A word for those who live far away
- You have kept your word and helped your brethren to acquire the land that God assigned them. This is very good. (Joshua 22:2-3). Who shall ascend to God’s holy hill? They who keep their promises, even at great personal cost (Psalm 15:4).
- Now you may go home to your families (Joshua 22:4). When the battle is over, then we can relax; but as the war continues, so we must continue diligent in the fight.
- Don’t let distance cause you to forget about God and your obligation to love and to serve Him (Joshua 22:5). How important this word is to those who leave home to seek their fame and fortune!
- On their way home, the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh erected an altar by the Jordan River, When the other tribes heard of this, they inferred it to be an idolatrous act; and they were prepared to battle their brethren lest the same idolatry which had brought so many hardships on previous generations now find a home in the newly settled promised land. (Joshua 22:10-12).
- In their own defense, the three tribes declared the altar was not for sacrifices, but for a memorial that they were, indeed, part of Israel, even though they lived some distance from the others, separated by a river. They wanted future generations to know that all the tribes were one family; and they didn’t want their children to be outcasts in the minds of those who lived west of the Jordan River. Have you established any memorials for future generations to know that you are part of God’s family?
- Cool heads prevailed; and civil war was averted. Sometimes things are not what they appear, and we should allow for discussion and defense before we falsely accuse others.
- When it was all over, Phineas declared that he perceived God to be in their midst (Joshua 22:31). Yes, when men live in peace, there is evidence of God in their midst.
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