Title: Misunderstandings in Serving God
Content 35. Misunderstandings in Serving God
The content of this place is that “the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh” (v. 1) heard Joshua's praise, and then they heard Joshua's words of exhortation (v. 5). Later, they independently “built an altar by the Jordan” (v. 10), where the strife occurred. This was caused by a misunderstanding between a hardworking person and their zeal, even though they were prepared to fight, but the misunderstanding was resolved and later, “this altar is the evidence that the Lord is God” (verse 34). Misunderstandings that are hard to come by, conflicts caused by such misunderstandings, and a religious attitude to resolve those conflicts are the hallmarks of this place.
1. There is a spirit of fervent service to God
“Be very careful that you do the commandments and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, and that you love the Lord your God, and walk in all his ways, keep his commandments, be close to him, and serve him with all your heart and with all your soul” (verse 5). . This is the basic principle and spirit of serving Jehovah.
It requires a spirit of great restraint. “To refrain greatly” means “to be very careful”. Verse 5 is a quote from Deuteronomy. (Deut. 6:5, 10:20, 11:13, 22, 30:6, 16,20). Here, there are basic principles (commands and laws) and the actions of those principles (walking and keeping all his ways). This has important implications.
In our conduct there must be a principle of how to act. The principle is presented here. This principle must be observed and practiced with all of your heart and character. If you only know the principles and do not have the attitude to follow them, you are not a believer. But there is something to be clear about here. In order to do, keep, and maintain “command and law,” it requires a fervent spirit of sacrifice. Passion for God is necessary, obedience to God is necessary in life, and resolve to keep God's commands and live as they are. Joshua said, “Walk in all his ways” (verse 5). It is impossible for humans to go down this road. Here we again feel the need for grace.
2. Joshua Blessed These Three Tribes
“Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents” (verse 6). It is a collective “to them”. This is where the religious life of ancient Israel appears.
This is true of personal blessings, but sometimes of a collective character as well. God wants all people to be blessed, no exceptions. This is an unchanging attribute of God. Two personalities can emerge from this blessing. ① There are good people who are grateful for the blessing and receive it with gratitude, and ② there are people who do not want it. There is no discrimination in the “blessings” that God gives through his servants, but there may be differences depending on the change of attitude of the recipient.
3. These three tribes built an altar
“When we arrived at the edge of the Jordan hill in the land of Canaan, we built an altar there by the Jordan, and it was a great house to see” (verse 10). “Building an altar by the Jordan” has many deep meanings. Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh (v. 1) left the other tribes of Israel and went from Shiloh to Gilead (v. 9) and built an altar in the land of Canaan by the Jordan. The building of an altar like this shows several deep meanings.
(1) Show their basic attitude toward Jehovah.
“Come to the land of Canaan by the side of the Jordan hill” (verse 10), the land of Canaan is west of Canaan. When they arrived there, the first three tribes built an altar there (v. 10). A person of God must always think of God first and must have an attitude of gratitude for the grace that God has bestowed upon him. These three tribes first “built an altar there” before erecting their tents. This is the right attitude of a believer. Believers need to think of God first wherever they go. This is where the attitude of such a believer comes from.
(2) This altar was made the center of faith.
“We took heed and did this for a purpose” (verse 24). The religious life of your children is important. These three tribes wanted their children to have a proper worship of God. This was the basic attitude of these three tribes, “that our children might cease to fear the Lord” (verse 25). This is reminiscent of Jesus' words, "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness" (Matthew 6:33). Believers must first think of God. “Building an altar” before God before building a place to dwell in should be our basic attitude of faith.
(3) You will see their basic posture in the new settlement.
It was a great altar to behold (verse 10). Literally, “a great altar to look at.” According to archaeological findings, this altar is a large platform that can be seen from all directions, and it coincides with the expression of “a great platform worth seeing (verse 10)” in the Bible (Quarterly paper of the palestine exploration fund oct 1874). This shows that ① he recalls the past graces that God has given him, ② he has a deep sense of gratitude for that God, and ③ he takes great interest in serving God. ④ And the basic attitude to think of God first in all things is revealed. When the three tribes erected such a “precious altar,” the rest of the tribes misunderstood the matter greatly.
