LEAD BY EXAMPLE

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges, and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.

Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'Long ago your forefathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods. But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the River and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.’

'Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. But they cried to the Lord for help, and He put darkness between you and the Egyptians; He brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the desert for a long time.’

'I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land. When Balak, son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam, son of Beor, to put a curse on you. But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.’

'Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.'”

“Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."

Joshua 24:1-15

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As the final chapter of Joshua opens, we see Israel’s appointed leader assemble “all the tribes of Israel at Shechem”, calling all “elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel” who “presented themselves before God”. It’s before this gathering that Joshua shares his last message from God…a message intending to remind Israel about what God had done for them and what He would expect from them in return. God’s message was as follows:

“Long ago your forefathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods. But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the River and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.”

“Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. But they cried to the Lord for help, and He put darkness between you and the Egyptians; He brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the desert for a long time.”

“I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land. When Balak, son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam, son of Beor, to put a curse on you. But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.”

“Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.” Joshua 24:2-13

Indeed, God had done much for Israel to be where there were and have what they had. It was clear that He didn’t want them to forget that their blessings had come from Him and Him only.

After sharing God’s message, Joshua underscored it with his own powerful words, particularly in regard to following God. Let’s look at five major points he makes in regard to this:

1. Fear the Lord.

The Lord deserved Israel’s full respect and honor for no other reason outside of who He was….the Lord who was always with them…the Lord who never went back on His promises. And so for God to have to demand His people’s loyalty and obedience is unbelievable but it just goes to show that the Israelites didn’t fully grasp the awesome power of the Lord they served for if they did, they wouldn’t have ever considered blatantly sinning against Him by worshipping other gods. They would have been too afraid of what He might do to them in response.

Later in the Old Testament Book of Psalms, we find this:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” Psalm 110:10

If we’re honest, we should all see a need to be wiser and respect the Lord out of honor for who He is, all the while fearing His powerful judgment that could be sent against us in a moment’s notice if He so chooses.

2. Serve Him with all faithfulness.

Note that this doesn’t say to follow the Lord with just some of our faithfulness. Rather, it’s clear that we are to follow Him in complete, unfailing, unwavering dedication and devotion.

Friends, we serve an almighty, all-powerful Lord who never fails to keep His promises…a Lord who has shown time and time again how deeply committed and faithful He to each and every one of us. Given this, the least we can do is have more faith in Him than anything or anyone else in our lives. For it’s then and only then that we will be serving Him with ALL faithfulness.

3. Worship and serve God only.

The Israelites had a history of turning from God and worshipping other gods, a clear violation of His commands.

Why would they ever worship another god?

Because worshipping them often endorsed a sinful behavior or desire that pleased the worshipper. You see, the false gods worshiped by other nations seemed less restrictive than the God of Israel, definitely inviting one to carry out their own will over God’s. This created an environment where it was very tempting for people to turn away from God so to follow the path of least resistance…a path that led them toward sin and away from righteousness.

Truly, Israel had options before them and God wanted them to know He understood that, leaving no doubt that He expected them to pick Him every single time.

4. Life’s about choices…make the right ones.

Joshua said to the Israelites:

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.”

We should note that God didn’t coerce His believers into following Him but rather commanded that they do it, leaving the choice of the matter up to each and every individual. He doesn’t want someone to follow Him simply because they have to. Rather, He wants someone to follow Him because they WANT to follow Him…because they DESIRE it more than anything else in life. For when we want to follow Him and desire to follow Him with all our heart, then our choices will be easy because they will be the choices He wants.

Indeed, life is all about choices and the only way to ensure we will ALWAYS make the right ones is if we obediently and faithfully make the first and all-important choice, the choice to follow the only One who will make sure we always choose right.

5. Lead by example.

Immediately after telling Israel that they had a choice to make as to whether they would follow the one and only God or any of the numerous false gods worshipped by other nations, Joshua shows us one of the greatest attributes of a good leader. For he proclaims his personal commitment to lead by example, saying:

“But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."

