9/9/12. Joshua 22_10-34. A WITNESS BETWEEN US: THE LORD IS GOD-devotional

Joshua 22:10-34

Key Verse: 22:27

Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF  Sunday, September 9, 2012

“On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the LORD at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no share in the LORD.’”

Dear Lord heavenly Father thank you for this day of worship and this day of new beginnings. I You are the Christ! Help me to live as though you are the Christ. Help the world to see Jesus’ true identity. I pray that you may help our family to grow in faith and mature in our faith. May many young people find a place among us to grow your image. I pray for Jenn, that you may guide her life at McGill University and that she may grow in her faith and taste academic and spiritual victory. Please grant me one word of God to hold onto through this passage. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

1. Check the facts first (10-20)
Verses 10-20 read, “When they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan. 11 And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side, 12 the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them. 13 So the Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead—to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 14 With him they sent ten of the chief men, one from each of the tribes of Israel, each the head of a family division among the Israelite clans. 15 When they went to Gilead—to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh—they said to them: 16 “The whole assembly of the LORD says: ‘How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the LORD and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now? 17 Was not the sin of Peor enough for us? Up to this very day we have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the community of the LORD! 18 And are you now turning away from the LORD? “‘If you rebel against the LORD today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel. 19 If the land you possess is defiled, come over to the LORD’s land, where the LORD’s tabernacle stands, and share the land with us. But do not rebel against the LORD or against us by building an altar for yourselves, other than the altar of the LORD our God.20 When Achan son of Zerah was unfaithful in regard to the devoted things, did not wrath come on the whole community of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin.’”
When the eastern tribes built an altar at the Jordan, the rest of the tribes feared they were starting their own religion and rebelling against the Lord. But before beginning an all-out war, Phinehas led a delegation to learn the truth. He was prepared to negotiate rather than fight. When he learned that the altar was built as a memorial rather than for pagan sacrifice, war was averted and unity restored. We should employ a similar approach to conflict resolution. We should never assume the worst, but check the facts and hear the whole story.

I need to remember this. How often do I think of the worst in terms of conflict? How often do I jump to conclusions, especially in regards to the actions of those close to me, like my own kids? I need to be one who does not jump to conclusions. I must be a just and truthful person who gathers the facts and prays and sees the facts in light of God’s truth and then after much prayer and consultation, I must then come to a conclusion, based on the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Lord, help me to be a just and truthful father, Christian, friend, shepherd and co-worker in all that I do.

2. Remember God’s grace (21-34).

Verses 21-34 read, “Then Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel: 22 “The Mighty One, God, the LORD! The Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows! And let Israel know! If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the LORD, do not spare us this day. 23 If we have built our own altar to turn away from the LORD and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the LORD himself call us to account. 24 “No! We did it for fear that some day your descendants might say to ours, ‘What do you have to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? 25 The LORD has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you—you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no share in the LORD.’ So your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the LORD. 26 “That is why we said, ‘Let us get ready and build an altar—but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.’ 27 On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the LORD at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no share in the LORD.’ 28 “And we said, ‘If they ever say this to us, or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica of the LORD’s altar, which our ancestors built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.’ 29 “Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD and turn away from him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings and sacrifices, other than the altar of the LORD our God that stands before his tabernacle.” 30 When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community—the heads of the clans of the Israelites—heard what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased. 31 And Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, said to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, “Today we know that the LORD is with us, because you have not been unfaithful to the LORD in this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the LORD’s hand.” 32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders returned to Canaan from their meeting with the Reubenites and Gadites in Gilead and reported to the Israelites. 33 They were glad to hear the report and praised God. And they talked no more about going to war against them to devastate the country where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived. 34 And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us—that the LORD is God.”

The eastern tribes wanted some visible sign of unity between the people on both sides of the Jordan. The altar was not for worship, but to remind future generations that they worshiped the same God. They felt the need to remind their descendants of their forefathers’ faith.

It is imperative that we pass on our faith in Jesus and the gospel to future generations. I need to remind my kids of the gospel faith. I need to remind them of all that Jesus has done for me and Julie and all that he has done for us as a family. I need to make sure that they know the history of God and how he has led as all along the way. God has been guiding and blessing our family since its conception in 1992. He is guiding all of my kids and is now leading Jennifer many miles away in Montreal. They must know his grace. In the church we must also pass on the story of the Gospel to the next generation. The youth group, “Propel” is a good way to plant the word of God in the kids’ hearts. I pray that God may bless that group abundantly.

What kind of memorials can we establish? The Bible studies I have with Mark, the evening prayer times, the weekly church attendants, my web site, our marriage…all of these can be memorials. Lord, please help my kids to know the grace of Jesus. May all that Jesus does among us be remembered and passed on from generation to generation.
Prayer: Lord, I am so quick to condemn and not give the benefit of the doubt. Help me to always seek and hold on to the facts.

One Word: Teach the next generation gospel faith and set up memorials