Read Joshua 22
Chapter 22 begins with Joshua summoning
the Reubenites, Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh. He commends them for
faithfully fighting for Israel. Now that their fellow Israelites have been
settled, the Transjordan tribes may return to their homes. Joshua gives them
one charge: “Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which
Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God and walk
in all his ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him
with all your heart and with all your soul” (v 5). The most important
admonition Joshua could give was to honour God above all else. When we serve
God first, He will guide us to the right path in every other area of our lives.
When the Transjordan tribes arrive at
their homes, they join forces to erect a large altar. This alarms the tribes
west of the Jordan. They assume this altar is to a foreign god, so they send a
delegation to rebuke the Transjordan tribes (v 13-20). After the delegation
speaks, the sons of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh respond. Indeed,
they did not build this altar to a foreign God. They were concerned for future
generations. Perhaps Israelites west of the Jordan would one day have scoffed
at Israelites east of the Jordan. The tribes east of the Jordan built an altar
to signify that they were, indeed, children of Yahweh. The altar would serve as
a monument to maintain unity in Israel, not a temple for false idols.
Prayer
and Journaling
1. Joshua could have said anything to the
Transjordan tribes in his send-off speech. The advice he gave them was simple:
be careful to obey everything in God’s law. Reflect on how you respond when
someone shares their struggles with you or asks for guidance. Are you quick to
offer advice or do you point them to the Word of God? Ask God how you can grow
in leading others to His Word.
2. The tribes west of the Jordan River acted
rashly. Motivated by memories of Peor (Numbers 25) and Achan (Joshua 7), they
nearly started a civil war. When we act rashly instead of taking time to pray
and assess the situation, it can have dire consequences. Look at how you make
decisions. Are you someone who jumps into things quickly and alter regrets it?
Maybe you’re someone who waits unnecessarily long to make decisions and lets
life slip you by. Ask God to speak to you about how you make decisions.
3. Pray for unity in the Church. This is one
of God’s greatest desires. Ask Him to help our primary allegiance to be to Him,
not to denominations, traditions or church walls. Pray that Christians would be
quick to forgive each other and make amends. Pray that our unity would be our
greatest testimony to unbelievers.