4. There is a misunderstanding about the brother's religious beliefs
“As soon as the children of Israel heard this, all the congregation of the children of Israel gathered at Shiloh to fight them” (verse 12). Their building an altar had great religious significance to Israel. The building of the altar was to be done in consultation with Eleazar the priest. It appears that these three tribes did not have prior consultation with Eleazar the priest in this “building an altar of merit.” The rest of the congregation in Israel sent Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, the religious representative of Israel, to accompany the “head of the tribe” (v. 14) at the same time before fighting these three tribes. Thus they met with the three tribes to see their motives for “building an altar”. A lesson that cannot be overlooked emerges from such a historical event. It is a fact that even a fervent zeal to serve God can sometimes lead to misunderstandings.
(1) The actions of these three tribes led to misunderstanding.
“Let the children of Israel hear this” (verse 12), which is a judgment based solely on rumors and rumors. Rumors from outside may not be true, and it is being proven again here. These three tribes “built an altar there.” Why? Could it be that we are building our own country? This misunderstanding caused these remaining tribes to go “to fight them” (v. 12). There are not one or two wars that have been caused by misunderstandings without knowing the facts, but similar appearances appear here as well.
(2) Misunderstanding leads to wrong behavior.
“All the congregation of the LORD said, “Why do you sin against the God of Israel, and turn away from following the LORD today, and build an altar against the LORD?” (verse 16). This was the conclusion that these remaining tribes reached with respect to the three tribes. Their conclusion was that “building a worthy altar” appeared to be “rebellious against Jehovah.” Wrong judgments lead to wrong conclusions. "they … … come... … Speak” (v. 15) is a good example of misunderstanding. This shows us a serious lesson today. In other words, you should refrain from making hasty judgments before finding out the facts. Misunderstandings, especially from time, cause the most terrible detox. It is a great tragedy brought about by misunderstanding to condemn the act of zeal to God as an act of law.
5. There was a misunderstanding about the altar built by these three tribes.
“The children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered and said to the head of the ten thousand men of Israel” (verse 21), “Look at the model of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made” (verse 28). “It is only to serve as a witness between us and you, but it is by no means in any way that we will rebel against the Lord and turn away from following the Lord today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or other sacrifices other than the altar that is before the tabernacle of the Lord our God. (Verses 28-29). These were the words of Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh to clear up the misunderstanding that arose in their actions. There are cases where a person who has no reason to be rebuked here gets a bookstore because of a misunderstanding. This is something that happens occasionally in our society and should never happen.
Even a good person needs an explanation from a big misunderstanding. “And he answered the head of the ten thousand men of Israel, saying,” (verse 21), these three tribes appear to have been greatly wounded. Phinehas, the son of the priest, came because of their work, and the chiefs accompanied them for an accurate observation of the situation. As a result of this, the leaders of these three tribes were greatly injured, and it begins with the words of Hosozo. It was not that “we built the altar to turn away from the Lord” (v. 23), but “we had a purpose” (v. 24). It is said to be “to our descendants” (v. 24), “to fear the Lord” (v. 25), and not cease to be “after the pattern of the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made” (v. 28). He then made it clear that these three tribes were not meant to offer sacrifices, but merely as an altar of “evidence” (27). This explanation was reasonable as it was based on historical facts and was justified by their logic. Misunderstandings of the other party can sometimes be resolved through reasonable explanations. Here is an example of that.
6. Worry, anxiety and misunderstanding turned into joy
“Phinehas the priest and the princes of the congregation with him… … He lifted up his horse and regarded it well” (verse 30). This shows that actions from a pure and pure heart will soon be recognized, even if they are misunderstood for a while. “When they heard the word, it was acceptable to them” (verse 30). The truth needs no complicated explanation. The explanations of these three tribes were simple and sincere. There was no decoration in it, and it was the truth. They were ① pure in motives ② pure in the process and ③ proud of their attitude toward all Israeli princes and Phinehas.
Here you can see that all the problems have been cleared up. A lie needs a lot of explanation. But the truth doesn't need much explanation. The truth is the truth, that is enough. When the other brothers heard them, they “rejoiced.” Phinehas, as representative, concluded the case. “We know that the Lord is among us today, because you have not sinned against the Lord” (verse 31). This conclusion cleared away the worries, anxiety, and misunderstandings that arose between each other.
What draws our attention here is the role of “Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest”. The building of the altar “by the Jordan hill in the land of Canaan” (verse 10) was not an act of offering sacrifices or independent worship, but an altar built for the education of the children according to the example of the ancestors. It is just a platform to thank the Lord for the grace he has bestowed upon him. There is no need for any misunderstanding, no anxiety, and no further attitude to “go out to fight” (v. 12). Israel cleared up the misunderstanding that arose from this incident and called the altar “Eth”, saying, “This altar is the evidence that the Lord is God” (verse 34).