrifices without intervention from the Levites.
2. They coordinated an informal trial by sending a delegation to speak to the men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh to determine their reasons for building the altar.

In the end, it was determined that the men’s actions contributed to ensuring Israel’s future righteousness!

This is a lesson for us. Being armed with only our perceptions and assumptions is not a firm foundation for making judgments and executing punishments. While it is good to make preparations, in the event the party is guilty, we should also be willing to communicate and understand the reasoning of the party whose acts we have deemed wrong based on our perceptions. So the next time, you have someone at the gaols, stop to consider if you have given he/her a fair hearing.

May the Peace of God go with you!

XOXO
Chañel

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I am a dynamic young lady who loves the Lord and seek to have a joy that no one can take away. My all-time favourite thing to do is gaining discoveries by design from My Father during our time each day. Reading, learning and trying new things falls behind in a close second place. My dream is to use my God-given talents to positively impact as many people as possible. As a proud Wolmerian, with a zest for life, I adhere to the “Age Quod Agis” motto in that whatsoever I do, I always do it to the best of my ability.