In essence, Joshua is saying this:

“You can choose whatever you want to choose but I’ve already got my mind made up. My family and I are serving God and God alone.”

My brothers and sisters, imagine the impact this must have had on the Israelites. Joshua was a highly respected leader who Israel looked up to, especially given His special relationship with the Lord…a relationship that modeled the one God had with Moses.

So when Joshua spoke, Israel listened.

And so when he said He was going to follow God, I can’t help but think that a lot of Israelites decided to do likewise…following his lead. You see, the best leaders lead by setting the right example. They practice what they preach and we need to remember this as we serve the Lord and others daily.

So there they are…five important elements points from some of the final words of Joshua…points that were intended to help the Israelites succeed spiritually long after he had died….points that can continue to help us this very day as well. For like the people of Israel, we would be well-served to heed Joshua’s wisdom and guidance for it will only help us develop a deeper, stronger faith relationship with our Father above.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

POINTS TO PONDER

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

After a long time had passed and the Lord had given Israel rest from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then old and well advanced in years, summoned all Israel — their elders, leaders, judges, and officials — and said to them: "I am old and well advanced in years. You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you. Remember how I have allotted as an inheritance for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain — the nations I conquered — between the Jordan and the Great Sea in the west. The Lord your God Himself will drive them out of your way. He will push them out before you, and you will take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you.”

"Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them. But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now.”

"The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as He promised. So be very careful to love the Lord your God.”

"But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and associate with them, then you may be sure that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the Lord your God has given you.”

"Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. But just as every good promise of the Lord your God has come true, so the Lord will bring on you all the evil He has threatened, until He has destroyed you from this good land He has given you. If you violate the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the Lord's anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land He has given you."

Joshua 23

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Before Moses died, Joshua was appointed as the new leader of Israel and tasked by God to "cross the Jordan River into the land" He was giving Israel. God promised Joshua He would "give (him) every place where (he) set (his) foot, as (He had) promised Moses". When all was said and done, Israel’s territory would "extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates — all the Hittite country — to the Great Sea on the west" and no opposition would be able to "stand up against (Israel) all the days of (their lives)" (Joshua 1:1-5). Additionally, God told Joshua this:

"Be careful to obey all the law My servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." Joshua 1:7-8

After this, we have seen through the study of this book where Joshua did all that God commanded. He took Israel across the Jordan and into the Promised Land. He was strong and courageous, confidently leading Israel to victory in every conflict because he knew that God had promised to be with him. He made sure the Israelites didn’t forget God’s laws, commandments, and the expectations brought by both. And after all of Canaan had been defeated, Joshua presided over the division of the land between the twelve tribes of Israel.

Indeed, Joshua had done a lot and did it all in obedience to God’s will.

Turning to our scriptures we today, we see in the opening of chapter 23 where Joshua’s life was drawing to a close. He had run the good race and persevered through difficult, challenging times and he fully knows that his time is running out.

As for the setting, the scriptures tell us that "a long time had passed" since "the Lord had given Israel rest from all (the) enemies around them" and this had left Joshua "old and well advanced in years". Sensing his death was imminent, we find the leader of Israel summoning “all Israel — their elders, leaders, judges and officials", giving them what would essentially be his farewell address saying:

"I am old and well advanced in years. You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you. Remember how I have allotted as an inheritance for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain — the nations I conquered — between the Jordan and the Great Sea in the west. The Lord your God Himself will drive them out of your way. He will push them out before you, and you will take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you. Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them. But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now. The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as He promised. So be very careful to love the Lord your God. But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and associate with them, then you may be sure that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the Lord your God has given you. Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. But just as every good promise of the Lord your God has come true, so the Lord will bring on you all the evil He has threatened, until He has destroyed you from this good land He has given you. If you violate the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the Lord's anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land He has given you."

