Joshua 22 | One Altar, One People

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Transcript

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You're listening to the Dope Daily Audio Bible, and I'm your guy, pastor Charlie Mitchell, and today we're looking at Joshua chapter 22. Let's Roll. Joshua. Summoned the Reubenites Gadites and half the tribal Manasseh and told them You have done everything. Moses the Lord's servant commanded you and have obeyed me in everything I commanded you. You have not deserted your brothers even once this whole time, but carried out the requirements of the command of the Lord your God. Now that he has given your brothers rest just as he promised them, return to your homes in your own land that Moses the Lord's servant gave you across the Jordan. only carefully obey the command and instructions that Moses the Lord's servant gave you to love the Lord your God. Walk in all his ways. Keep his commands. Be loyal to him and serve him with all your heart and all your soul. Joshua blessed them and sent them on their way and they went to their homes. Moses had given territory to half the tribal Manasseh and Baan, but Joshua had given territory to the other half with their brothers on the west side of the Jordan. When Joshua sent them to their homes and blessed them, he said, return to your homes with great wealth, a huge number of cattle and silver, gold, bronze, iron in the large quantity of clothing. Share the spoil of your enemies with your brothers. The Reubenites Gadites and half the tribal Manasseh left the Israelites as Shiloh in the land of Canaan to return to their own land of Gilead, which they took possession of according to the Lord's command through Moses, when they came to the region of the Jordan and the land of Canaan, the Reubenites Gadites and half the tribal manassa built a large impressive altar, thereby the Jordan. Then the Israelites heard it said, look, the Reubenites Gadites and half the tribal manas have built an altar on the frontier of the land of Canaan at the region of the Jordan on the Israelites side. When the Israelites heard this, the entire Israelite community assembled that Shiloh to go to war against them. the Israelites sent PHUs, son of Eliezer, The priest to the Reubenites Gadites, and half the tribe of Manas in the land of Gilead. They sent 10 leaders with him, one family leader for each tribe of Israel. All of them were heads of their ancestral families among the clans of Israel. They went to the Reubenites Gadites and half the tribe man in the land of Gilead, and told them, this is what the Lord's entire community says. What is this treachery you have committed today against the God of Israel? By turning away from the Lord and building an altar for yourselves so that you are in rebellion against the Lord. Today Wasn't the iniquity of Pure, which brought a plague on the Lord's community. Enough for us We have not cleansed ourself from it even to this day. And now, would you turn away from the Lord? If you rebel against the Lord today, tomorrow, he will be angry with the entire community of Israel. but if the land you possess is defiled, Cross over to the land the Lord possesses where the Lord's tabernacle stands and take possession of it among us. But don't rebel against the Lord or against us by building for yourselves and alter other than the altar of the Lord Your God wasn't Aiken son of Zarah unfaithful regarding what was set apart for destruction, bringing wrath on the entire community of Israel. He was not the only one who perished because of his iniquity. The Reubenites Gadites and half the tribal Manasseh answered The heads of the Israelite clans. The mighty one. God. The Lord the mighty one. God. The Lord he knows. And may Israel also know. Do not spare us today. If it was in rebellion or treachery against the Lord that we have built for ourselves and altered to turn away from him, may the Lord himself hold us accountable if we intended to offer Burt offerings and grain offerings on it or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it. We actually did this from a specific concern that in the future your descendants might say to our descendants, what relationship do you have with the Lord? The God of Israel? for the Lord has made the Jordan abor between us and you descendants of Reuben and Gad, You have no share in the Lord, so your descendants may cause our descendants to stop fearing the Lord. Therefore, we said, let's take action and build an altar for ourselves, but not for Burt, offering her a sacrifice. Instead, it is to be a witness between us and you, and between the generations after us, so that we may carry out the worship of the Lord in his presence with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and fellowship offerings. Then in the future, your descendants will not be able to say to our descendants, you have no share in the Lord. we thought that if they said this to us or to our generation in the future, we would reply, look at the replica of the Lord's altar that our ancestors made. Not for burnt offerings or sacrifice, but as a witness between us and you. We would never, ever rebel against the Lord or turn away from him today by building an altar for burnt offering, grain offering or sacrifice other than the altar of the Lord our God, which is in front of his tabernacle. the priest, Phineas, and the community leaders, the heads of Israel's clans who were with him, heard what the descendants of Reuben Gad and Manasseh had to say. They were pleased. Phineas, son of Eliezer, the priest said to the descendants of Ruben Gadd, Manasseh, today we know that the Lord is among us because you have not committed this treachery against him. As a result, you have rescued the Israelites from the Lord's power. Then the priest's, Phineas son of Eliezer and the leaders returned from the Reen Knights and Gadites in the land of Gilead to the Israelites in the land of Canaan, and brought back a report to them. The Israelites were pleased with the report and they blessed God. They spoke no more about going to war against them, to ravage the land where the Reubenites and Gadites lived. So the Reubenites and Gadites named the altar. It is a witness between us that the Lord is God. Let's pray. Dear Lord, this passage of Scripture Joshua 22 helps us to see how quickly misunderstanding can divide people who are trying to be faithful. I pray that you will slow us down before we assume the worst. Give us humility to ask the questions, patience to listen carefully and wisdom to pursue unity without compromising the truth. Help us build lives and communities that clearly point back to you. And when tension arises, teach us to choose peace, clarity, and faithful love. Keep us one in purpose as we follow you together. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. I.