In this address, we find Joshua touching on several key points that not only were intended for the people of Israel to remember but us today as well. They include:

1. The Lord fights for us.

We read in the Bible that the battle is not ours but the Lord’s (1 Samuel 17:47) and so we need not ever feel like we walk onto the spiritual battlefield of life without the most powerful Ally one could ever have fighting alongside them. Just as the Israelites had already been guaranteed victory because God was with them, so too do we have the same assurance, an assurance of victory as long as we are strong and courageous, buoyed up with the confidence that God is with us…24/7…365 days a year...and has saved us through our belief in Jesus Christ.

Friends, with this, we need not fear ANYTHING here on earth for no one or nothing is greater than our Lord…the Lord who is never afraid to enter into battle against the enemy for our sake and protection.

2. Be strong and careful to obey.

Strength and obedience are critically important partners. You can’t be obedient to the level God expects unless you have the strength to be so because Satan is always working to create an outcome opposed to what the Lord wants. He is motivated towards exploiting our weaknesses so we can fall into disobedience and out of God’s favor.

With this, we have to stay strong if we’re going to even have a chance to obey and that strength to ward off the devil won’t ever come from ourselves. Rather, we like the Apostle Paul, know where our true spiritual power comes from:

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". Philippians 4:13

Indeed, Paul understood that there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do through the might of Christ and this included withstanding Satan and remaining obedient to the Lord. Thankfully we hold the same understanding through this key verse.

3. Do not turn aside to the right or to the left.

Joshua gave Israel a stern warning to not allow themselves to be adversely influenced by those non-Israelite people who had survived the conquest of Canaan. The danger here was that the Israelites would be swayed to worship false gods after not fully driving out all the people who had inhabited Canaan when they invaded.

Unfortunately, we will see where this happened as Israel would pay the price for not doing what the Lord commanded. For when they left a remnant, they opened up the possibility that they would intermarry with the foreigners which would in turn lead them to compromise their devotion and dedication to God. Ultimately, we know that the nation of Israel would later divide into northern and southern kingdoms which would end up decimated and defeated by the Assyrians and Babylonians respectively…all because they chose to turn aside to the right or the left from the one true God in order to give their loyalty to gods that didn’t even exist.

Today, we still deal with outside influences that the enemy uses to entice and tempt us toward turning away from God into sinfulness. In fact, we’ll never be free from them until the blessed day when Jesus calls us home so we had better learn how to stay on the straight and narrow path of righteousness. To do so, we can always revert back to points one and two.

First, we need to remember that God is walking right along with us, no matter what life brings our way. Given this, all we need to do is turn to Him and He will make sure we stay on the right path of life…the same path that He walks.

Secondly, life is usually long and so we will be working to walk upon this narrow path for quite a while. This will require a lot of strength to persevere while defending ourselves against Satan’s attempts to lead us astray.

The good news for all believers is that through Christ Jesus, we have all the strength we could ever hope for, all the strength we could ever need. All we need to do is turn to Him.

4. Hold fast to the Lord.

The people of Israel faced a myriad of challenges as they entered the Promised Land to carry out God’s command with obedience. They were in an unknown place and expected to battle unknown enemies with their only assurance being that God was with them and would help them accomplish what He called them to do. And so if the Israelites were to be successful, they had to hold fast to the Lord.

Although the times have changed today, eons away from the days of ancient Israel, we still find life bringing us our own share of challenges. In fact, we never know what any day might bring, right?

Thankfully, we have the comfort and reassurance that comes with knowing God is with us. And so we never need to feel like we’re alone because we’re not. He is there with us every step of the way in life and so all we need to do is hold fast to Him, just as a young child holds onto the hand of their parent. In regard to the latter, a child detaching from a parent could result in them straying off and becoming lost…vulnerable to danger or harm.

The truth is that nothing really changes when we become adults except we’re bigger children who need to never let go of the hand of our Heavenly Father. For we can rest assured of this:

He will never let go of us.

5. Be careful to love the Lord.

When it all comes down to it, every point mentioned in this message comes down to one word…love.

For if we truly love the Lord with all our heart…with all our mind…with all our soul…and with all our strength (Deuteronomy 6:5), then we will fully understand the power and strength of God’s love for us, a love reflected in the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus, our Savior. Through that love, we will want to fully obey the Lord because we are so devoted to Him that we would never want to bring Him disappointment. Further, we wouldn’t even consider turning away from Him because we cherish Him and His love more than anything else.

That’s the place we need to be, the place where we hold fast to our Lord, gripping Him so tight that no one will ever be able to wrestle Him away.

In today’s passage, we find Joshua leaving his beloved brothers and sisters with cautions because he wanted them to continue experiencing the peace and rest they were enjoying after all the battles they had won. He fully knew that if they would heed what he said, they would remain in the favor of their God.

My prayer in writing this today is that you will experience your own personal rest…a rest found in the peace of knowing you are led, strengthened, and loved by such a wonderful, powerful, caring Lord who always wants the best for you. May you ever seek and follow His word and will while walking in His ways so that you, like Israel, might remain in the Lord’s good standing all the days of your life.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE PROBLEM WITH MAKING ASSUMPTIONS

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh and said to them, "You have done all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded, and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded. For a long time now—to this very day—you have not deserted your brothers but have carried out the mission the Lord your God gave you. Now that the Lord your God has given your brothers rest as He promised, return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan. But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to obey His commands, to hold fast to Him and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul."

Then Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their homes. (To the half-tribe of Manasseh, Moses had given land in Bashan, and to the other half of the tribe Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan with their brothers.) When Joshua sent them home, he blessed them, saying, "Return to your homes with your great wealth—with large herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze and iron, and a great quantity of clothing—and divide with your brothers the plunder from your enemies."

So the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in Canaan to return to Gilead, their own land, which they had acquired in accordance with the command of the Lord through Moses.

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. 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, the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.

So the Israelites sent Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead—to Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. With him they sent ten of the chief men, one for each of the tribes of Israel, each the head of a family division among the Israelite clans.

When they went to Gilead—to Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh—they said to them: "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? 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! 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. 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. When Achan, son of Zerah, acted unfaithfully regarding the devoted things, did not wrath come upon the whole community of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin.'"

Then Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel:

"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. 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.”

"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? 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.”

“That is why we said, 'Let us get ready and build an altar—but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.' 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.'”

"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 fathers built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.'”

"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."

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. 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 acted unfaithfully toward the Lord in this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the Lord's hand."

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. 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.

And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us that the Lord is God.

Joshua 22

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we reach the twenty-second chapter of Joshua, the fighting was over for the most part within Canaan and the people of Israel had claimed all the land that God had promised them…land that had been divided up amongst all the tribes except for the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and a half of the tribe of Manasseh. You’ll recall that God had given them the land on the east side of the Jordan River when Moses was leading Israel and before they crossed into the Promised Land.

You’ll may also remember that there was a stipulation attached to the two-and-a-half tribes being granted land on the east side of the Jordan. For God commanded their armies to join forces with the fighting men of the other tribes to cross the Jordan and join the battle to gain control of the land in Canaan. After the victory was accomplished, they would then be permitted to return home, going back across the Jordan to reunite with their families.

As we see in our scripture passage for today, that time had come.

For we read where “…Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh” saying to them:

“You have done all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded, and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded. For a long time now—to this very day—you have not deserted your brothers but have carried out the mission the Lord your God gave you. Now that the Lord your God has given your brothers rest as He promised, return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan. But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to obey His commands, to hold fast to Him and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul. Return to your homes with your great wealth—with large herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze and iron, and a great quantity of clothing—and divide with your brothers the plunder from your enemies."

And with that, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh began to return home and all seemed like it was going to be fine at this point with everyone living “happily ever after” as they say. Those Israelites who would live within Canaan were at rest while the tribes abiding to the east of the Jordan would soon be at rest themselves within their land.

But then something happened that disrupted the calm and created a disturbing stir amongst the Israelites in Canaan. For on their way home, the Reubenites, Gadites and half-tribe of Manasseh decided to build an “imposing altar…by the Jordan” at Geliloth.

We see in the scriptures where the word about the altar traveled quickly back to the Israelites in Canaan who “heard that (the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh) had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side”. This upset them so much that they assembled at “Shiloh to go to war against them”.

Why?

Because the Israelites in Canaan had made a common mistake…one that people all too often make today. They assumed they knew something that wasn’t even close to the truth.

Have you ever done that?

Have you ever heard about someone doing something and automatically assumed you knew what was going on before knowing all the facts?

You know, there has been a long standing saying about what happens when you assume things but I won’t share it here. The main point is that when we presume something before we know all the information to make a proper judgment on a matter, we too often end up looking foolish in the end, doing things that are not only unnecessary but often embarrassing, damaging, or both.

Going back to our passage and the Israelites living in Canaan, they erred in assuming the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh had constructed the altar at Geliloth for themselves so to perform some improper, inappropriate worship or sacrifice on it. Anyone doing this would anger God to the point where He would exert His wrath on all of Israel, not just the specific offenders. This hypersensitivity which morphed into paranoia was fueled by the prior actions of a man named Achan who you’ll remember decided to keep a few items from the conquest of Jericho when all things were to be given to God. His sin resulted in thirty-six Israelites dying as they attempted to attack Ai for the first time and the people of Israel weren’t spared until Achan was executed for his actions (Joshua 7).

So alarmed by a false assumption, the Israelites of Canaan left Shiloh and went to Gilead where they confronted the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh asking:

“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? 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! 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. 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. When Achan, son of Zerah, acted unfaithfully regarding the devoted things, did not wrath come upon the whole community of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin."

I would have liked to see the expression on the faces of the tribes of “Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh” after they heard what they were being accused of by their fellow Israelites. I would suppose they were in a state of initial shock before responding with this to defend themselves:

"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. 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.”

“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? 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. That is why we said, 'Let us get ready and build an altar—but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.' 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.' 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 fathers built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.' 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."

Here we find the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh speaking with bold confidence because they knew that they had done nothing wrong. In fact, they had given the altar the name, “A Witness Between Us that the Lord is God.” They further validated their actions by affirming the real reason why they built the altar…to glorify God and let it serve as a reminder that Israel indeed was one nation under Him, regardless which side of the Jordan one lived on. They asserted to their accusatory brothers and sisters that the Lord knew the true motives of their hearts and, with that, they had nothing to fear.

Well, imagine how the Israelites in Canaan must have felt after they heard all that the Reubenites, Gadites, and members of the half-tribe of Manasseh said.

Were they relieved?

Yes, of course they were. But they had marched a long distance with rage and warring thoughts in their hearts and minds every step of the way only to discover that the constructed altar wasn’t intended to be used anywhere near the way they thought it would and that had to be more than a little embarrassing.

This leads us to one other question…

Why didn’t the Israelites in Canaan just ask God if the altar was meant to be used in an adverse way against Him before they set out?

We have seen elsewhere in the scriptures provided answers to these kind of questions when they were brought before Him and surely in this case, He would have told His people to not waste their time marching so far over something that wasn’t worth it…and certainly nothing to go to war over.

But the Israelites in Canaan didn’t do that, instead assuming something that wasn’t true and choosing to take matters into their own hands.

Going back to our passage for today, we see where “Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community—the heads of the clans of the Israelites” were pleased after they “heard what Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had to say”, saying to them:

“Today we know that the Lord is with us, because you have not acted unfaithfully toward the Lord in this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the Lord's hand."

Of course, this sounds good but we know that the real truth of the matter was that the Israelites were never in danger in the first place.

And so “Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders returned to Canaan from their meeting…and reported to the Israelites” who were “glad to hear the report and praised God”, talking “no more about going to war against them to devastate the country where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived”.

Friends, God is seeking to teach us an important lesson within today’s message. For we error when deciding to make assumptions before having all the facts. Given this, we should never operate in life off of gossip, innuendo, or guess work but instead truth…always truth. And the only way we can be assured we have the truth, is to seek it through the One who is THE Way and THE Truth and THE Life…THE only One who will always ensure we understand completely what is going on and, best of all, guide us to either act or not act depending on His will for the situation.

Today and every day, let us always seek the guidance of our Lord who is our precious Counselor in life, now and forever more.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

MEMORIAL DAY

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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Nearly 141 years ago, the United States was recovering from a long and bloody Civil War. Those who survived returned home weary and battle scarred, many severely wounded or disabled. Many never made it home with over 646 thousand Union forces and nearly 134 thousand Confederates losing their lives, all this within the boundaries of this great nation.

Our nation’s participation in armed conflict didn’t stop there. The Spanish-American War, World Wars 1 and 2, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq would follow and approximately another 625,000 would give their lives. And the death toll has not stopped yet…every day our servicemen and women continue to die in service to God and country.

While looking at these figures, it’s important for us to not lose sight that those who have died in conflict are more than just numbers. Each person had a life, a future they looked forward to, and a family back home that they loved and missed while in the midst of war. There was a human being just like you and me behind every casualty…and it would be inhumane to reduce them to a mere statistic. For their value was far greater than a number…their act of courage and sacrifice deserving of greater recognition, remembrance, and honor.

This was the mindset of Harry Welles, a small town drug store owner who worked and lived in Waterloo NY in 1886. He had watched those tired, wounded Civil War veterans come home and had listened intently to their stories as they shared their first-hand battlefield accounts. He marveled at their bravery and devotion to duty, feeling impelled to do something to ensure that the courageous soldiers would not become an afterthought…to ensure they would always be remembered and honored.

And so he sprang to action, rallying local businesses and government leaders to close all shops in town each May 5th in memory of the soldiers who lost their lives in the war. On that day, flowers, wreathes, and crosses were laid on the graves of the Northern soldiers in Waterloo’s cemetery.

Elsewhere, retired Major General Jonathan Logan was putting together a separate ceremony, this one honoring all veterans who had survived the war. On May 30th, 1868, the ceremony involved a parade through town that stopped at the cemetery where flags were placed at the graves of fallen soldiers. It was a solemn occasion that residents named "Decoration Day". In his address that day, General Logan would state, "The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country and during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, hamlet, and churchyard in the land. In this observance, no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit."

From that day on, the northern states paused for commemoration annually on May 30th while the southern states would remember their dead on a different day. These ceremonies evolved to include children reading poems and singing civil war songs while veterans would go to schools wearing their medals and uniforms to tell students about their war experiences. Then the veterans would take their traditional march through the streets followed by all the town’s people, still stopping at the cemetery and decorating graves. Photographs of soldiers were taken standing next to the graves of fallen comrades and rifles were shot in the air in salute.

Fast forward to the 20th century and 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed Waterloo, New York, the birthplace of Memorial Day, exactly 100 years after the first commemoration. Since that time, just as they had done before, town’s people still walk to the cemeteries and hold memorial services, decorating graves with flags and flowers. Then they walk back to the park in the middle of town near a monument dedicated to Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines and listen to the reading of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address followed by Retired Major General Logan's Order # 11 designating Decoration Day.

In 1971, President Richard Nixon declared Memorial Day a federal holiday and changed the day of celebration to the last Monday in May. Since then, cities and towns across the United States have followed the lead of Waterloo, establishing special ceremonies to not only pay respect to the nation’s servicemen and women but also to loved ones who have died. Church services, visits to the cemetery, flowers on graves, or even silent tributes mark the day with dignity and solemnity.

All and all, it’s a day of reflection…a day of remembrance for those who have passed, some having paid the ultimate sacrifice…protecting and securing our nation’s freedoms by laying their lives down for others and a cause greater than themselves.

In reflecting on this matter of sacrifice, I can’t help but also remember what happened more than 2,000 years ago, long before the United States came into existence…long before our Civil War. It too was a time of conflict and hardship…a time of turmoil and change…a time where people battled against one another within a promised land that God had given His chosen people…a time and place when one Man was sent from Heaven to earth to step forward and freely sacrifice Himself in service to humanity, paying the ultimate of all ultimate sacrifices.

This man, Jesus Christ, was the very definition and model of the word “service”, never hesitating to teach, preach, heal, guide, convict, and love anyone He encountered. His life wasn’t about what He could do for Himself – not for wealth He could amass or success and popularity He could gain. Rather, He - empowered by God with His very authority, power and might – willingly chose to make Himself poor so that through His poverty we might be made rich (2 Corinthians 8:9) and in doing so, showed us that it is much better to give than receive (Acts 20:35). Through His willingness to die in our place, Jesus modeled His own words by showing that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for His friends (John 15:13)…and He did view us as His friends even though it was our sins led Him to die for our sake.

Go back and remember Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. All seemed to be well as He received honor and respect that was normally shown toward kings. The long awaited Messiah who had been predicted since the days of the prophets had come but who could have guessed at that point that the same people who waved palm branches while shouting, "Hosanna, Hosanna!", would soon be shouting "Crucify Him, Crucify Him!"

Indeed, Jesus found few friends present on the day of His crucifixion minus his mother, John, and many other women who had traveled with Him during His ministry. He received no thanks for all He had done for His beloved people…people He healed, taught, exorcised, and even resurrected in a few cases. No, after His arrest, wrongful conviction, bloody beating, and unjust death sentencing, Jesus, the Son of God, was forced to participate in His own death march to Golgotha, known as the Place of the Skull.

Once there, the gathered crowds neither paid Jesus homage or showed an ounce of gratitude. They weren’t ready to witness His death so to one day honor His passing with flowers of sympathy and respect. Rather, they came for the spectacle of His public execution, to see first-hand the death sentence they had demanded from the Roman governor Pilate.

As Jesus carried His own cross to Golgotha, these people lined the streets that He struggled to navigate, spitting on His blood stained body and hurling words of insult and derision. Indeed, the depths of sordid human behavior and failure were on full display as Jesus reached Calvary’s hill where nails would be driven through His hands and feet into the rugged, wooden cross before He was hoisted up to hang in agonizing pain while inching toward death.

But while this was a place typically immersed in the darkness of suffering and death, we know Jesus used it to shine His light brighter than He ever had prior, putting His absolute mercy, compassion, and grace on full display while performing the ultimate act of forgiveness. You’ll remember that He looked to Heaven and asked His Father God to forgive those who had physically and emotionally assailed Him for they knew not what they were doing (Luke 23:34).

And so our Savior Jesus lived, loved, and served through His life and He did so willingly all the while well knowing His fate… knowing that pain, humiliation, betrayal, sadness, and death awaited Him…and yet, He carried on. He could have saved Himself…He could have chosen to desert His mission. But He didn’t for within Himself, He had an incomprehensible love for something greater than Himself…namely us. You see, saving all mankind meant far more than saving Himself…the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the One.

When it was all said and done, Jesus gave up His breath in death on the cross so He could breathe eternal life into a people who were walking down the path of sinful self annihilation. For three days after dying, God resurrected His Son in power, ushering in a sure hope of salvation for anyone who would simply believe in Jesus as Savior (John 3:16).  

In the end translation, Jesus’ crucifixion and subsequent resurrection was the greatest victory in the greatest battle ever fought. His victory over the world, over sin, over death, and over Satan provided us with the opportunity for victory as well…all He requires is that we place our trust in Him.

Not only this Memorial Day - but every day - let us ever remember that Jesus was the One who first showed us the value of sacrificial service...service filled with courage, bravery, valor, and heroism. We must never lose sight that all that we are today, yesterday, and tomorrow is because of Him and we only love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). We also serve because He first served us and only understand sacrifice because He showed us what true sacrifice is all about.

Ultimately, we’re free because He – Jesus - paid the price for us. We live because He died.

Given this, thanks be to God for the indescribable gift of His Only Son (2 Corinthians 9:15).

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.